Is American Social Conservatism on a Permanent Decline?

Ryan5 said:

I firmly believe it is. Do you?


Social Liberalism in the U.S. on the Rise, Fiscal Conservatism Remains Strong | Cato @ Liberty

[h=1]Social Liberalism in the U.S. on the Rise, Fiscal Conservatism Remains Strong[/h]

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conservatism in itself is not in a decline,and is still by far the largest ideology in america,while liberals are one of the smallest,and moderates being the mainstream,plus some small ones no one counts because no one can see them they are so tiny.


social conservatism though is not representative of conservatism.conservatism can be fiscal,social,overall etc.alot of the base that makes up the largest group in politics are fiscally conservative aand either socially moderate or liberal.infact the democrat party itself has quite a few conservatives,and moderates outnumber liberals in the democratic party,hence why they appeal to diehards off season,then play moderate during election.

beerftw said:

conservatism in itself is not in a decline,and is still by far the largest ideology in america,while liberals are one of the smallest,and moderates being the mainstream,plus some small ones no one counts because no one can see them they are so tiny.


social conservatism though is not representative of conservatism.conservatism can be fiscal,social,overall etc.alot of the base that makes up the largest group in politics are fiscally conservative aand either socially moderate or liberal.infact the democrat party itself has quite a few conservatives,and moderates outnumber liberals in the democratic party,hence why they appeal to diehards off season,then play moderate during election.

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Maybe. I agree with you overall that "Random flavors of Conservative" are most common in America politically yet Social Conservatism is without a doubt on a decline on the exterior.


All the historically lower and middle class would-be social conservative demographics are now deeply socially liberal (in frank terms, they've lost their social class sensibilities as the influence of upper class Americans has faded among the lower classes). I see it firsthand as I'm sure most do. Many Americans simply can't stomach the idea of their views falling under a label (even if they very much do). It's an interesting phenomena though. A guy still can't get laid wearing a $75 Polo brand shirt in America on average yet throw on a pair of faded jeans, a ball cap, T-shirt and boots and WHAM. You immediately tap into the embedded social conservative deeply lost on the exterior yet still very much there inside her subconscious. That's why IT nerds can't get laid. On paper they should be getting a lot (Nice $140k+ incomes). In reality they aren't, won't land anything above a 7. The inherent Marlboro Man Esq Americana social conservatism is deeply embedded within Americans even if they're socially liberal. The contradictions are simply so complex and pervasive between what one is politically and what one idealizes that it's almost impossible for a political scientist to put into proper labels let alone the average person.

Yes it is, and glad it is declining, don't really agree with much of anything the social right is opposed to, at least now and then they have good intentions for it, but generally it seems to be rooted in mostly The Bible/other religious text (bleh).

Honestly, the sooner young conservatives move away from the party line on social issues and more to a libertarian/liberal stance on them, the better it will be for the republican party. Of course, I disagree somewhat on fiscal issues with the right, so guess I should want them to go full sail with the social conservatism still =p, but non-bias I still believe their stances are/will hurt the party until it moves away from them (namely: gambling, gay marriage, abortion).

I think what's typically viewed as modern social conservatism is likely on a relatively permanent decline. But I believe the generalied notion of social conservatism is likely to continue on a cycle of decline and renewal as various generations come through.

I think socially, society has a tendancy to sway back and forth, typically as one generation goes a bit too far in one direction causing a rebellious rebound in their off spring. While it doesn't manifest itself in the same way each time as a policy perspective, I think the general mindset is there. And I imagine we'll see that swing back at some point in the near future.

I suppose the question depends on the definition of social conservatism used. Many positions of social conservatives today would have been considered radical by the social conservatives of yesteryear. And indeed, many positions of the "social conservatives" of yesteryear happened to be supported by the vast majority of the voting base during their pre-eminence.

Fiddytree said:

Social conservatism will always be an effective social consciousness. It's issues simply evolve over time with passing victories and defeats.

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What victories are you referring to?