Stereotypical Republican

DISCLAIMER: I am abundantly aware that conservative and republican do not mean the same thing. After all, if they did they would have the same spelling. However, it is true that in the US there is no conservative party (yet) so most conservatives vote republican.

Ask any person what a stereotypical Republican is and two polar opposites invariably are the answer. Either they are fat cat CEO's who, being the robber barons of industry, will do any unscrupulous thing to make a buck; or they are the uneducated, uncivilized country hicks who thump their Bibles while insisting they "don't need no education."

These two common perceptions of Republicans show some of the more serious flaws of liberal propaganda and even highlight the integrity of conservatives.

Whatever They Are, It's Bad!

This seems to be the common theme of ingrained societal stereotypes of Republicans. The image of an uncaring, fat cat is one of a person that, although intelligent and wealthy, has no moral character and is a slave to the love of money. The image of a country bumpkin is one of a person that, although moral and honest, is unintelligent and destitute (presumably because of their disregard for education.) The common themes in both these images are that Republicans are bad. That sounds pretty obvious, but due to the overarching failure of these stereotypes to be consistent, it is clear that there is no immediate flaws with the ideology, so instead invented personae have been constructed as straw men in order to be knocked down.

What We Really Are

So, what are Republicans really? Of course there are people who act exactly like the stereotypes, but these people are only an unimaginably small percent of all Conservative-Republicans. The true image? It is you, the average person. Republicans are the everyday, average people who want what is best for everybody. They are the critical thinkers and evaluators of history, science, and reason. They are those who have a stronger moral fiber and act accordingly. They are charitable, kind and generous. That is why any sane person would covet the title "conservative" and vote Republican.

Final Thoughts

There are stereotypes of every group of people imaginable. That includes liberals. However, stereotypes of liberals are based on legitimate flaws in their ideology and are universally consistent (unlike the Republican stereotypes.) While I in no way condone the labeling of people on stereotypes, it is interesting to see the disconnect between the image of Republicans and the way they really are.