The Definition of Insanity

Every once in a while, I will get asked the question, “Why are you a conservative?” My response will depend on the person asking, but is often, “I have a hard time relating to people who can hold two contradictory views as true, which seems to be the norm for liberals.”

I believe this is one definition of insanity; yet liberals are often viewed as not only sane, but heroic for espousing such insanity. When asked for clarification, I usually tell this story about my college days:

Several years ago, I attended a community college in a very liberal area of the West Coast. I belonged to several student organizations, which put me in contact with people of varying backgrounds and viewpoints. My interactions with such diversity were often surprising, always interesting, but usually reinforcing of my conservative views. One such event occurred as a group of us were getting our lunch. As we walked through the cafeteria line, a young liberal woman in our organization was offered “Spanish rice” by one of the cafeteria workers. I was standing behind her when she replied, “No thanks, I don’t eat eggs. I am a vegan.” As we sat down to eat I asked what the reasoning behind this was. I understood her views on killing animals as inhuman. I did not agree, but at least it was a reasonable argument if one started with her stated values. However, eggs were not killed, so this was confusing to me. Her response was that she felt the killing of unborn chicks was cruel, just as the killing of any other animal would be. Several others joined the conversation, and I listened as they discussed animal rights and politics in general.

Eventually, the topic turned to abortion, which most of those with us (excluding myself and a couple others) agreed should be a woman’s right. Upon hearing said vegan state this, I was in complete shock. Scrambling an egg (which is not fertilized, so not an unborn chick) is a moral wrong, while scrambling an unborn human baby is not? Granted, we don’t eat human fetuses, and the vegan’s argument was for the cruelty of killing the egg, not the eating of it.

By now, the person to whom I am relating this usually nods their head or verbally acknowledges my point of view, if they have a normal reasoning mind. If they are a liberal, however, they either give me a blank stare or start arguing that abortion is not immoral - once again proving my point that only the insane can hold such contradictory viewpoints.

{For those wanting to point out my “contradictory” view of abortion vs. capital punishment, I have two words: innocence and helplessness.}

By Guest Writer
Loren Roach

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