Yes, I do have advice.

I got my degree in mid-life, having gone back to school, and although at the time I was still a liberal Democrat in terms of the way I voted, looking back I realize I always had a lot of conservative ideas. Therefore, I had a lot of problems with and a lot of objections to what I was learning in my courses, and was odd woman out countless times in discussions in class as well as the decisions I made when dealing with clients. At the time I hadn’t a clue that my differences were basically political, but I knew I was in almost constant disagreement with my peers and my professors.

So i can tell you what I did: I continued to speak up in the classroom. It got me into trouble many times—arguments and conflict with people. I didn’t raise my voice, but it was stressful. But I didn’t see any other way. I had to say my piece. I know that some fellow-classmates agreed with my point of view but laid low because they were worried about getting bad recommendations from the profs, or otherwise having it impact on their careers. They were younger than I was.

At any rate, it does take a certain amount of courage and endurance. Choose your battles (don’t fight over every nitpicky little thing) but if you want to maintain your integrity you must speak out. Try not to couch it in terms of politics, but just be logical and state the way you see things, or even ask them probing questions to get them to see contradictions in what they’re saying. That’s my advice when dealing with professors and colleagues. With clients, it’s easier, because you don’t want to discuss politics per se with them. Just follow the rules with them (re boundaries, for example, and self-disclosure) and you’ll probably be okay.

Good luck to you!!

I am currently in a MSW (master in social work) program. Though different than family therapy in some ways, if not competing in the therapy sector, is there any advice you would give to a conservative entering such a field? I am aware that conservatives are quite the unicorn in the “helping field” and I’ve read numerous thoughts that a conservative is not a goo fit for social work.

There are only a few articles of non-liberal social workers advocating for the diversity in ideas in going about advocacy and approaching social pets of the field (voter ID law is oppressive and hurtful, patriarchy, universal healthcare etc.), which was met with some hostility and assurance that its all in the person’s head. A professor dismissed an article saying that there were no forceful politics within the classroom.

One social worker outright said that borders are the least one’s worry because the plight of those crossing the border was paramount. I’m rather astonished about this social worker’s priority, as if the rights of the citizens were not important, and that she could not, if not unwillingly, approach the issue on a more broad, intellectual way other than “the poor Mexicans!”

Thanks.

I think you might need to look into getting a new therapist, if that sort of conversation is not something that’s okay with you.

As a general rule, whether pro-Bush or anti, pro-Obama or anti, therapists should not be spouting off about their political opinions to their clients. Especially if the client has not solicited those opinions.

Conservatives are obsessed with their inferior status.

The media’s against them

The academic world is against them.

Therapists are against them.

“Word people” are against them.

So what’s the source of all this paranoia?

I would argue it’s the news media. Anyone who takes the minimal time to do some addition will quickly see that among all major newspapers and television news in America, the number of conservative commentators significantly outnumbers the number of liberals.

Turn to a random newspaper or TV program in America and you are significantly more likely to hear or read a conservative giving his or her views than you are to hear or read a liberal.

So there is a sense that the conservative view is the standard American viewpoint. It IS the mainstream.

But straight news reporting doesn’t toe the conservative line. News journalism calls for the kind of objectivity neoneo describes as also necessary for therapy. The journalist isn’t supposed to be making judgments about the news, just reporting it.

This is why straight news seems to conservatives to have a “liberal” bias. They expect judgments, i.e. condemnation of the things they think are bad and praise for things they think are good. When they don’t get that, they think it’s bias.

But why does that make them paranoid?

It creates among conservatives a sense that their ideology is “under seige.” They are led to believe their views are mainstream–just look at all the commentators out there repeating RNC talking points every day. But at the same time, the real straight news tells a different story.

So, when a conservative pipes up at, say, a dinner party, they’re outraged when a liberal challenges their view. Conservatives are inured to the idea that ripping liberals has no cost and requires no logical or substantive backup. When it’s brought to their attention that it does, they’re stunned and, as neoneo demonstrates, offended.

Read this blog and you will see the same thing. Conservative commenters here are stunned, flabbergasted, amazed that anyone could possibly take a liberal position. Many express outright disgust that anyone could possibly hold a view opposite to theirs.

Why the dismay, the outrage?

They thought they would be like Rush Limbaugh, or Bill O’Reilly or Brit Hume or Sean Hannity or any one of the scores of conservative commentators in the mainstream media who opine without concern that they will face any scrutiny whatsoever from an ideological opponent.

You gotta love the blogosphere.

March 3rd, 2007 at 12:00 am
“There’s also an interesting category of “things” that are intangible but still have the hard and unforgiving attributes of thingness (like computer code)..are these more like word-people or thing-people?”

I think they tend to be thing based… because computers have leway but are in many ways inflexible. You must adhere to their logic and way of doing things or what your trying to do won’t work… I’m a computer guy and my observations on the field are there are many conservatives and libertarians (re: over represented)… also, hearing users complain that ‘the computer doesn’t work’ because they won’t use it properly… drives us nuts… This carries over into politics… hearing people like Mike Moore fans quote his unfactual bs creates the same effect… they believe bs because they ‘want it to be so / or true’ even though it is not…