The correct term for someone who does not believe in the existence of Santa.
Most people above the ages of 6 or 7 years old, basically.
Most people are by default asantists, although I've met a few who believed well into their high school years!
Conservatives. They tend to think largely in terms of absolutes. Now don't get me wrong, absolute values are important - by no means do I support moral relativism - but it's necessary to recognize the many shades of grey involved in individual cases too. That is, after all, what situational ethics is all about.
I suspect that many of the conservatives I've met don't recognize these gray areas largely because of their absolutist religious upbringing.
A few scenarios:
A nine year old girl, tragically, is raped and impregnated by her stepfather. What to do? According to the religious absolutist, abortion is, under all circumstances, 100% wrong. Unless the birth is life-threatening, she can't abort.
Moderate: I don't normally support abortion, but here it's necessary.
Liberal: I think abortion is a right that belongs to the mother. I would support her right to choose if this girl was nine or twenty nine, raped or non-raped. (although i would personally disapprove of it in the latter).
Conservative: Fucking baby killers! It's an innocent fucking BABY we're talking about!
(as opposed to a non-sentient cluster of cells, lacking a nervous system and the ability to feel pain)
I had a much better example but the stupid character limit fucked me over.
See my future definition, Conservative Black and White Thinking Disorder for that one.
I blame religion for turning so many conservatives into black and white thinkers.
And this is why I dislike religion - it so often stops people from thinking. If people were encouraged to think in terms of individual cases as opposed to coming to each and every unique situation with a preconceived bias (abortion is MURDER!)...well, I don't know. We might have a better world. Just maybe.
I've seen definitions 10,000 "characters" long, but for some reason we're restricted to only 1500 now. Which sucks.
The Super Fucking Obnoxious 1500 Character Limit is the worst thing to happen to this site in a long time... some definitions are meant to be long, people!
God, according to Republicans.
According to the Republicans, global warming is a non-issue because even if it's real, their Cosmic Babysitter will drop in and save them in the end. Yippeeeeee!
a pejorative invented by conservatives so they can say whatever the hell they want without reprisal.
Kinda like a "get out of racism free" card. Go ahead and call Justice Sotomayor a spic on national radio, and when you get called out for it, blame the media for being too "politically correct".
"All Jews are good for nothing penny-pinchers! I would know, considering I've met every single one of them. What's that? You say I shouldn't assume things? Rot in hell, you politically correct bastard!"
-Conservative
People who tend to have black and white opinions on nearly every issue in the universe. Don't realize the importance of situational ethics. This is most likely the result of a fundamentalist religious upbringing.
A nine year old girl, tragically, is raped and impregnated by her stepfather. What to do? According to the religious absolutist, abortion is, under all circumstances, 100% wrong. Unless the birth is life-threatening, she can't abort.
Moderates: I don't normally support abortion, but here it's necessary.
Liberals: I think abortion is a right that belongs to the mother. I would support her right to choose if this girl was nine or twenty nine, raped or non-raped. (although i would personally disapprove of it in the latter).
Conservatives: Fucking baby killers! It's an innocent fucking BABY we're talking about!
(as opposed to a non-sentient cluster of cells, lacking a nervous system and the ability to feel pain)
People who tend to have black and white opinions on nearly every issue in the universe. Don't realize the importance of situational ethics. This is most likely the result of a fundamentalist religious upbringing.
A nine year old girl, tragically, is raped and impregnated by her stepfather. What to do? According to the religious absolutist, abortion is, under all circumstances, 100% wrong. Unless the birth is life-threatening, she can't abort.
Moderate: I don't normally support abortion, but here it's necessary.
Liberal: I think abortion is a right that belongs to the mother. I would support her right to choose if this girl was nine or twenty nine, raped or non-raped. (although i would personally disapprove of it in the latter).
Conservative: Fucking baby killers! It's an innocent fucking BABY we're talking about!
(as opposed to a non-sentient cluster of cells, lacking a nervous system and the ability to feel pain)