LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY velvetpage)

Red family, blue family This is the best explanation I've ever read of the difference between the conservative view of the world, and the liberal view.

Nutshell version: Both conservatives and liberals view the nation in terms of a family, but they have different ideas of what that means. Conservatives tend to view family as a series of obligations that one is born into, while liberals see family as a collection of negotiated commitments. In the Inherited Obligation family, traditional roles are taken on because that is just part of your obligation to your family. Words like "freedom" and "choice" are bad because they are seen as the freedom to choose not to fulfill one's obligations. Liberals are misunderstood because flexibility can look like slipperiness when liberals talk about, for example, moving to the center on issues. Since commitments are up for negotiation, conservatives tend to believe that nothing is ever settled - there's never a time when commitments are taken seriously. In fact, the reverse is usually true - those who negotiate their own terms are more likely to stick with them in the long run.