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I'd like to expand on something I discuss in this article in the context of corona. It's aimed at no-one in particular, but meant as a general lesson and reproach. https://medium.com/the-buckley-club/on-the-coulter-controversy-e795d099b2b4
Once upon a time, the most common image of the conservative was not just a man, but an adult man. An upstanding man. A family man. A mature man. Often obstinate and stubborn, sometimes outright blockheaded, but a full grown man.
That man understood he had not just rights, but duties - to provide for and protect his family (which he was obliged to try and form), to obey the law, to be there when needed for help or aid, to act with decency and justice and prudence.
That man understood full well there would be times when he might be called on to lay down his life or risk it for his family - in war, if there wasn't enough room on the lifeboat, against a burglar. But barring such extreme circumstances, he knew he had a positive duty to live.
Put differently: That man, at least in the modern age, was less the stuffy aristocrat who thought nothing of dying with honor even if it availed them nothing, but rather the responsible officer and leader who cared for his and his men's lives and saw they make it. Cf. Ike.
A lot of people revel in calling conservatives the party of "no." And while exaggerated, there is much truth here. But what many do not understand is that this was the no of the adult teaching his wayward fellows not to do something he thought stupid and reckless.
"No, doing drugs and booze will only end in tears." "No, you can't spend more than you've taken in." "No, good intentions don't cut it if you get bad results." "No, you may not tear down that fence until you understand why it's there."
Was that man always in the right? Of course not. Were there times when criticism of him was right? Absolutely. But that man was at least someone you could rely on to provide a store of wisdom, experience, maturity, tradition to everyone. A conservative, if you will.
Which brings us to today. It's not easy to be that man when the other guys are the ones in the elite positions he used to occupy. It's even more jarring when they bash you just for being a man and all its associated sins, and push you around based on what they think right.
But the response of conservatives has made things far worse. No-one forced them to decide to change from being a man to a stupid teenage kid (and yes, all teenagers are stupid, so was I at that age). No-one forced them to drop all pretense of moderation for provocation.
Yes, your protest gets attention and maybe even calls attention to real government violations of freedom. But you lose more than you gain. You send everyone the message, including to those who might listen, that you have nothing to offer but a primal scream.
No wisdom, no maturity, no tradition, no life lessons. Just telling your parents (which, let's be frank, is how elites have always seen themselves vis-Ă -vis the general public) to f--k off while we act with abandon.
I have no patience for the "What has conservatism conserved?" people when they so willingly and enthusiastically give what we were trying to conserve the middle finger in favor of infantile and half-baked gestures. You did this to yourselves.
You may win elections again. Maybe you'll even gain some measure of cultural power. But until you relearn what it's like to be a real man - and woman! - mature, wise, and grounded, you will still have forfeited that which you claim to fight for. End,
