There's a viral video going around courtesy of Democratic Underground, and other leftist social media platforms, featuring an elderly gentleman who claims to be a history and government teacher of 40 years. In it, he claims that throughout his career, he had to "bring down to the lowest possible level a concept so that everyone in the class could understand." He then launches a pejorative swipe at his "very conservative state" of Arizona, suggesting that just like his clueless students, they too need his wisdom and assistance in "bringing it down to the lowest possible denominator" (I think he misunderstood the appropriate usage of that phrase) the fundamental difference between conservatives and liberals.
To do so, this retired teacher attempted to paraphrase the late comedian George Carlin, and explained it this way:
"Conservatives care about profit. They care about property. Liberals care about people. They want to see the benefit to society."
He then went on a two-minute TikTok rant about the mean-spirited and short-sighted conservatives who want to deprive the people of access to water, energy, and insulin. You can watch it for yourself right here:
A couple things about this that struck me. First, I admit that I have only been teaching those same subjects to high school students half the amount of time that this gentleman has, so perhaps I'll come to this enlightened observation later on in my career. But truthfully, if after another 20 years in the classroom I find myself recording TikTok videos where I intentionally mischaracterize others and haplessly generalize people to the degree that was evident in this man's video, I'd say something went tragically wrong with my own moral character development.
That this gentleman is a frustrated liberal in a Republican-led state is understandable. That he is upset with the sale of aquifers and oil fields to the Saudis is reasonable. That he gets emotional when thinking about his own daughter's struggles to pay for overpriced insulin is completely human.
But to paint with such a broad brush that he clumsily pretends all conservatives are heartless money-grabbers, or that none might even agree with his views on some or all of those issues actually undermines his own thesis about liberals. This kind of belligerence and intolerance towards students and people who don't think like you isn't the conduct of one who "cares about people." It's the conduct of one who cares about a political agenda.
People are more than their politics. There's a reason so many self-professed conservatives consistently rank as the country's most generous, and self-sacrificial, when it comes to their personal finances. It's because they genuinely care about people. And there's a reason many self-professed liberals have become so tightly intertwined with corporate America. It's because they care about profit and property.
The gentleman in this video may have taught two more decades than I have, but it hurts my heart that he hasn't yet learned this truth: People are nuanced and complex, uniquely designed by God for His glory, shaped by a variety of circumstances, experiences, and perspectives that lead them to choose Him or to choose the world. It's that choice that has far more impact on a person's willingness to love their neighbor than any allegiance to the elephant or donkey.
A progressive may favor government social welfare programs because he cares about people and believes that's how best to help them. A conservative may oppose government social welfare programs because he cares about people and believes those programs are inefficient and ineffective in helping them.
It's obviously a different path than this retired teacher chose, but after 20 years in a classroom, I guess I hope I'm helping young people see not everyone who disagrees with you is evil, and things are only likely to improve for our civilization when we start showing one another a little more charity and grace.
