All right, so you probably saw this in your update and thought, "Oh, interesting," and then saw it was written by Cinders, and now you expect something sarcastic. But no, I am being very serious. Even as a self-described liberal, I do love conservatives, I want conservatives in this spot to SPEAK UP and I am going to tell you why.

I have very strong opinions, as I am sure many of you are familiar. Some of you agree with the things I say, some of you don't. And I welcome both reactions to the things I have to say, especially if you disagree. As I call myself a liberal, those who tend to disagree with me call themselves conservatives. Whether or not either one of us adheres 100% to the labels we assign ourselves is beside the point. Liberals and conservatives have been two halves of a feuding family for years-- but they are still a family. Which is why I decided to compile this list.

Why I Love Conservatives

1) Dissent. A person might believe that if everyone thought the same way she does, then the world would be a better place. In fact, several people believe this. Some hypothesize that agreement on morals, laws, and justice would eliminate, or at least greatly improve, a lot of the world's problems, and therefore consider a world where everyone thinks the same way, and agrees on everything as ideal. Conservatives wish for a conservative world, and liberals wish for a liberal world, and perhaps moderates wish for a world where everyone would just be moderate. But the fact of the matter is, this world is a better place because not everyone agrees with each other. If there was no such thing as dissent, then there would never be anyone proposing ways in which something could be done better.

Let's take economics for example. Perhaps someone proposes a plan that, in our "ideal world," everyone thinks this is a brilliant idea and it is immediately implemented. What if that plan is not working as well as it should, even though everyone thinks it's brilliant? What if there was a plan that worked better? This ideal world would never know, because they're only looking at the problem through one perspective. And so, the economy crashes. Now, what do you do?

All the economists gather together to propose a solution and swiftly agree on one within minutes. But as no one was around to question it, the solution is filled with holes that no one has ever considered how to fix. Already, this ideal world is suffering.

2) Diversity. All right, all right, I know that liberals tend to be seen as the champions of this thing called "diversity," but really it is a beautiful thing. Can you imagine the types of conversations you would have if everyone constantly agreed with you? Would you ever really listen to them, knowing you thought the exact same way? How could you connect? How could you grow, intellectually? If I had only liberal friends, or only talked to liberal friends, I probably would never have developed the strong convictions I currently have. Why? Because my ideas would have never been challenged. I would have never had to defend them, and therefore I would have never had to think about them, really, at all. Diversity, both in thinking and experiences, helps us all to learn and grow smarter.

3) Sometimes, they're right. I know, you're gobsmacked by this, aren't you? What I mean is, regardless of how strong my convictions are, if I walked around refusing to listen to other opinions, I might never find out that something I believe has a problem with it. I'll provide an example: I used to be very pro-choice. Now-- don't get me wrong-- I still am, only less so. The conservatives, in my opinion, have a lot of very good points on this subject, good enough to make me reconsider what I meant by pro-choice. I am now very strict and specific about what I think abortion laws should be.

The thing is, when I debate, people tend to say to me, "You claim you listen, you're open-minded, but you aren't agreeing with me!" or something to that effect. Which is why I always encourage the way of debating with the intent of understanding, and being understood. NOT to change your opponent's opinion. If you seek to change your opponent's opinion, you aren't respecting that opinion. I am of the belief (and yes, even this belief has been questioned!), that every opinion that has been carefully considered and constructed (IE, not regurgitated from what parents/friends believe) deserves respect. There is more than one way to look at the world, after all.

And it is for this reason, and many more, that I enjoy my discussions with conservatives like the dear MajorDork74, who seems to have been scared off from this place. While I challenge your beliefs, I of course fully expect you to challenge mine in return. And while I defend mine, I expect you to listen, as I will listen while you defend yours.

I am a lot of talk, I suppose. I do believe it was a user on this spot who accused me of intolerance. So perhaps rather than TELLING you how I act, perhaps I should ask: Do I intimidate you? Do I offend you? Do you feel like I don't listen to you, or that I don't respect you? If so, please-- let me know. Post a link where you feel like I crossed some line. Because while I would like to be respectful, I fully recognize that sometimes I am not, and request that I be corrected when this error occurs.

And it is at this point that I refer you to an link sixth months ago, detailing my intention for this spot.