Conservatives views on things versus others....

[HEMI6point1]

Ever notice how modern conservatives have views on why things happen the way they do that aren’t the actual reasons? Examples:

1: Football’s ratings have declined recently.

Modern conservatives think: It’s because the players are kneeling and disrespecting the flag!

But actually: Despite the FACT that the players are kneeling to protest police mistreatment of all people, that isn’t why the ratings are down. It’s because a lot of the games are plain shitty and people don’t like seeing players get flagged and/or penalized for merely touching the opposing player thanks to the NFL’s new cupcake rules which results in no defense and either blowouts or shootouts.

2. Award show’s ratings have been declining in recent years.

Modern conservatives think: It’s because no one wants to watch Hollywood Elite types politically grandstand on national television!

But actually: It’s simply because the members of John Q Public are tired of watching award shows where all the programs nominated are artsy-fartsy crap that nobody watches. The Oscars were going to try to fix that by introducing a new category “Outstanding popular film” but nixed it when filmmakers complained it was the award show equivalent of a participation trophy, though it might come back.

3. Cannabis legalization.

Modern conservatives think: No way, you cannot legalize pot, it’s a gateway drug!

But actually: Multiple studies have confirmed that not only is cannabis NOT a gateway drug, but alcohol and legal prescription opiates actually have a much higher chance of leading a person to harder drugs. Also, it’s proven to be a much better treatment for cancer than chemotherapy, especially in oil form. That’s the real reason why a lot of conservatives don’t want cannabis to be legalized: Many of them own investments in Big Pharma. Big Pharma stands to lose 18 billion a year if Cannabis is legalized. You do the math.

4. Privatization of stuff once under government control.

Modern conservatives think: We need more privatization of things like roads and drinking water so tax dollars can go towards other things!

But actually: Want to know why Flint has a drinking water crisis? Because the state of Michigan under republican control decided to let private for-profit companies handle some of the cities drinking water, including flint. What was the first thing they did? Switch to a cheaper water source to increase their profit margins that was contaminated with lead. As for roads, does anyone really think that letting a private company handle their maintenance is a good idea? They would divert all their maintenance to the rich areas while the less affluent sections would be constantly dodging potholes.

5. Abortions and reasons for having one.

Modern conservatives think: Unless there is a legit medical need, suck it up buttercup and have the kid!

But actually: Let’s say a woman starts dating a man who she thinks is a nice guy who was just putting up a front and becomes an abusive cretin. She has sex with him as refusing it makes him more abusive, unbeknownst to her he sabotages his condoms and she in return gets pregnant. Her state requires both parents to authorize giving a child up for adoption. She knows that being tied down to him by way of a child could be her death sentence one day. Do you honestly think she should be forced to carry that fetus to term, knowing full well that she cannot give it up for adoption as the man would refuse to authorize it?

[mjr]

Just how broad is that brush you're using?

[HEMI6point1]

When I get tired of hearing those same lines from conservatives over and over, I guess you can say it is!

BTW, forgot to mention something:

6: Tuition-free public college.

Modern conservatives think: But it doesn’t teach young adults responsibility and it would make it worthless plus students need to stop picking stupid majors that lead nowhere!

But actually: I’m going to devote the most to this topic. How exactly is saddling a person with many thousands in dollars in debt making them “responsible?” Plus, even if it was free, there are many people who would still not go to college for varying reasons but the biggest is that some are better suited to go to a 1 year tech/vocational school where they can learn an actually useful skill. So there goes the “it would make it worthless” line.

As far as “stupid majors” it’s not so much the major but the lies that colleges nowadays tell prospective students about what that degree actually is and what it can get them. Many older people (I know a few who told me this personally) who went to college say that their professors told them the truth about why they were there: You’re not there to make yourself smarter. You are here because the degree you receive shows people in writing that you are willing to play the game and put up with shit you don’t really want to do in order to obtain an ultimate goal. In shorter terms, it shows you are able to handle pressure and challenges well.

Nowadays, unless it’s an aforementioned tech/vocational school, colleges give young adults the impression that the degree they are hoping to receive is a job training program. College never was a job training program! Colleges also give the impression that a degree automatically means “cushy high paying corner office with a great view” type of career. That could not be further from the truth. Now I will agree that some majors do have a very narrow career path after graduation (IE Gender Studies which is a “blame men for everything” course), but you should never tell someone to take a major they don’t like just because “it’s where the money is.” That’s a quick way to become a college dropout, which looks worse on a resume than if you never went in the first place.

[mjr]

I think you're generalizing -- a lot. But I notice how you focuse on Conservative views and not on Liberal views. There are Liberal views that a lot of people hold that many people believe are wrong (both in the "incorrect" and "immoral" sense) too. And you're using the "False Dichotomy" fallacy.

You'll have to forgive me if I come at this from a different angle -- I'm a bit of a cynic.

For instance, #1 above. Yes, there are people who stopped watching because of the kneeling (either way, some because the NFL is pushing back, some because they think it should be allowed). There are others who stopped because of the bad games. Others still because the younger generations are simply losing some interest in the game at the pro level. And with the advent and growth of Fantasy Sports, a lot of people don't even have team loyalty anymore, and so they just pick their fantasy players based upon stats, and don't really even watch the games. Some have even stopped watching because of rules changes to make the game safer.

#2 above. I do get the "I don't want to watch to be lectured by a celebrity" thing. I can't say much about it, though, as I personally find those awards shows boring, masturbatory exercises in self-congratulation. It's the same reason people go to concerts. It's a "get away". I don't think anyone has ever said, "I hope I get to hear a political lecture about that guy I hate at this concert!"

It's also extremely self-congratulatory. Hollywood celebrities acting like they're better people and know better because they have money and fame. And many of them act like they have some sort of moral high ground when they do not.

3. Here's the thing. I've said this before regarding Marijuana legalization: If it's not addictive, why don't you quit? And the response is almost universally, "I don't want to." Carbonated beverages in and of themselves aren't really addictive, either. They're also bad for you. I quit years ago and haven't had one since. And I've heard others make the comment, "Well, it's natural". It is. So is arsenic. I don't suggest you eat it. And what do you do about companies that drug test? If someone takes a marijuana pill (for recreational use, let's say) and then gets fired because they fail a drug test, how exactly does that work? Because I can almost guarantee you that there will be industries where drug use will still not be allowed.

And who are these Conservatives who own investments in "Big Pharma"? I've known a LOT of Conservatives (I even lean Conservative on most things myself) and I don't know that they have all their investments tied up in big pharma. I certainly don't. And even so, if they're smart, they'd diversify. Right?

#4. I can guarantee you not all conservatives feel this way about all "public" services.

#5. False dichotomy. A guy I know once recently put it to me like this:

--What would you think of a government that wouldn't let you have access to a doctor for a medical procedure?
--What would you think of a government that would let someone kill a child?

That's basically the two extremes on abortion. There are even a lot on the Democratic/Liberal side who are still in favor of late-term and so-called "partial birth" abortions.

There's even a professor who has said that "infanticide" is OK. Can you really say he has the high ground there morally?

Don't believe me? Look up Jerry Coyne and Peter Singer. And some believe that it's OK to kill children up to two years old who have communication problems.

Case in point: https://www.thenewamerican.com/cultu...young-children

And on top of that: https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article...ns-not-science

As far as #6 goes, I don't have a college degree. I've done pretty well for myself. I've taken a few classes, but I'm nowhere near having a degree. I did (kind of) do a vo-tech thing years ago that got my foot in the door, but I had to pay for that, too.

As I've said before, I've known a lot of people who I think are Conservatives. I've never heard any of them say that paying for college makes one responsible. What makes someone responsible? Responsibility. Responsibility can be taught over a broad array of actions. Self-responsibility being the biggest. You are responsible for your actions. Working a job breeds responsibility, too. Paying for college isn't the only thing that breeds responsibility.

I do agree with your point that colleges often mislead (or flat-out lie to) students about the degrees, but I do also believe there are "useless" degrees and "useless" classes that are designed to either promote a specific agenda or to bilk more money out of students.

I'm a software engineer by trade, and most of what I've learned has either been on the job, or through outside/self learning (websites, tutorials, books, etc). The one computer science class I took didn't really teach me anything I either didn't already know, or anything I would find useful in the "real world".

[Tanasi]

#1. I quit watching "professional" sports long before the kneeling was thought of. Watching a bunch of wealthy cry-babies whine that they are not making enough money for playing a children's game didn't set well with me. They strike I struck and I never went back. I used to loosely follow the local university's various sports collectives but I tired of being extorted by the athletic and alumni departments just for the privilege to purchase tickets to attend. My oldest daughter was on the volley ball team and when they played at home I made a point of attending, it didn't take long before I was on the receiving end of many dirty-looks. A couple nieces were on the soft-ball team and I also made a point of attending their games. Eventually I was told to stay away from both volley ball and softball because those sports weren't for folks like me. When I asked for a definition of "folks like me" one wasn't provided.
#2. I have no desire to watch "celebrities" fellate one another.
#3. Pot. I've never used it and have no desire to do so. I've always heard that it's a gateway drug. Now some are saying tobacco and alcohol are more likely to be gateways to harder drugs. Frankly tobacco. booze and pot could all be outlawed and I wouldn't care.
#4. Privatization, well in some instances it works and others it doesn't. All we do is try it and react accordingly.
#5. Abortion. Personally I'm not for it and my wife shares that opinion. I've never told anyone to get or not get an abortion but I've never been asked for my opinion and I generally don't give it even when asked. I'm not for abortion being used as a birth control method when there are much more less invasive methods of BC. I'm also of the opinion sex should only be between married folks. Just because you like testing one another's plumbing doesn't mean you gotta. Do folks not have self control anymore?
#6. You get what you pay for. Of my six kids five are adults, four of those have college degrees and are actually using what they learned in their careers. As they were growing up my wife and I started and contributed to their college funds and with those funds, scholarships, grants and jobs they all graduated without any debt. My oldest son graduated from USNA Annapolis so his college was paid for by Uncle Sugar. My middle son elected to refrain from college and he attended the local fire-fighter academy and is a fire-fighter for the city. My youngest son is nine and his future changes from minute to minute so who knows? However currently there is considerably more money in his college fund that his sibling every had and that's even adjusted for inflation. We also contribute to our grand-kids college funds.
College has nearly become financially impossible for most kids that don't have someone else paying in part or in whole their way. Not everyone needs to go to the college, there is nothing wrong with trade schools or programs. I very much agree with Mike Rowe.
"Stupid majors"? I don't know if there are any stupid one there certainly impracticable majors. I don't know that I've ever seen a job qualification of a degree in gender studies or such. My youngest daughter already has a bachelors degree in elementary education and is working on a culinary degree with the hopes of teaching culinary and (for lack of a better term) home-ec in early and middle education settings. Now no school or school system has promised her a job doing so and to be frank there are very few if any schools that teach home-ec and there are only a very few that have culinary programs. While I think her hopes in this regard to be slim it's her time and money that she's spending an those "degrees" have real work applications.


Personal responsibility: If you're not teaching it to your children from the time they're toddlers then you're waiting way too long to start. Make the rules and expectations known then let them suffer the consequences. In many cases it's a hard way to grow up, then again life is hard get used to it young. Gettin old isn't for pussys.