A Conservatarian's Take on Freedom

You are free to hate my black ass

A number of years back, one of my followers asked me to do this: “Explain your reasoning for your [political and social] positions from an ideological standpoint.”

Well, I’ve done that before, but, since then, here’s something I’ve noticed: many people who call themselves conservatives don’t really know what that means. They like the outer trappings of “conservatism” and believe that “liberalism” (better: leftism) is bad.

But many don’t understand basis for conservatism or even conceive that one exists. So I’ll try to help.

The basis for conservatism is freedom. And one problem with some so-called conservatives is that they don’t get the implications of freedom. Here’s one: freedom implies that the other guy is free just as you are; he is free to say and do things you don’t like as long as those words and actions don’t impinge on your freedom or those of others. He is free to hate and/or criticize you for your race or anything else about you … and to say so. And he is free from having the government harass him for his opinions. (Yes, I know.)

Perhaps an example is in order. Remember the Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy and the standoff he had with the US government? Sure you do. I have 3000+ Facebook friends, hundreds of which are black conservatives, and most of them were standing with Bundy, until it was alleged that he made some public statements that were racist. As it turns out, Bundy said little that is different from what many black conservatives say - including yours, truly. 

However, when the slinging of the Racist Cudgel occurred, a few decided to publicly abandon Bundy’s cause, saying that the government should be allowed to seize Bundy’s property and that Bundy should be fined and/or imprisoned because of his words! And when I - and many others - asserted that this was a tyrannical opinion, we got called “Uncle Tom,” “coon,” “buck-dancers for the white man” by conservatives. Black ones.

But the tantrum itself was an indication of something more troubling - tyrannical inclinations go mentally and emotionally deeper than we generally acknowledge and that our political opinions are too often self-centered, rather than morally-centered and/or logic-centered.

The desire to impinge on the freedom of a person who has said something deemed insulting is immoral and anti-freedom. These days, that impingement is called “cancellation.”

When someone else is censured - legally or not - for his opinions, your censure isn't far behind.

Check your premises and your indoctrination. Most importantly, check your ego and your carcass worship.¹ Love your (possibly offensive) neighbor's freedom as your own.

1. Carcass worship: [insert race/color/tribe here] supremacism.