What's The Appeal of Conservatism?

[HeyItsZeus]

My question is as stated in my title. Why do conservatives like to be conservatives? I see no appeal in conserving old ways and not progressing. Are there any conservatives that can enlighten me and explain what the point of the "right" is?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism <---(If you don't know what Conservatives are.)

[Zen Badger]

Usually concervatives are trying to maintain what they have.

They'll be the ones benefiting from the system.

[Ashendant]

i prefer this one Conservatism

Many of these people love Jesus, and love to force others to believe in him. However, Last Thursday, Ronald Reagan killed Jesus, and he is now recognized as the God of America. They also despise radical Islam, even though ironically terrorists are also conservative. It is well known that conservatives don't understand irony.

That would be a nice placard to fight conservationists

"Terrorists are conservative"

[Minimalist]

It has morphed into a mechanism for trying to retain the white power structure in the US.

[HeyItsZeus]

It has morphed into a mechanism for trying to retain the white power structure in the US.

It seems that way sometimes to me as well.

[HeyItsZeus]

"""i prefer this one Conservatism

That was so funny. I almost pissed my pants!

[Nitsuj]

Because every country needs a nice balance of good and evil.

[Tiberius]

I don't see much of an appeal to conservatism, unless you are of the opinion that things worked better in the past, so we should aim to have a society that has been observed to 'work'.

I only voted for the conservative party in the UK because they were the closest party to my political beliefs, and because they aren't true conservatives in the sense of the ideology. They have plenty of new and progressive ideas on how to change the country for the better. I might vote for the Lib Dems next time around though, since they seem to have shifted closer to the Libertarian area of the political compass since the election.

[HeyItsZeus]

Adrian, The American political party is radically different the the one that governs the UK.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Usually concervatives are trying to maintain what they have.

They'll be the ones benefiting from the system.

Ehhhh, that doesn't explain working class Tories, who after all are the the ones who keep voting in conservative governments everywhere.

There could be several reasons,here's two:

A Marxist would say such people are suffering from false consciousness. That they've been conned into believing they benefit from maintaining the status quo,which is untrue.

Or they may simply not like change. Reform governments seldom last long anywhere.

Today,at least in my country,such a question is irrelevant. We have no effective political left. We have Right, or Centre Right.Largest minor party, the Greens, are bourgeois liberals. (we want change as long as it doesn't mean ME paying more tax or being personally inconvenienced)