Has the Dark Side of American Conservatism Taken Over?

By George Lakoff, George Lakoff's Facebook Page

14 October 18

ome lifelong Republicans are having sudden realizations about what conservatives really believe. Max Boot, who is leaving the Republican Party and wishes "ill fortune" on its candidates, writes:

"It would be nice to think that Donald Trump is an anomaly who came out of nowhere to take over an otherwise sane and sober movement. But it just isn’t so. Upon closer examination, it’s obvious that the history of modern conservative is permeated with racism, extremism, conspiracy-mongering, isolationism and know-nothingism."

But conservative bigotry goes beyond racism. It extends to every aspect of social life. An understanding of the conservative moral hierarchy - the way strict conservatives see the world - helps you understand everything about today's Republican Party. It explains why Republicans forced the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, why they put immigrant children in baby jails, why they're committed to destroying the Earth and its natural resources, etc.

Here is the hierarchy:

• God above Man
• Man above Nature
• The Disciplined (Strong) above the Undisciplined (Weak)
• The Rich above the Poor
• Employers above Employees
• Adults above Children
• Western culture above other cultures
• America above other countries
• Men above Women
• Whites above Nonwhites
• Christians above non-Christians
• Straights above Gays

Question: Has the dark side of American conservatism taken over, as Boot suggests? Or has its true core simply been revealed for all to see?