This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
Fifth, justice: Conservatives usually support the death penalty and other harsh punishments. The fact that execution is inflicted chiefly on Black and poor defendants doesn't seem to trouble them.
Singer Paul Simon said: "The death penalty is reserved for people who do not have enough money to defend themselves."
Laws and police enforcement frequently seem designed to prevent the rabble from bothering the elite. The witty French cynic Anatole France (1844-1924) lampooned: "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets, or steal bread."
Sixth, pollution: Conservatives tend to ignore industrial pollution, while liberals clamor for cleanups. This conflict is especially intense in debates over global warming, caused by carbon fumes that form a "greenhouse" layer in the sky, trapping heat on Earth's surface. Many right-wing folks claim that the warm-up is a myth.
Seventh, guns: The right to bear arms is a crucial plank in the Republican platform. America's horrendous gun murder rate and recurring massacres spur liberals to seek safety laws such as universal background checks for all pistol-buyers. But conservatives and the powerful gun lobby often block such precautions.
Eighth, abortion: Terminating pregnancies remains a "hot-button" issue. The 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that let American women and girls choose abortion still infuriates many "pro-life" conservatives, who consider it homicide to halt pregnancy. Even pro-life murder occurs when religious extremists kill doctors or nurses at abortion clinics.
Ninth, gay rights: Ostracizing gay people is a long-running conservative theme, dating back to the Bible, which commands: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
Gay people have no control over their orientation, and are blameless for it, yet they have been persecuted, imprisoned, even killed, for centuries because many "straights" are repulsed by them. Finally, in the 21st century, western liberals at last are securing safety and public acceptance of them.
"All America loses when any person is denied or forced out of a job because of sexual orientation," President Bill Clinton said.
Left-right splits crop up in many other forms: (1) Liberals are more inclined to give citizenship to Hispanic immigrants who sneaked into the country to find work; hard-line conservatives want to deport them all. (2) Liberals lean toward international government through the United Nations; but conservatives defend America's "sovereignty." (3) Many conservatives think America is "exceptional" and favored by God; but liberals mostly see the United States as a nation like other democracies. (4) Most liberals want separation of church and state, to prevent coercive abuses by the majority faith; but conservatives try to blur the line, for example, by giving tax-paid vouchers so religious parents can send their children to church schools at taxpayer cost. (5) Liberals generally support affirmative action that helps minorities overcome past discrimination; but conservatives claim this gives unfair advantage to Black people. (6) Many progressives support physician-assisted suicide for terminal patients who want to escape pain and hopelessness; but conservatives generally oppose it. (7) Liberals want to decriminalize marijuana usage and ease the "war on drugs"; but conservatives generally back hard penalties. (8) Left-leaning Americans generally think health treatment should be a human right for everyone; but conservatives in Congress voted sixty times to kill the Affordable Care Act, and many Republican governors and state legislators refuse to expand Medicaid for lower-income families. (9) Liberals want to make college free or low-cost; but conservatives oppose higher taxes to fund such a plan.
In recent decades, various psychologists and brain researchers have analyzed innate differences between liberals and conservatives. Brain functions of the two groups have been found to vary significantly. Apparently, the gulf between left and right is wired into human genetics.
University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt wrote a 2012 book titled The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. He cites research implying that progressives focus strongly on three issues: social fairness, personal liberty, and caring for the weak. Conservatives partly share those urges, he says, but they also focus on three others: sanctity, respect for authority, and loyalty qualities that breed political and religious conformity.
Dr. Haidt says conservatives react more strongly to perceived threats, and are more revolted by disgusting images. He says liberalism can be traced back to kindergarten age, when tots destined to be left-wingers display more curiosity and verbal abilities, but are less neat and obedient.
Stand-up comedian Mort Sahl said: "Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen."
Obviously, ingrained differences drive America's never-ending political and cultural battles. Bottom line: Conservatives want to make life better for themselves and their children. Liberals of course want the same, but they also strive to improve life for everyone.
(Haught is editor emeritus of West Virginia's largest newspaper, The Charleston Gazette-Mail, and a senior editor of Free Inquiry magazine.)
(This is a chapter from Haught's 2016 book, Hurrah for Liberals.)
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
