Narrow mind, wide stance

Steve Benen at Talking Points Memo notices a pattern:

I think there's a pattern here for conservatives and their social attitudes. They don't mind restrictions on free speech, until they have something provocative to say. They want to restrict reproductive rights, until someone close to them has an unwanted pregnancy. They want to break down the church-state wall, until they feel like their faith is in the minority. They want to treat embryos as people, until they suffer from an ailment that could benefit from stem-cell research.

And they balk at the idea of equal rights for gay people, until it's their daughter who is looking for equality.

The key to social change in this country seems fairly straightforward: wait for conservatives to have more life experience.

Some people just sail through life oblivious to the humanity and needs of others, others are born with innate empathy and tolerance. Some start out with a kind heart which is broken by life's experiences, others lurch from a home of intolerance and hate and are able to love.

What helps keep people tolerant and understanding?

Education. Education teaches respect and understanding of other religions, other ethnicities, other countries. Education teaches tolerance and appreciation for nuance and subtlety. Education allows one to see the entire picture and where one fits into it.

This explains why there is the mockery of the sciences and the universities, the vilifying of gays, the letting loose the hounds of fanatical religion, the rising up of racial hatred, the celebration of war: all these things are activated to force progressives into a defensive crouch.

Luckily you can educate people out of stupidity... sometimes. Conservatives need educating.