Hi, all.

As should be news to no one, polarization and animosity between conservatives and liberals is at one of its all-time highs in America right now. There’s even talk of a second civil war looming. Obviously, there are strong passions and convictions on both sides, and people on both sides have claimed that the other is a grave threat to the integrity of the nation itself. I’m familiar with the views and concerns of my own side: we view Donald Trump’s (and his allies’ and supporters’) statements and actions as being an attack on the democratic process that defines our nation, and are worried that the strategies and tactics he and they are employing will make future elections farcical, paving the way for an authoritarian state (a dictatorship). I am less familiar with why conservatives feel Democrats and liberals are a threat to the nation and its integrity in similar fashion. My best guess is that conservatives buy Trump’s assertions that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, and thus might have similar fears as liberals do, but I also get the sense conservatives have deeper, older concerns than this, and that Trump was/is viewed as a solution to them.

Can you please try to articulate here what those fears are? And, to any liberals reading this, please refrain from answering in conservatives’ stead. I’m interested in their opinions, not your opinions of their opinions.

  • soviettaters
    2·
    1 year ago

    To preface, I am a moderate conservative and agree with some (but certainly not all) of the following statements.

    Many conservatives believe that liberals are:

    1. Taking away the rights of parents to teach their children their morals rather than the morals the government supports
    2. Ignoring the needs of Americans while propping up foreign governments such as Ukraine
    3. Using the government to force their beliefs on others (relates to the first point)
    4. Overtaxing Americans for no real reason
    5. Penalizing lower-class Americans through environmental measures such as high gas taxes
    6. Taking away the right to own firearms for whatever reason one desires
    7. Using government processes such as the legal system to suppress conservative voices (Trump)
    8. Using social media regulations to suppress conservative voices
    9. Promoting minority (primarily Black) citizens above others
    10. Either ignoring the crisis at the border or making it worse (depends on who you talk to)
    11. Taking away Americans’ right to choose their own healthcare
    12. Taking away workers’ rights to negotiate their own wage outside of unions
    13. Causing inflation by raising wages across the board
    14. All of the social issues you typically think of (LGBTQ+ rights, abortion, etc.)

    Thanks for being civil and wanting discussion. That’s what will make Lemmy thrive.