Coming Out: I Am A Conservative

is that a pseudonym

You're a freak.

Congrats! You are part of the confederacy of dunces that are ruining the country.

I know I'm going to get hate for this, but I'm gonna post it anyway. It was Winston Churchill who said, “If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain.” I think a lot of us just get over the heart part a lot faster and start listening to our brains. I'm about as socially liberal as one can get, but when it comes to everything else (with the exception of foreign policy) I'm pretty conservative. But, being 20-something, even saying the word still makes me shudder.

seemingly intolerant comments that criticize a human being for believing in something that s/he feels is correct by seemingly 'level-headed, “non-dunce”, tolerant liberal' individuals who also believe in something that they feel is correct (which, ironically, enacts the stereotype pointed out by the article) yet can't find a neutral or positive way to discuss ideology should surprise me, and i want to be surprised, but i am not.

literally every young person ever: “Oh I'm socially liberal but FISCALLY conservative :D”

WHAT IS UP WITH THIS SITE? 

This is like the 100th article that I read that completely lacked any substance…. I'm not talking about the subject, because I was legitimately interested from the headline, but the lack of passion… of interest…. of research…. There's never any payoff in these articles. Never any WHY… As in, WHY do you feel that way? WHY should your audience care… For instance… Why is a de-centralized government better for the Nation? Why do you support sending troops to the Middle East… which conflict specifically (there are a ton)? 

Your article sounds like a weak rant that you recorded into a hand mic while you were on too much dunkin doughnuts coffee while driving to work.  

Anyway… maybe I'm wrong… is this a site where anyone can post an article??

Conservatism is like the young punk Nicholas Cage in Valley Girl.
Seriously, in my experience, having conservative leanings (while maintaining socially liberal attitudes) is an easy way to look edgy, even (or especially) in a forest of others.

I feel you pain! Socially I'm moderate with a slight lean to the right but when it comes to economic/foreign policy/etc. etc. I'm pretty close to 100% Conservative. Thanks for writing this article and saying what so many in their 20's are meant to be ashamed of in this decade. :)

You should give “Legacy of Ashes” by Tim Weiner a read before blindly supporting the American invasion of th Middle East. I'm just saying.

“It’s time we break free of the stereotypes the Republican Party, Sarah
Palin, Fox News, the Tea Party, and Confederate flag lovers have imposed
upon us.”

In other words, you still have no idea what you're talking about.  Get out of the liberal echo chamber for a while — read Hot Air or Drudge or even the Wall Street Journal.  Learn the difference between “it's” and “its.”

Maybe then you'll discover why Sarah Palin's not the detestable caricature your liberal friends harp on about, or why Fox News is as viable a source of information as any other mainstream outlet.

Disappearing comments…

I don't care whether one is conservative or liberal, as long as they are informed and intelligent enough to defend that opinion.

Articles like this are actually quite offensive.  You choose language – “coming out” as a conservative – that draws a direct connection to coming out as gay, and in doing so positions you as an oppressed, embattled minority that should be accepted.  But you're not an oppressed minority: nobody is going to beat or kill you due to a characteristic (homosexuality) that you did not choose.  The worst that could happen would be for your peers to disagree with you or call you a heartless prick over your chosen opinions.

I think you can see why this comparison is offensive.  Furthermore, the political positions for which you demand tolerance are in and of themselves quite offensive to human beings.  You want Americans – especially poor Americans and children – to continue dying of preventable causes due to the lack of universal health insurance.  (If you disagree with this point, I will quote facts and figures in detail – the summary is that American health outcomes are worse than countries with more cost-effective socialized medicine.)  You want to continue killing brown people in the Middle East, in order to pursue some sort of vague imperial agenda.  You want to weaken or destroy federal environmental, labor, and safety regulations – a move that will kill people in industrial accidents and through increased emissions of toxic substances.  You choose to support a culture of death, and I refuse to accept you for that.

What you're describing in no way describes the Republicans and “conservatives” of today. Most of what you say, I believe in too (except for national healthcare, which you offer no reason why you think it wouldn't work), yet these “conservative” ideologies are no longer alive within the Right camp. Do your thing and fight for moderatism, because that's what you really are.

Looks like you got the political debate you weren't “seeking”. Understand that no one is bashing you for being a conservative in their 20s; your article simply lacks intelligible and respectable support for any of your claims. Like someone else mentioned, you don't expand on WHY you're a conservative and WHY you believe in certain things.

Maybe this website should be called 'Half-Hearted Thought Catalog'.

I love declaring yourself a conservative but simultaneously disowning the Republican freak show (Palin, Fox, etc.). Shows how completely hopeless the conservative political movement has become.

I guess it's hard to brand yourself when your main constituency is religious nuts and senior citizens but your governmental policy is designed solely to funnel money to corporations and wealthy people. That's the bizarre structural tension that spits out Donald Trump and Sarah Palin as viable presidential candidates.

That was so brave, I hope your parents are okay with it.

But… you don't explain what your positions are on the issues that you claim you lean “strongly” to the left on. Which makes me think that you haven't really thought them through; anybody who says they favor “strong state government and less federal government” – well, that's an abstract enough concept that would encompass a lot of liberal ideology as well. It's like when people say they are “fiscally conservative and socially liberal” but don't bother to explain or understand the interplay between the two.
 
Without any real evidence in support of your theory that you are a conservative and a fair amount of evidence (dislike of Palin, dislike of anti-choicers, support of weed and teh geighs) to the contrary, I'd say that you are too liberal for the Republican party (which isn't conservative anyway) and probably too liberal for the majority of the Democratic party. I mean, your liberal friends can take you at your word that you are a conservative (and there is much to admire about the conservative philosophy; nobody adheres to it though) or they can look at your voting record. Call yourself whatever you want but don't expect anything but disdain if you vote Republican.

i'm getting tired of this inane fucking website. what is more indicative of privilege (and apathy) than an ignorant muhfugga being a conservative?
fucking hipster irony. i hope you editors publish this garbage just 'cause it gets views and generates lots of comments.  otherwise, fuck you too.

I have nothing against your political views, but this was far too short and barely delved into what your exact opinions are on “everything else” (what is “everything else”??? Examples, please) and how exactly you “tip heavily to the right.”

If you buy into the dichromatic discourse of “Left vs. Right”
or “Conservatives vs. Liberals” then you are part of the problem. Quit acting
like political parties are sports teams. By labeling yourself as “Conservative” you
are accepting a brand, you are saying that the complexity of issues that we
face on a day to day basis can be thrown under one useless umbrella term. The
same goes for Liberals. Enough of this bullshit.  Be aware of the issues. Consider them on their own terms.
Be critical. Think about them. Really think about them. Then—after much deliberation and
existential anguish—make a decision. Repeat this process over and over. 

When I started reading this, I was interested but, honestly, it tapered off and you didn't seem to get across anything of substance at all. I'm not asking for a list of every single view you have but I'd like something more than this because it's so terribly vague. Not only that, but I didn't feel like I learned anything new. Okay, everything I know about American Politics comes from the year I've spent studying it at A Level, so I don't pretend to be an expert, but your Political views don't appear to be as 'special' or as strange as you seem to think they are – your apparent socially liberal but fiscally conservative ideology basically puts you slap bang in the middle of the Blue Dog Democrats. You're camping out in moderacy and that's cool, baby.

Nope.

Just answer one thing Kitty…. Why support sending troops overseas ($$$) to continue meddling in someone else's business, yet not support funding to at least TRY to improve America's less-than-stellar healthcare? As an American living in Sweden, I have seen first-hand the wonders of a socialized healthcare system. You can have your opinions, but my theory is: Don't knock it until you've tried it. Just because you “don’t think a national healthcare program will be at all functional” doesn't make it factual, it's merely an unfounded opinion formed from years of being fed bullshit from politicians. USE it, THEN tell me your opinion. Support your opinions with FACTS or I guarantee you will not be treated with respect.