Conservative ideal

This page is about

 * the conservative ideal: what's good about conservatism, what it should be under ideal circumstances – in other words, the ideal towards which all who support conservatism should be working.
 * traps and pitfalls into which it is easy for those who follow conservatism to fall, thinking that they are promoting conservatism but which are not part of the conservative ideal
 * things which conservatism should not be, but is often misperceived to be or misrepresented as being.

This page is not about

 * off-hand dismissal of conservatism for any reason, including:
 * as a cover for some hidden agenda: Hidden agendas relate to the following of some other ideal or personal goal; to the extent that anyone can believably pursue such agendas in the name of conservatism, that is a misrepresentation on their part and possibly a pitfall on the part of the believer.
 * for its historical faults: Faults should be studied, and the results used to improve the philosophy rather than discarding it as useless.

what it is

 * preserving resources, especially personal resources, rather than spending them impulsively; living frugally and non-wastefully
 * suspicion of change, for the reason that ill-considered changes often have a hidden price
 * respect for the role of discipline and self-restraint over impulsiveness and personal (especially sensual) gratification
 * belief in the vital importance of maintaining civilization

what it might be

 * a particular set of rules for assigning loyalty in-group membership:
 * family, including extended family, but only as determined by social convention (i.e. marriage and "legitimate" descent)
 * those who demonstrate loyalty to the in-group (this can lead to one of the traps, however)

what it is not

 * diametrically opposed to the liberal ideal: the two ideals have significant areas of overlap, and even larger areas where they are merely competing for attention rather than being in conflict
 * inherently racist: conservatives who behave in overtly racist ways are over-applying the principles of:
 * in-group loyalty
 * suspicion of change (with regard to conservative opposition to the gradual re-enfranchisement of non-whites in the 🇺🇸, and the accompanying legal and social changes)
 * inherently homophobic: the same principles which can lead to racism when mis-applied can also lead to homophobia.
 * accurately represented by any political party under any system of government yet created: political parties do not represent ideals

traps and pitfalls

 * In-group loyalty can lead to problems if the in-group becomes corrupt
 * Automatic respect for authority can lead to problems if the authority is not earned