As always, I come away from treading your articles with thoughts to ponder.
Of particular interest this time, the contrast between “we need judge each case individually and accept that sometimes we can’t fit the facts to our own preconceptions” (i.e., a recognition there is always nuance) and a reluctance to criticize the left or acknowledge holding views that in a saner time were ok to call “conservative” because the other side "is fucking insane" (i.e., falling into a black/white mindset).
I have quite often bemoaned the resistance liberals seems to calling conservatives out on their shit, I take more militant (dare I say GOP-like) approach to doing so. But at the same time I recognize things should be judged by their individual circumstances, and falling into an “I won’t criticize one side because it will be taken as support for the other, and I don’t want to support the other“, with-us-or-against-us absolute stance is dangerous.
For the most part these days I try to tell myself that narrow absolutes from “our side” are necessary to fight the narrow absolutes from the other (I need to kill them all because it's what they would do) and once we get thru this current war then we can go back to rational discourse.
Because the abyss won’t look at us too hard, will it?
“My friend is a moderate conservative and probably wasn’t a fan of Trump, but took the view that Democrats were a bigger threat to the health of the country than his own party.”
I’d argue if your friend believes Democrats are a greater threat to the country than Trump, a RADICAL fascist authoritarian who wants to throw out the constitution, has absolutely zero respect for the law or established institutions, wants to freely jail his political opponents just because (evident even during his campaign, let alone by the time of his first impeachment trial) then your friend is NOT a “conservative” of moderate or any other stripe.
If your friend (or anyone) believes the Democrats are a greater threat to the country than Trump, then your friend is not a “moderate conservative“ but your friend is a closeted fascist.
The best Banter column I have read in a long time. I guess I had best upgrade to paid! Nicely done, Ben.
Thank you very much Stephen!
Rich Herschlag’s piece on why MAGA lunatics have killed his “tiny patch of sensible conservatism” is an absolute must read.
As always, I come away from treading your articles with thoughts to ponder.
Of particular interest this time, the contrast between “we need judge each case individually and accept that sometimes we can’t fit the facts to our own preconceptions” (i.e., a recognition there is always nuance) and a reluctance to criticize the left or acknowledge holding views that in a saner time were ok to call “conservative” because the other side "is fucking insane" (i.e., falling into a black/white mindset).
I have quite often bemoaned the resistance liberals seems to calling conservatives out on their shit, I take more militant (dare I say GOP-like) approach to doing so. But at the same time I recognize things should be judged by their individual circumstances, and falling into an “I won’t criticize one side because it will be taken as support for the other, and I don’t want to support the other“, with-us-or-against-us absolute stance is dangerous.
For the most part these days I try to tell myself that narrow absolutes from “our side” are necessary to fight the narrow absolutes from the other (I need to kill them all because it's what they would do) and once we get thru this current war then we can go back to rational discourse.
Because the abyss won’t look at us too hard, will it?
“My friend is a moderate conservative and probably wasn’t a fan of Trump, but took the view that Democrats were a bigger threat to the health of the country than his own party.”
I’d argue if your friend believes Democrats are a greater threat to the country than Trump, a RADICAL fascist authoritarian who wants to throw out the constitution, has absolutely zero respect for the law or established institutions, wants to freely jail his political opponents just because (evident even during his campaign, let alone by the time of his first impeachment trial) then your friend is NOT a “conservative” of moderate or any other stripe.
If your friend (or anyone) believes the Democrats are a greater threat to the country than Trump, then your friend is not a “moderate conservative“ but your friend is a closeted fascist.