When people say that I have “values”, what are they talking about? The “values” are the principles that we cherish. Values ​​are characteristics that we have admirable in ourselves and in others. When someone says they have “religious” values, it generally means that they have a more “conservative” or “traditional” view of reality. Do your best to abstain from alcohol, encourage men to be leaders in their families, abstain from homosexual behaviors, act godly, etc. When someone says that they are very “liberal” or have “liberal values”, they generally mean the opposite, that conservative values ​​are not necessarily important or, in some cases, even undesirable.

In recent history, especially in Western nations, “lack of faith” has increased. Anarchism (no belief in government), MGTOW or asexualism (no belief in romantic relationships), atheism (no belief in god), apolitical (no belief in any political ideology), vegan (no belief in eating meat) … As time continues, we believe in less and less ingrained traditions. We are becoming a society of hedonists. “Anything goes as long as you are not murdering or stealing.” As a libertarian, I actually share the sentiment up to a point. I do not believe that the government should regulate behaviors that do not cause direct victims. People should have the freedom to make decisions for themselves. I don’t think the government should lock up people for putting drugs into their bodies or engaging in transgenderism. People should be able to choose freely.

However, my problem arises when that behavior is considered “positive”. We have reached a tipping point between “acceptance” and “endorsement.” Just because I believe that all drugs should be decriminalized and treated as a health problem does not mean that I condone the behavior. The fact that I do not believe that transgender people are discriminated against does not mean that I will encourage my son or daughter to undergo a sex change operation. Our Western values ​​of “open mind” and acceptance have been perverted in support of each and every behavior.

We now have TV shows that endorse the idea of ​​same-sex parents raising a child, transgender superheroes, while commercials and other outlets often portray straight men as “dumb” or “clumsy” idiots. A television commercial that shows a woman kicking a man in the testicles will be considered funny, while a television commercial that shows a man pushing a woman will be seen as “abuse.”

We live in a time when “conservatism” is the new counterculture. Being conservative is “edgy”, “risky” and “bold”. Even just 10 or 20 years ago, being a conservative was considered a normal matter, especially in the southern states. Now if you are not yelling “white privilege”, “Hashtag #metoo”, then people will consider you a “bigot” or racist.

Band-Aids are even considered by many people to be racist these days because the skin tone of these products is suitable for white Americans. Is it racist as a business owner to create a product that appeals to a broader economic demographic? Would it make economic sense to sell African American hair care products in an Asian country like China?

We live in a society where conservatives are only one accusation away from being eliminated in society. “Racist”, “Bigot”, “MeToo”, “Womanizer”.

While I agree that a society that is “too” conservative will become totalitarian and restrictive, I also agree that a society that is “too” liberal will also become totalitarian and restrictive. The extreme left and the extreme right are destroying our great nation. Paper-thin liberals and obnoxious conservatives are giving the rest of us bad names!

We shouldn’t be so quick to belittle our traditions that have served humanity for thousands of years, but we should also be sane enough to realize that certain aspects need to be a bit more relaxed. Our society seems to be having trouble finding that sweet middle ground. Regardless, I never thought the day would come when being “conservative” would be considered a rebel.

“If you’re not liberal at 25, you don’t have a heart. If you’re not conservative at 35, you don’t have a brain.” – Winston Churchill