27.4.09

TFPO column: plan b and the (hidden) nature of pop-conservatives

In a piece over at Alternet, Tom Jacobs discusses the work of psychologist Johnathan Haidt, who posits that liberals and conservatives have different moral priorities. In a banal sense, this is true. However - and I'm saying this based on Jacob's description of Haidt's work - the whole distinction is a bit, well, contrived. Neither liberalism nor conservatism are fixed, defined ideologies, nor are there really liberal or conservative personality types beyond the silly pop-psychology distinctions made by media pundits. (For example, liberals' affirmative action goes counter to Haidt's characterization of liberals as anti-authoritarian, and conservative support of the military-industrial complex also goes against the perceived "small government" fixation of conservatives.) And beyond all of this, despite differences in value-priorities, how those values translate into actionable policy does follow logical or illogical reasoning. This week, news regarding the morning-after pill dubbed Plan B illustrates the self-contradiction that haunts the pop-conservatism as presented by a cartoon media.

Plan B and the (Hidden) Nature of Pop-Conservatives

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