Tales from the Mark side: The conservative voice of Manatee County
By Mark Young
mark.young@manateeherald.com
We as human beings are similar in so many ways and yet so very different. Nothing defines our divide like politics.
Have you ever wondered why?
I’m sure if you are a conservative, you have probably wracked your brain like I have when trying to understand the black hole that is liberal logic. And I’m sure, like me, you have come away from that experience more perplexed than ever. Well, there is a lot of reading material out there on why liberals are so different from conservatives. I came across several studies that prove areas of gray matter are enlarged in separate brain areas of conservatives and liberals.
Both areas impact the critical thought process and emotional response to information, but both are different in how the process works.
But is liberalism a mental disorder as many conservatives, including me, have claimed? Well, let’s follow the science, something liberals say we should do, but never actually do. I believe it was last year that the Pew Research Center showed a viable link between liberalism and mental disorders, particularly among young white liberals. The Pew study showed 62% of young white liberals were told by their doctors that they have a mental disorder.
The Washington Times, in April of this year did a piece on the study which shows liberalism, “forces its followers to wallow in feelings of helplessness and victimhood,” as opposed to “building resilience against hardship,” which combats depression. That inner working of a liberal brain makes them much more susceptible to things like “white guilt,” and other levels of nonsense.
Pew pointed out that an overwhelming number of liberals believed the false narratives pushed by the left that 1,000 blacks were “murdered” by police in 2019 following the death of George Floyd. In fact, there were 13 black people killed by police in 2019. The liberal Washington Post reported that from 2015 through this year that 1,552 blacks were killed by police compared to 2,962 whites. The number of Hispanics killed were similar to the number of blacks and more than 230 Native Americans also were killed by police, but no ever mentions Hispanics or Native Americans. Conservatives do because we believe that all lives matter, to include police lives. Of course the media likes to push the narrative that blacks are killed more disproportionately than whites based on percentages simply because there are more whites than blacks. It’s an easy argument to make but lacks substance.
The media doesn’t do its job very well, but that shouldn’t be a surprise at this point. If they did, they would take into account the facts surrounding the shootings, the criminal history of those shot and the high-crime areas involving the shootings. They don’t do that. Or perhaps they do and decide it doesn’t fit their anti-police, racist narratives that lead liberals down a mentally dangerous path of white guilt and self-loathing.
You’ve seen how much these young white liberals hate themselves for being white. It’s beyond comprehension, but once you understand that there is an actual answer to your question of, “What is wrong with these people?” perhaps some level of empathy can replace the frustration? Perhaps just knowing that a mental illness might be causing young white liberals to get on their knees and lick the boots of a black man in a display of asking for forgiveness for their whiteness will bring conservatives some relief. Nah, not for me either.
I grew up an Army brat and then joined myself. I never saw color growing up and I only see it now when it’s forced upon me. When I was battling liberal logic for four years as a columnist in Nebraska, there was a very loud and aggressive group of liberals who attacked me on a regular basis. However, attacks are not the same thing as presenting an argument and they could never dispute my facts or bring a logical argument to the table. The debates always ended with me being called a name and them storming off into their black hole existence. The one thing that would offend them is when I actually called them a liberal.
Back in 2010 or so, liberals were desperately trying to get away from the negative aspects of the word. Instead, they insisted they were not liberals, but progressives. Progressive sounds a lot more appealing until the real progressives actually took over their party and now liberals no longer want to be called progressives. Now they are desperately trying to reclaim their liberal title.
Oh the hell it must be to be trapped inside a liberal mind.
Now, I’m certainly not saying every liberal is mentally ill, but I’d say the Pew Research Center’s 62% is fairly accurate. The scary part is that number will increase as liberalism continues to infect our education system. It has had a firm hold on our universities for decades but as you’ve seen, it is now rampant in our K-12 schools. But I still know moderate liberals and they can still present a decent argument whether I agree with them or not. And it’s a myth that moderate liberals and conservatives disagree on everything.
Conservatives for the most part absolutely believe that we need to take care of our environment. We just happen to also believe that drilling and pipelines can be done safely. Now I do part ways with a lot of conservatives in saying gay marriage is absolutely fine. I just personally believe that everyone has the right to be miserable.
Liberals, the research shows, are highly prone to fear-based media coverage. About 90% of liberals believe that you have a 50% chance of being hospitalized from COVID-19. Only 10% knew that the correct answer is between 1 and 5%.
The research indicates that liberals are much more prone to the misinformation spread by fear mongering media outlets. Just look at how the local media has covered things like COVID and red tide. I know for a fact that my former editors milked public health stories for all they were worth. That’s not to say COVID or red tide isn’t real, but at some point editors knew they were manipulating the stories to get those all-valuable clicks to make themselves look good.
However, because liberals are so susceptible to misinformation, it contributes to the decline in their mental health, the study noted. It’s ironic considering that the actions of the liberal media in Manatee County are contributing to hurting their liberal readers. Ironic, but self-servingly sad.
It also shows why liberal-run states have handled the pandemic so differently and why some of those states continue to suffer the economic pains of shutdowns and ridiculous mandates. But you’ll also notice how many of these Democratic leaders make over-the-top restrictions but never abide by their own rules.
The Washington Times concludes that, “Yes, there’s a lot of drawbacks to believing in liberalism.”
I would have to agree.
