Is this A defining characteristic of conservatives? (That they have not suffered).

[Locut0s]

It strikes me that aside from the common labels we give conservatives/republicans (non compassionate, greedy, entitled, assholes) [I fully agree with this labels as well] one of the defining characteristics is that they have usually never actually suffered in life. I don't mean that they haven't faced any difficulties or never worked hard, but that they have never really faced "true" suffering. They have never known any real mental anguish, never known mental illness, never known poverty, never had to ask the question 'will I be ok tomorrow?'. They have quite literately lived the motto "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" only they have only ever been given given lemons at worst, as opposed to nothing or worse, and when they go to 'make lemonade', more often than not they GET lemonade. When one goes through life experiencing little but success and it's relatively easy to come by one tends to form the opinion, 'well it must be this easy for everyone, and when confronted by someone who has had to face REAL difficulties they don't have any compassion, 'just pull yourself up by your bootstraps buddy'.

EDIT: As others have very rightly pointed out there are a LOT of poor republicans out there, so much so that people sometimes think of it as the party of the poor. So I should amend my post here to add that I mean that this is A defining characteristic and by no means not the only one. Perhaps I'm just thinking of the Mitt Romney types.

[antigop]

1. how many conservatives were against the PPACA until they needed it? n/t

[sadbear]

2. They have never known mental illness?

I beg to differ.

[Locut0s]

5. LOL. Okay touché. Well you know what I mean. nt

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Not a defining one. Many who vote GOP or talk 'convservative' are poor as church mice

and endured plenty.

[Locut0s]

6. That`s true. I guess I was just thinking of the other end of the spectrum. The Mitt Romney types. nt

[TrogL]

4. They live in a delusional world

Even if they are suffering they've convinced themselves that authoritarian behaviour and/or their authoritarian leaders will get them out of it.

[grasswire]

7. Just yesterday I read a post on freerepublic...

....by a freeper who has been out of work for six months and was asking for prayers. Plenty of them were willing to pray for him, but I didn't see more compassion than that.

[treestar]

8. Good point. No real challenges in life.

I can admit to being one of them in that, really. I had a way through college, some loans, but parents who could handle it. There was no question of not going or having to work much throughout it. The public schools were good in my middle class area. No real health issues, no divorce to live through.

This is why it's easy to think that pulling oneself up is easily done. And then in school, we had books of that kind about people doing that - people who started out in the ghetto and wound up becoming doctors. Then that made that sound like anyone could do it. Sure extraordinary people might be able to, but they would make it seem routine and anyone can do it.

[reformist2]

9. Not true - I think they are suspicious of people/groups that offer to "help."

I think it's a socialization thing - conservatives are just not as trusting of large organizations to do the right thing. Even with programs that work well such as Social Security, they have a cynical view that the government will "take it away" at a moment's notice.

[meow2u3]

10. The single defining characteristic of a conservative: FEAR

Conservatives, as a whole, are scaredy-cats. They're afraid of their own collective shadow.

[Locut0s]

11. I certainly agree with this. nt