We all know a version of the aphorism that young people are liberal, but become more conservative as they age. It’s generally true*.
It’s been true for me. For most of my adult life I’ve considered myself a leftist/Democrat/progressive. That began to change in 2016.
But many people I know haven’t gotten any more conservative as they’ve entered middle age, at least going by what they say about themselves. They say, “I didn’t leave the left; the left left me.” They mean that the left has gone nuts over trans, or over other social issues, usually.
And they are right. The left has gone nuts. But there’s something I can’t explain. When I noticed that the left went nuts over social issues, I didn’t stop my reexamination at those issues as if there was nothing else in leftism to consider. Instead, long-held leftist ideas (I held them too) about the welfare state, the importance of the nuclear family, green energy, and many others, appeared to me to be based on shaky foundations.
Even upon no foundations at all. No, more than that—sometimes in direct contradiction to reality.
But many people I know don’t see this, and I don’t understand why. I question how you can be, say, 55 years old and awake enough to the world to say “the left abandoned me” without some of the questions I’m asking occurring to you, too.
Is this another example of how left-leaning people tend to emotionally mature more slowly, and much later than others? That’s no snotty judgment—I am one of those people I’m talking about, too.
Here are some of my former beliefs compared to my current positions. Though I believe my current positions are closer to correct than my old ones, these beliefs are provisional. If evidence shows me I’m wrong, I’m able and willing to accept that and say so in public.
Old Belief: America hates single mothers and poor people. We can afford much more generous welfare payments, but we don’t give them because we don’t care about people who can’t make it otherwise.
New Belief: America’s welfare system of giveaways is a trap, and a direct incentive to have children out of wedlock, to fail to achieve consistent and livable employment, and is a means to keeping women and black people especially voting for Democrats. It’s a policy of encouraging failure and helplessness.
Old Belief: Abortion is a fundamental right of every woman, no questions asked, no exceptions.
New Belief: There is a substantive moral difference between aborting a fetus in the early days of pregnancy, and aborting what is actually a baby that’s nearly full-term. To pretend that this is not a substantive moral difference is, itself, moral insanity.
Old Belief: Women in the West live in a patriarchy. Men control our entire economy and politics. Women are consciously and deliberately paid less for exactly the same job performed at exactly the same level because we hate women.
New Belief: [Actually, this isn’t a ‘belief’, it’s a fact] There is no “gender wage gap” if by that you mean that sexism is making companies pay women less money than a man who does the same job, with the same qualifications, for the same number of hours. That’s not real. It’s not true.
Those are just a few.
Do you have some of yours?
Or, are you one of those people whose views have not changed at all, and who would say, “the left abandoned me but I haven’t changed”?
*Remember my policy: “You have to supply your own not-alls.” Supply your own caveats.
Why aren't you more conservative?
Here's one for me in reverse, Josh. I was (and still am) very conservative with libertarian leanings, but the more I've seen the corruption in our justice system, with rogue DAs and judges, I have come to oppose the death penalty. Not on moral grounds; I do still think it is morally fine to execute someone who committed murder; but on the grounds that our justice system can't seem to get things right most of the time. I also believe in prison reform, as jails and prisons are deliberately designed to torture the inmates rather than merely segregate them from the peaceful society. Many Americans think prisons are there to "punish", i.e., torture, criminals; but really prisons are just to remove violent individuals from society so they cannot terrorize or damage law-abiding citizens. The separation is enough; it does not have to be deliberately cruel.
Oh wow, so many. And I know what you mean. The left's insanity on trans stuff caused me to re-examine everything, too, and quite a lot of it just didn't hold up.
Old Belief: our for-profit health system keeps people slaves to employers and stifles entrepreneurship, and besides, healthcare is a human right! We should have single payer.
New Belief: single payer healthcare would be a greased skid to a totalitarian hell of the Wokies controlling who's allowed to have therapy, what the therapist is allowed to talk to them about; prioritizing scarce resources by the oppression hierarchy of white people and men last. (Vaccine administration was in fact done this way in some areas, making my fear proven to be quite reasonable.)
Old Belief: victims of abuse and assault should be believed by default; even if there's not enough evidence to convict, being believed is helpful to healing.
New Belief: same as above, only adding a few words--victims of abuse and assault should be believed by default BY THEIR CLOSE FAMILY, FRIENDS, THERAPISTS, AND CLERGY; even if there's not enough evidence to convict, being believed is helpful to healing. Everyone not in their inner circle is free to make up their own minds based on their own assessments of the person's story, demeanor, and character.
Old Belief: the mental health profession is vastly underutilized; many more people should be seeking therapy.
New Belief: there are maybe five sane therapists on earth and I should probably sacrifice a goat to Zeus that I found one of them; most people should avoid the mental health profession like the plague.
Old Belief: religion is the opiate of the masses and raising kids with religion is perhaps not abusive but probably not a great idea.
New Belief: yes, religion is the opiate of the masses. And now that we've seen what the masses get up to without their opiates, how fast can we re-instate this as a social norm?
So many more but I'll leave it there, ha ha.....