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Social Conservative is a Slur
And other things you just hate to hear
Social conservatism is not experienced internally as a hatred of difference, but as altruism. A protection of kin and divine justice for sinners. It is experienced by those rejected as arbitrary and cruel. If you believe you are above compromise, your behaviour undermines the consultative aspect of democracy.
This is just one gap we’ll have to bridge in affirming the sense of basic commonality which underpins a democratic project without hegemonic backing. And that means everyone swallows hard pills. Nobody is all the way right, nobody is all the way wrong.
“…everyone swallows hard pills. Nobody is all the way right, nobody is all the way wrong.”
What we need from our political leaders is to conduct an adult-level discourse about reasonable options. Options that will benefit us in certain ways and hinder us in others. Here’s an ancient secret: for them to get the chance, we need to like it.
