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[detbuch]

Originally Posted by spence

No, extreme is often seen as a negative in any political arena and as such is a perfectly acceptable modifier.

People often describe religion in a similar way. There may be no issue with evangelicals, but a fundamentalist evangelical could be seen as a negative.

JohnnyD brings up a good point and one that I've made many times.

The word Liberal is used quite liberally by some to denote a common set of beliefs that most people don't really completely associate with. I've seen numbers that show only about 15% of Americans would even consider themselves a "liberal" while 50% would consider themselves "conservative".

You rarely hear people making generalizations about conservatives all being warmongers for instance, yet if the Liberal label is used the person is assumed to be a pacifistic. Usually there's some modifier put on the conservative, evangelical conservative, isolationist conservative, neo-conservative, libertarian conservative, Goldwater conservative etc... so someone actually know which of the conservative flavors you're really talking about.

Neo-con is another label that applies to a very small number of people, and it's mostly seen as a negative due to the recent policy blunders their leadership helped to create. Otherwise most people wouldn't even know what one was.

To say that neo-con is using conservative as a perjorative isn't really in the same spirit, in that it's just a way to call out liberal values held by someone who pretends to be a conservative, and not placing a negative on what most would consider mainstream conservative values.

It is interesting though how so many who would consider themselves conservatives readily embrace neo-con principals when they think they are conservative principals. Not all conservatives do this of course, but a lot of people I've known have.

It just goes to reinforce the notion that labels only apply to the extremes and most all of us live somewhere in the middle.

-spence

Indeed, since Iraq, I've heard many people making generalizations about Conservatives being warmongers, especially when, as Johnny does, using Conservative and Republican interchangeably. Slick trick.

And isn't it amazing that your 5 different qualified conservatives, etc., and Johnny's Extreme Conservatives, are a way to dissect the simple, supposedly "neutral" Conservative into whatever portion of conservatism you don't like and use the Qualified, Modified, Conservative as a pejorative so as to leave the sacred simple Conservative unsullied and still "neutral"? Another slick trick. AND TOTAL NONSENSE. It's all a pejorative use of Conservative and it is as constantly, if not more, used to denigrate Conservatives as Liberal is used to denigrate.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by detbuch

And I "HARP?" not on six words but your demeaning tone when referring to "Republicans/Conservatives" while pretending to be semantically neutral.

I don't have time this moment to answer this fully, but one misconception you have is that I "pretend to be semantically neutral." I hold contempt with both sides of the aisle, just a little more with the right than the left.

[spence]

Originally Posted by detbuch

Indeed, since Iraq, I've heard many people making generalizations about Conservatives being warmongers, especially when, as Johnny does, using Conservative and Republican interchangeably.

I don't hear this at all. I do hear specific people, or small groups of people (i.e. neo-cons) labeled as such, but never a big group like "conservative". Of course McCain wants to bomb Iran, he's a conservative etc... nope, don't hear it.

And isn't it amazing that your 5 different qualified conservatives, etc., and Johnny's Extreme Conservatives, are a way to dissect the simple, supposedly "neutral" Conservative into whatever portion of conservatism you don't like and use the Qualified, Modified, Conservative as a pejorative so as to leave the sacred simple Conservative unsullied and still "neutral"?

You're just making a circular argument here and are at risk of RIJIMMY's wrath

I wouldn't consider any of the examples of modified conservative to be used in the perjoritive, they are simply descriptions. Now I'm sure to some they could strike a negative emotion, but not among the general public, not usually at least.

-spence

[detbuch]

Originally Posted by spence

I don't hear this at all. I do hear specific people, or small groups of people (i.e. neo-cons) labeled as such, but never a big group like "conservative". Of course McCain wants to bomb Iran, he's a conservative etc... nope, don't hear it.



You're just making a circular argument here and are at risk of RIJIMMY's wrath

I wouldn't consider any of the examples of modified conservative to be used in the perjoritive, they are simply descriptions. Now I'm sure to some they could strike a negative emotion, but not among the general public, not usually at least.

-spence

The circularity is yours. You're the one who will dissect portions of the "big group like conservative" into its components and say that poking ill at various units is not doing so to the whole . . . Notwithstanding your plea that any examples of your "modified conservative" are "simply descriptions" not pejorative, though, you say " . . . I'm sure to some they could strike negative emotion."

In respect to the unmodified, pure "conservative," how about the long standing accusation that conservatives are "mean spirited?" The Black Community accepts "conservative" as synonomous with "racist." Hispanics, especially illegals, equate "conservative" with xenophobe. For Feminists conservative=sexist. Academia view conservatives as troglodytes, or worse. Anti-war factions see conservatives as war-mongers. Environmentalists view conservatives as enablers of planetary pollution and climate destroyers. Do Dems throw "conservative" around like Repubs do "liberal?" Maybe not quite, but they don't have to. Each special "liberal" group can wink and nod at what they really feel about conservatives. I may be wrong, again, not having your intuitive power, but I think that most people would be surprised to hear that "conservative" is a neutral term.

As far as your not "at all" hearing something, that might be more indicative of how tight your ear muffs are than what is buzzing all around you.