…the end of man is to know

Most people tend to be politically “moderate” and/or unregistered. Frankly, I can’t blame them. If you don’t know what you are talking about, always acknowledge the good and the bad of each argument. If you do know what you are talking about, you can always stab holes in the arguments of extremists. Aside from political reasons (which will hopefully be explored in a future blogpost), the two-party system is so successful because there is always a place for a moderate. Voting for a major party candidate doesn’t require a thought-out, complete, and complex political ideology.

When I’m not patting myself on the back for my intellectual independence, I generally define myself a a pragmatic libertarian. Supporting individual liberties and the potential gains of a free market economy are two notions that I hold dear, but not sacred. Generally, when I am in an environment that accurately depicts the American polity, I am viewed as out-of-touch. Being an agnostic angers the devout. Opposing gay marriage ticks off the left. Wanting to end American cultural & military imperialism infuriates the neocons. But when I am with a group of hardline libertarians, I don’t always fit in either. I didn’t develop a political philosophy and then extrapolate out policy views. I look at policies and preferences that I have and have been tirelessly working to build an ideological construct and context.

I provide this bio in a post and not my About page because I believe that we, as politically informed citizens, can do better. We can be better at understanding, analyzing, and recognizing alternative theories and beliefs. Socialism is not an illness, neoconservatism is no affliction, communism does not suggest a hormonal imbalance, and you don’t need a learning disorder to support Ron Paul.

A huge part of the political right is nationalism where:

Making English the official language is a priority. Having Barack Obama encourage citizens to speak Spanish is considered a great offense. A culture war appears to be looming. The whites must prepare for physical, rhetorical, and intellectual warfare.

I find this strain of conservatism/libertarianism to be dangerous. Though I wholly reject Obama’s notion that immigrants will learn to speak English and we shouldn’t be concerned, I support the idea of introducing Americans to the globalized world by having us learn new languages. The baseless accusations that liberals and minorities are somehow a drain on society seems all to familiar to me. The demonization of a particular population during a low-point of national strength and pride has happened before. And the results have been disastrous. While I sincerely doubt the United States’ ability or desire to start a racial war, the seeds of ethnic resentment are growing. Obama’s presidential aspirations are simply bringing long-held divisions to the forefront.

The point of this entry is not to rail against any particular ideology, but to plead for tolerance. Contrary to what the left and the right will contend, “tolerance” means that you tolerate something. You don’t have to like it or encourage it. You also can’t destroy it. You simply recognize its right to exist. Instead of using smear tactics, racism, and name-calling, let’s take a step to think about who is on the other side of aisle.

You catch more political converts with honey than with vinegar.