Conservatism Vs. Liberalism

Many people label themselves as “conservative” and “liberal” these days; yet, some of them really don’t quite understand their meanings. For example, a person may stat that he or she is a “Liberal” but they fail to state in which perspective. It is very necessary that you stress out the details of your label; otherwise, people might assume several things and thoughts about your lifestyle that do not have any true basis. Here are the three divisions or “schools” that those two labels fall into:

Culture


The "Dewaniyah" is one of the most cherished heritage and has survived to this very day
• Culturally Conservative

Culturally conservative individuals usually take pride in their heritage and define what is normal and what is abnormal based on the adapted social norms that the society grew up with, and base the people on how they “stick” to these norms. These individuals usually preserve the culture and heritage and make sure that these norms are passed on to the next generations. For example, if your parents consider that the marriage ceremony must not be mixed and you agree on that, it means that both you and your family are culturally conservative when it comes to this issue (do not mix up culture and religion; although they might seem very interactive).

• Culturally Liberal

Obliviously, a culturally liberal person mirrors the conservative in many aspects. They do not degrade their heritage and traditions but sometimes they feel these traditions don’t have to be a necessity in their lives or they are “old-fashion” and “retarded” to the 21st century. For example, a culturally liberal person (who is Japanese) does not feel the urge to force his guests to take off their shoes before stepping inside the house. Again, do not mix up culture and religion since there are many traditions that might seem related to a specific religion…yet, they are not.

Religion


Religiously liberal individuals see no harm in talking to the opposite sex and exchanging info with them
• Religiously Conservative

It’s no brainier really to define conservatisms when it comes to religion. Religious conservatives make sure to preserve the teachings of some particular religion, sometimes by proclaiming the value of those teachings to their lives; and usually are resistant to all changes that they might encounter with their religion. For example, a conservative individual might see that talking with the opposite sex is an absolute sin and there’s no good will come out from it, or they make sure that they stick to their “koshers”. However, it is important to understand that conservative individuals are happy when they construct their lives around their religion and do not feel they are being forced. However, these days, they are facing a serious backlash…as some people consider them “retarded” from the 21st century…which is quite wrong as everybody are entitled to their opinions.

• Religiously Liberal

Although you might think that religiously liberals are the enemies of their own religion…they are not actually. They usually label themselves based on their religion, but sometimes, they don’t consider every single base of their religion as an absolute; or sometimes they agree on certain, primary aspects but don’t take all the secondary aspects seriously. For example, in Judaism, you have the “reformed Jews”, in Christianity, they call themselves “reformists or “protestants” and recently there has been a take about progressive Islam and its implications to liberals. So for example, a liberal in any of those religions do not feel the necessity to marry someone with one’s same religion.

Politics


Your thoughts to this infamous poster define if your a democrat or a republican
• Politically Conservative

If you understand the previous schools then you can easily define conservatism in politics. People who take pride in their governments and consider every single aspect that their governments and authorities issue is “ideal” or “correct” are politically conservative. For example, democrats in the USA usually call themselves “conservative” because they see what President Bush says is correct and there’s no mistakes in sending their troops to Iraq and etc.

• Politically Liberal

As democrats are conservatives, republicans are liberals…in America that is. Liberals don’t usually agree with everything their governments or authorities come up with and they feel the urge to alter these issues. They usually “fight” their governments and consider their ideology would be the best for the society. Try to think about the last election that was held in Kuwait, and think, who did you consider the best candidate...

What About “Moderate” and “Apathetic” Individuals?

The life of an apathetic is not even black or white

Some people consider these labels are BS and hate to label themselves with all those fancy terms. For example, moderate individuals might be conservative in one area and then liberal in other; for example, a person might be conservative in drinking alcohol but very liberal in talking with the opposite sex…and so on. Apathetic individuals on the other hand, don't really care and don’t really constrain themselves with ideology; they just go with the flow. For example, a person who does not take voting really seriously is considered politically apathetic.