There Is No Such Thing as a Conservative

I hear people say

Conservatives are [fill in the blank: crazy, evil, stupid…]

Liberals are [fill in the blank: crazy, evil, stupid…]

Muslims are [fill in the blank: responsible for…]

Immigrants are [fill in the blank: responsible for…]

And so on

So let us be clear

There is no such thing as a conservative

There are humans (who hold certain political philosophies that some of us the word “conservative” to describe, though in fact there is great variety within that self-described group)

There is no such thing as a liberal

There are humans (who hold certain political philosophies that some of us use the word “liberal” to describe, though in fact there is great variety within that self-described group)

There is no such thing as a Muslim

There are humans (who observe certain religious practices and believe certain philosophies that some of us use the word “Muslim” to describe, though in fact there is great variety within that self-described group)

There is no such thing as a Christian

There are humans (who observe certain religious practices and believe certain philosophies that some of us use the word “Christian” to describe, though in fact there is great variety within that self-described group)

There is no such thing as a homosexual

There are humans (who express sexuality in certain ways that some of us use the word homosexual to describe, though in fact there is great variety within that group)

There is no such thing as an illegal

There are humans (who live in certain places relative to the places where they were born, and depending on circumstances, some of us use the word “illegal” to describe, though in fact there is great variety within that group)

You get the idea

Yes, I know

It’s easier to say “conservatives”

Rather than “people who are conservative”

But that leaves out the human part

And I think the human part is important

So I’m reminding myself

Keep saying that “people who…” part

Even if just to myself