By John Restuccia, Contributing Writer
I am one of the most conservative people you will ever meet; I see myself as a mix between neoconservative and tea party conservative. I write this as a wake-up call to my own side of the aisle, to those conservatives who have their heads in the sand. Most young conservatives I have met come off as being ignorant hypocrites. They completely demonize the other side by creating a straw man and refuse to even try to understand the other side’s point.
Many conservatives claim the other side is not worth hearing, but that’s a downright terrible way to look at something. It is incredibly important to hear the other side and how they have come to their conclusions. Understanding an issue and why people feel a certain way can create a whole new view on an issue while giving you better insight. Too many times I see young conservatives refusing to interact with liberals by saying they are just dumb snowflakes who do not understand how the world works.
A perfect example of this is with my good friend, liberal Adam Glowacki. Adam was on Facebook and commented on a post he disagreed with from a young conservative about gun control and an assault weapon ban. When they began to debate, the young conservative stated that there has never been an assault weapon ban before, therefore we should not have one now. This claim was completely untrue and Adam pointed that out but as soon as he did this conservative just ignored the actual facts and attacked Adam’s personal beliefs. Once he began these attacks, he just blocked Adam who was just having a simple debate with him.
Gun control is a very controversial issue that people have different opinions on for different reasons. To understand all the different aspects and arguments, one has to understand where the person is coming from. He or she might have had a personal experience that is behind his or her belief or know of information that people may not know of.
Simply ignoring opinions and blowing them off just as many conservatives do, makes your argument less credible and not able to fully grasp a issue. Listening to both sides is
even practiced in our judicial system with each side presenting the same story from a differing view point. This helps to make the case fair and objective as possible. The jury doesn’t just throw out one side of a case because they feel the prosecution is always wrong; they have to look at all the facts to make an opinion. The same should be done for politics as it helps to create a more objective fact based look on a issue.
These conservatives also tend to travel in packs and refuse to interact with new ideas or with people who disagree with their points. These are also the same exact people who block you instantly on social media for disagreeing with their points just like what happened to Adam. It begs the question as to who the snowflake truly is.
The only news they tend to read is either Fox News or right-wing podcasts and radio shows. Now, I personally love to read right-wing sites since I am conservative. I read the Drudge Report every morning, along with watching Fox News; however, I read a slew of other news sites that I disagree with. I enjoy NPR, I check Politico and even read Huffington Post once in a while to see what others are saying about national issues. I want to understand all sides of an issue. I want to be able to make up my mind by viewing what others have to say, even if I disagree with them fundamentally.
So, let this be a wake-up call to all the young conservatives reading this who stick to their Ben Shapiro podcasts, remaining validated exclusively by right-leaning friends only. Venture out, meet and become friends with those who may disagree with you. Read a book you normally wouldn’t read. The worst-case scenario is that you may change your mind on an issue by seeing a different side that you would never have thought of if you stayed in your right-wing bubble. If you continue your ways of being ignorant hypocrites then no one will want to listen to what you say, making your opinion and voice worthless.
John Restuccia is a contributing writer at The Bona Venture
His email is restucjp17@bonaventure.edu
Photo courtesy of insider.foxnews.com
