Why Conservatism is Failing
Conservatism is the political ideology that claims we need to preserve ("conserve") traditional values within culture and society at large. For many people, especially among the elderly, it has become popular to "resist" the problems with modern society, by calling themselves conservatives. The ideology can therefore in many ways be seen as a reaction against
modern liberalism: it's not against modernity itself, but critical of
modern values and modern ways of seeing things.
Many people buy into conservatism because it seems like a "safe" way to both defend the traditional, while at the same time working for a modern development in society. Herein lies the problem: it lacks a fundamental political platform outside of "resisting" anything new. It's a reactionary confrontation with modern society, which criticizes but has nothing to neither uphold nor fight for. Its value system is derived from a system of opposites to what is being perceived as "modern."
The elderly are usually supporting conservative points of views, because they see the amazing amount of problems we've generated just over these 100 years,  but since most of them aren't aware of the actual symptoms and even fewer are able to think independently of what they've been told to think, they end up becoming conservative; they "resist" the modern while at the same time trying to adjust their lives to a modern framework of living.
Conservatism fails to reach the root to the problems of our modern society, since it only confronts the effects of the problems. We hear conservatives and "neo-conservatives" debate about abortion, immigration and Christian identity, yet these are only symbolic ways of tackling the modern issues. Conservatives never question the fundamental ideas behind democracy, multiculturalism or consumerism, because they are not interested in actually reforming and changing our society. They're just here to complain when a modern idea screws up; when people like Theodore Kaczynski speak out about the dangers of over-industrialism, they are immediately branded "extremists" by liberals and conservatives alike.
For people who have seen through the modern society and understand conservatism as a dead end, the solution lies in tackling the modern problems at their root instead of spending time in debates about the effects. If we truly care about traditional values and our culture, we recognize that our current society has failed to preserve our traditions and instead replaced them with supermarkets and show business. If we truly wish to conserve the things our ancestors once fought to create, we reject both the modern liberal cult around the ego, and the modern conservative smokescreen. We become traditionalists.
by Alex Birch
May 30, 2007
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