WHAT CONSERVATIVE REALLY MEANS

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Often when Millenials and Gen Zs think of conservatives or “right-wing” politics, we often associate that word with high military budgets, loose gun laws, pro-life, tradition, and (of course) the Confederate flag. Conservative to us might make us think of older, southern roots that date back to Robert E. Lee. But in reality, the word “conservative” has been societally constructed and construed by modern media and the digital age. 


Has there been a time you’ve associated, for example, George W. Bush or Donald Trump with being “pro-war” and Obama as being more of a voice for peace? These again, are societal constructions although their policies may lean the public in these directions. 


Coming from a long line military family (my brother is a 4th generation Army Infantry Officer, following in the footsteps of my Dad who is retired, Grandpa, etc.) I often find the media we consume, shapes how we look of sides when it comes to war and foreign affairs. And this is important to me, it hits home. My family is on the frontlines of war, I need to know the truth. I looked at these ANTIWAR and American Conservative websites from this lens. 


This excerpt from American Conservative struck a chord: 


“The American Conservative exists to promote a “Main Street” conservatism that opposes unchecked power in government and business; promotes the flourishing of families and communities through vibrant markets and free people; and embraces realism and restraint in foreign affairs based on America’s vital national interests.”     


And this from ANTIWAR:


“This site is devoted to the cause of non-interventionism and is read by libertarians, pacifists, leftists, "greens," and independents alike, as well as many on the Right who agree with our opposition to imperialism. Our initial project was to fight against intervention in the Balkans under the Clinton presidency. We applied the same principles to Clinton's campaigns in Haiti and Kosovo and bombings of Sudan and Afghanistan. Our politics are libertarian: our opposition to war is rooted in Randolph Bourne's concept that "War is the health of the State." With every war, America has made a "great leap" into statism, and as Bourne emphasized, "it is during war that one best understands the nature of that institution [the State]." At its core, that nature includes an ever increasing threat to individual liberty and the centralization of political power.” 



Both of these excerpts explain the real meaning of “conservative.” The simple fact of having the LEAST government intervention. Individual liberty and centralization of political power are just two terms that sum it up. But again, to answer the prompt, the media we consume (CNN, MSNBC) point us in one direction, while other media (FOX), points us in another. Bias media and the digital age have shaped the way we look at these topics. 



Original Vintage Poster Anti Vietnam Anti War Peace 60s Student ...






Sources:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1081180X06297460?journalCode=hija

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