Associated Press file photos
Yesterday Huffington Post ran an article entitled, “I Don’t Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People.” Well, HuffPo, I don’t know how to explain to you that just because someone has a difference in opinion on policy doesn’t mean they don’t care about other people. But, alas, I’ll try.
You feel so very strongly that your policies are the only way to help other people, and I understand that. But just because you feel strongly about something doesn’t mean you’re right. In fact, most people that believe in different policies than you probably believe in them because they think they will help others more efficiently and effectively.
Notice that first, I’m not attacking you personally and I’m not calling you heartless. Personal attacks are what people use when they don’t have the facts on their side. I’m sure you would pay an extra 4.3 percent for your fast food burger if it meant the person making it could afford to feed their own family. However, that’s not how the economy works.
You say, “If you aren’t willing to fork over an extra 17 cents for a Big Mac, you’re a fundamentally different person than I am.” But it’s not about being a fundamentally different person; it’s about having a fundamentally different understanding of economics.
You see, we both agree that children should have quality education. Where we differ is that you want to throw money at the problem and I want to change the way the money is spent.
Since you think that conservatives are cold-hearted, you may be interested in some statistics about conservative versus liberal giving.
In parts of the country where conservatives dominate, charitable giving is higher. In fact, red states are statistically more charitable than blue states. So while you’re happy giving your money to the government, conservatives are giving their money to non-profits. This has been proven time and time again, most notably in a 1996 General Social Survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center.
This survey found that conservatives give away four times as much money per year! And while there’s a strong link between religious belief and philanthropy, conservatives are not solely giving to churches and religious non-profits. Conservatives gave more to health charities, educational organizations, international aid groups, and human welfare agencies. In fact, these conservatives were more likely to give, and to give more abundantly, to historically liberal causes as well – examples being environmental programs and the arts.
Now this isn’t a competition about who donates more (although if it was, conservatives would win – and I’m not sick of winning yet like President Trump promised.) These statistics are simply to say, please reconsider your misinformed idea that conservatives are heartless.
You say, “The ‘I’ve got mine, so screw you,’ attitude has been oozing from the American right wing for decades,” but it seems to me like the “I’ve got my opinion, so screw your opinion” attitude is oozing from of you and the majority of the American left-wing.
You ask what’s changed, if anything, in American politics for things to become this harsh. What’s changed is the left’s ability to accept intellectual diversity and converse outside of their comfort zone.
I think your policy ideas are flawed, and I’m sure you feel that way about mine. But until you are able to have a policy discussion without writing off your political opponent as a terrible person, you’re the one “not caring” about a large portion of the American populate – the 36 percent that identify as conservative. It’s almost like your behavior is exactly what you say you hate.
