We libertarians are often regarded as part of the Republican party, or at least as part of the conservative movement. I understand how libertarianism can be seen as an extension of small-government conservatism, but I have a lot of trouble thinking of myself as a conservative. They talk a good libertarian game, but they don’t have the moves.
For one thing, give them some power, and they spend money like a bunch of drunken sailors on liberty after a 12-month cruise…except that drunken sailors spend their own money, whereas the Bush administration and the Republican congress have been spending our money.
But if you really want to see an ugly side of conservatism, you don’t need to elect them to office. You just have to throw a Gay Pride parade:
For most of us, the parade’s spectacles are nauseating and disturbing — just TMI. Nauseating because the setting is festive and fun. Disturbing because the parade allows the movement to mock itself, and self-deprecating humor invokes sympathy and endearment to fellow humans.
The annual Gay Pride parade has become a powerful and insidious weapon used to turn our community and nation against its own foundation — the traditional family.
And all we could do is stand by and watch.
(Watch? Heck, I took pictures! I’ll be posting them later.)
I guess I’m not in the Illinois Review‘s definition of “most of us,” because the parade doesn’t leave me nauseated and disturbed.
I’m not going to claim to be so cosmopolitan (or so politically correct) that nothing and nobody at the parade made me uncomfortable—I’m an introvert, everybody makes me a little uncomfortable—but so what? When people have fun in ways I don’t understand and wouldn’t enjoy myself, I try not to take it personally, and I certainly try to avoid writing pointless incoherent rants about it. Instead, I get over it. You know why? Because It’s Not All About Me.
Mark –
You make good points but err in calling the President an many Republicans in Congress conservative. Libertarians are not necessarily considered conservative when dealing with social or moral issues as the thought process is pretty much anything goes as long as it hurts no one. The disagreement with social conservatives is whether or not said social mores and moral issues actually do harm no one.
Many libertarians can be considered conservative in dealing with fiscal matters. Something our President and recent congressional Republicans have not been.
I personally think the parade is over the top but it can’t bother me if I don’t go to it or watch on TV. I may however look at your pictures because I have always admired your photography.
Being libertarian doesn’t make you a conservative in the total sense, just in certain aspects thereof. Did I make sense? :)
Yeah, that makes sense.
Like many people, I’ve gotten more conservative as I got older. Or, from my point of view, liberalism got weird. It’s not that I agree with every libertarian, but somehow I don’t worry as much about being associated with ideas I find distasteful.
Thanks for saying nice things about my photography.