The first attempt to address the topic of politics from a psychological perspective was a good object lesson in how political debate and discussions frequently are mired in personal opinions, the avoidance of humiliation/shame and egotism instead of politics.
The progression of posts was steered by some of the participants over to a discussion of the president elect's psychological health, then defenses of the "right" and "ability" of people to assess it using what amounted to telescopic observations.
My objections to that digression off topic resulted in a flurry of emphatic, highly animate vituperation and personal insults, which I chose to ignore for the most part (because I know that the posters are generally better than that and I realized that I had hit a nerve somehow without really meaning to).
I am still pondering the reaction in order to extract something of value from the exchanges.
The basic topic of the first post was how the efforts of participants in political discussions and debate often become centered around resolving and dealing with personal/psychological issues rather than substantive policy/political ones.
My only conclusion so far is that a top concern of many who post on political issues is first and foremost to establish and fortify their own self-esteem by defending their previously stated positions/opinions - in other words reinforcing their own feelings of being O.K.!!
I can assure everyone who reads this post that I am fully and wholly convinced that virtually everyone I have ever dealt with on this website, even those with whom I have had strong disagreements, that they are in my own estimation very, very O.K.!
See, I don't make appraisals of people's value or fitness as human beings based upon their expressed opinions, I base it largely upon their overt behavior - what they do. I glean from reading many posts that most if not all of the posters here are people whose values of hard work, dedication to morality, having a sense of humor and what I like to call "self actualization" (nods to Maslow) I completely share.
That may be discouraging to some who have less-than-warm feelings about me of late, (who would prefer to think of me as "the other") but there it is.
What I am really concerned most with on this thread is trying to determine how, for the good of conservatism and of the nation, positive things can become associated with conservatism and Republicans more than the negative things that mass media and leftists in general have attached.
The sad fact is that when people hear the words "conservative" or "Republican" who do not self -identify as either or both, the words they associate with us (whether rightly or wrongly are):
-Boring
-Provincial
-Unimaginative
-Doctrinaire
-Angry/mean
-Selfish/materialistic
-Xenophobic (racialist/racist)
-Short tempered
-Exclusionary
-Mundane
-Colorless
-Pious (in the bad sense)
-Opportunistic (exploitative)
-Insensitive
I and I'm sure most self-described conservatives/Republicans reject all of those attributes/attitudes.
When I think of my fellow conservatives (I am not a Republican, but I generally vote with them on most issues) I think first and foremost of Christians, who are among the best human beings I have ever known. I also do not doubt that many of the best people I have known, who have influenced my life positively were also Christians whom I never knew to be because the topic never came up in the course of our relationship. They did not let their left hand know what the right was doing.
Virtually everything can be expressed in positive terms, which can also be expressed in negative terms. So what negativistic people who despise conservatism and people who ascribe to it think of when they think of conservatives I don't.
When I hear the above terms describing conservatives, what I think is this:
Conservatives are not boring as a rule, but they do tend to be more STABLE, SOLID, RELIABLE AND CONSISTENT than non-conservatives.
Conservatives are not generally provincial, but they are well-acquainted with and respectful of prevailing local traditions, activities, morality, popular expressions and institutions. They know their stomping grounds and are not shy about defending their beach.
Conservatives do not tend to be unimaginative, but they do tend to be well-versed in effective methods for solving problems and ameliorating difficulties using tried-and-true methodology. IOW they know how to cope with difficulty and get things fixed/done.
Conservatives are not doctrinaire (rigid in their thinking) but they do tend to be well informed about what works and what doesn't and are not inclined to deviate unnecessarily from well-established principles or ideas merely for the sake of novelty, fad or fashion.
Conservatives are not generally excessively angry/mean but they are able to be moved to action in the defense or protection of the things that they cherish. This goes part-in-parcel with the idea that one cannot love the good without being opposed strongly to (hating) that which is bad. I have felt for a long time that to be angry is the opposite of being hateful because the opposite of love is not anger as indifference. If one doesn't care about something one will not get angry, one will simply walk away and abandon all interest in it and allow it to die or be destroyed.
Conservatives are not generally excessively selfish/materialistic, but they do understand the value of a dollar. Conservatives often embody and promulgate by action one of the cornerstone principles of the best tradition of the American Way - hating waste. Good people do not like to waste anything or anyone useful.
Conservatives are not generally xenophobic (racialist/racist) but they are inclined to be somewhat choosy about whom they trust or establish intimacy with. The saying that I learned when I visited the Southern U.S. was that southerners (and most good Americans) are slow to take one into trust, but once we like a person, we are generally warm, generous and loyal friends. But we do not suffer fools easily. Conservatives understand and take to heart the concept that garbage comes in all colors. Conservatives are proud to embrace their own cultural heritage, even if it is that of white Northern-European Caucasians.
Conservatives are not often short tempered, but we can be pissed off by infamy, rudeness, gross insensitivity, mendacity, gross stupidity, cruelty or insincerity. Frankly I would much rather have friends who are than people who wear a moon-faced benevolent façade on their mug and pretend to love everyone. There are only two kinds of people, those who hate someone or something, and those who hate someone or something but pretend not to in order to put on an air of moral superiority.
Conservatives are not generally highly exclusionary but we do tend to discriminate in the positive sense of the term meaning "distinguish" as in; between better and worse, good and bad, effective and feckless, toxic and healthy, self-controlled and licentious, etc.
Conservatives are not often mundane, but we do tend to be well-informed about what works, what is real, what is commonly wrong and what is foolish and avoid them casually. We are no easily moved to drastic action or recklessness.
Conservatives are not often colorless but we are often not impressed by flashy, ostentatious, strange, flamboyant, excessive, gaudy, florid art. Classical artistic values including creative things appeal to normal people and that goes especially for things of taste or interesting nature.
Conservatives are not often pious (in the bad sense) but are pious in a good sense. They tend to be reverent and respectful of spiritual values, especially the Apollonian and Judeo-Christian ones. We are as tolerant in real life as leftist claim to be in theory.
Conservatives are not opportunistic (exploitative) but we know a good deal when we see one and understand how free market economics has driven genuine progress in the world and done more to elevate the standard and longevity of living for Humanity, especially the lower economic strata, than all of the Statist ideologues that have ever existed.
Conservatives are not often highly insensitive but we are not snowflakes. 'Nuff said.
