Spencer Price

Times Columnist

Need a good laugh? If so, read "Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition." But be careful cause, as my Dad would say, "You just might bust a gut."

In an article that appeared recently in Psychological Bulletin, a group of four university professors from Maryland, Stanford and Berkeley (big surprise), attempted to explain the roots of conservatism. In a nutshell, they concluded that conservatives are angry, mean, intolerant and afraid. Of course, to anyone who has ever watched ABC, CBS, NBC or CNN, this is old news. However, wanting to take their case a step beyond the standard liberally-biased national media position that conservatives are "mean spirited," these professors compared conservatives to Mussolini and Hitler. Of course, they did so under the guise (and implied intellectual immunity) of scientific investigation.

After reading the article, I thought about it for a long time, then laughed about it even longer. Why the laughter? Why not? You see, no matter how sophisticated these self-assumed intellectual elitists attempt to appear through seemingly lofty discussions of abstract social constructs, at the end of the day, they are nothing more than angry liberals pointing their fingers at people they don't like and calling them names - talk about a waste of a good education. I suppose some people never grow up and leave the playground behind.

The article, written to cast conservatives in the worst possible light, falls far short of its intended objective. Instead, it serves merely to expose liberalism for what it is - an ideology born of anger and envy and a deeply-rooted desire to bring others down (what liberals refer to as "leveling the playing field").

For the anti-conservative triumvirate of the liberally-biased national media, the liberal intelligentsia and the Democratic party, the only ones being fooled are themselves. You see, liberals just don't get it - they never have and they never will. Get what? That when they point a finger at someone else and call them "angry" or "mean" or "intolerant," they are actually pointing the finger at themselves. That's because they've never heard of "transference" which is a psychology term that refers to the act of transferring personal beliefs or behaviors onto others (of course, one would assume the authors of the above-mentioned article would have heard of "transference," but since they probably figure none of us simpletons know what it means, we'll never figure out that they are guilty of it).

Here's the test: if liberalism was truly a meaningful ideology, why must its adherents resort to childish games such as "name calling" to defend it? You got me. Well, sort of. See, I understand that liberalism isn't about the "little man" or the "downtrodden." It's about many things, most of them negative - things like anger, envy and control.

But don't take my word for it. Just read a little history. Read about the conditions in post-World War I Germany that led to the rise of Hitler. It wasn't about conservatism. It was about anger and resentment among Germans accrued during years of desperate economic conditions - anger and resentment directed toward Jews who were seen to profit from German misery. And read about the conditions that lead to the Bolshevik Revolution and the rise of communism in Russia. Again, it wasn't about conservatism. It was about anger and control - in this case, anger among differing social classes and Lenin's desire to embrace the ultimate philosophy of social control, Marxism.

Here's an even better test: when you think about liberalism (take aspirin - it helps), think about its champions like Hillary Clinton (now, if that ain't an angry woman, then there ain't no such a thing) or Jesse Jackson, or Sean Penn (ha, excuse me, but that one always makes me laugh). All of them are angry, but not about social injustices. Their anger comes from deep down inside. The bully-pulpit is merely their outlet and their sermons are simply a diversion. As for me, I ignore their sermons. That's because I know that liberalism is simply anger by another name.

Spencer Price can be contacted via e-mail at spricemd@alltel.net. His column appears in each Wednesday edition of The Thomaston Times.