What's with conservative Trekkies?

[Nerys Ghemor]

Cary L. Brown--Thank you for saying so much of what I didn't have the time to get into myself!

About the freedom not to succeed...we do have the example of Bashir's father, who seems not to be able to hold a job.

You are also 100% right about faith and science. I too see no need to warp either one to force them to agree...I don't need to deny scientific truth (i.e. "creation science") nor do I need to deny my faith (i.e. Jeffersonian revision of the Bible, etc.). The more we observe, the more astounding the complexity of this world becomes and the more I believe--not the other way around.

And what you've said about group identity politics...THANK YOU! Except for one extremely disappointing comment on the entire show, that was actually one thing about Trek that I loved: as far as humanity went, nobody gave a damn who was what race. It was such a non-issue that it wasn't even commented on. The only way such healing will ever come in real life is if we stop making it a "this group vs. that" thing and we start talking about REAL forgiveness, in both directions.

 

[Cary L. Brown]

Cary L. Brown--Thank you for saying so much of what I didn't have the time to get into myself!

About the freedom not to succeed...we do have the example of Bashir's father, who seems not to be able to hold a job.

You are also 100% right about faith and science. I too see no need to warp either one to force them to agree...I don't need to deny scientific truth (i.e. "creation science") nor do I need to deny my faith (i.e. Jeffersonian revision of the Bible, etc.). The more we observe, the more astounding the complexity of this world becomes and the more I believe--not the other way around.

And what you've said about group identity politics...THANK YOU! Except for one extremely disappointing comment on the entire show, that was actually one thing about Trek that I loved: as far as humanity went, nobody gave a damn who was what race. It was such a non-issue that it wasn't even commented on. The only way such healing will ever come in real life is if we stop making it a "this group vs. that" thing and we start talking about REAL forgiveness, in both directions.

I'm glad you appreciated what I had to say...

A few other pertinent quotations I came across today which seem relevant to the topic under discussion...

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." --President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)

"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools." --British author and economist Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

"Reaching consensus in a group is often confused with finding the right answer." --American writer Norman Mailer (1923-2007)

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --American author and humorist Mark Twain (1835-1910)

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

yes, those evil conservatives.

"Conservatives tend to be happier than liberals in general," said Dr. Rod Martin, a psychologist at the University of Western Ontario. "A conservative outlook [comprehends] social inequality, accepting the world as it is, and making it less of a threat to one’s well-being, whereas a liberal outlook leads to dissatisfaction with the world as it is, and a sense that things need to change before one can be really happy."

Obama and McCain Walk Into a Bar ...

I'm just a noob around here, for sure, but I can't help noticing - mostly through avatars - that there are a lot of conservative trekkies. And I'm wondering how that could be?

As noted earlier, there are many times more liberals here than conservatives. This may or may not extend to the general population.

I don't see where Star Trek goes against conservative principals. Take the prime directive for example; a strong moral core to live by. Gathering knowledge before making a decision rather than forcing a chance simply to make a change. In TNG we see the importance of the family. So important as to make room for them in the Enterprise.

i agree. this goes hand in hand with something i've noticed: liberals' disbelief that Conservatives can stand watching South Park, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, or Bill Maher -- all comedy shows that are clearly biased against conservatives. yet i, and many other conservatives, greatly enjoy these shows, because we are not only able to laugh at/with the world, we can also laugh at ourselves.

i would even go so far as to say the opposite is true for liberals. My evidence is that there are no (as far as i know) comedy shows biased against liberals. Considering the country is essentially 50/50 liberal/conservative, the aforementioned programs must have a substantial conservative viewership. imo, the lack of 'conservative comedy against liberals' shows is evidence that liberals cannot laugh at themselves as easily

 

[Chimpy Chompy]

I think it's more likely that a greater proportion of people going into making comedy on TV are Liberal in the first place.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

There is such comedy, though it's rare...Dennis Miller, An American Carol, and Greg Gutfield's RedEye (though I hesitate to mention the last one, considering it sometimes goes into Howard Stern territory in terms of crudeness on all levels) are all conservative-biased.

 

[Ocanain]

I’m conservative and like Star Trek and there are quite a few right wing minded fans. Many far left intersectionalists who refer to themselves as liberals take offence and are quite confused to why this must be but true liberals tend to view it in quite a neutral way.

The conflict I usually meet from leftists is the political modelling of the show. It is a reflection of their socialist ideals to them but one that overlooks the technological aspect, one that makes resources infinite; replicators for instance. My view on a political level is that the show represents an anti human sentiment in lieu of a collective statement but is in itself also contradicted. In this way I feel every alien race is a seperate criticism of humanity itself. Bajorans are a criticism of religion, Ferengis of capitalism, Klingons of violence, Vulcans of emotion etc. The fictional future humans are said to be without prejudice, greed or violence due to a socialist state yet they use violence to solve their problems, persist in racism in regard to alien races/cultures and accumulate wealth and power.

That being said, all those element fill out a textured universe in my view, no different to the political landscapes of Lord of the Rings or other fantasies. My favourite theme of Star Trek is family. Aspects like loyalty, trust, affection, togetherness, faith and sacrifice all give a wholesome feel to the show. This is what I find engaging. It always feels akin to a warming family movie to me. The captain is always fatherly, even when it’s a woman and the stories are all of the adventures of loved siblings, of sorts.

I have started a Facebook page for all Star Trek fans of all political views for a place that conservatives won’t be censored and attacked for simply liking a TV show. Feel free to drop by at https://www.facebook.com/groups/238883100810621/?ref=share.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Hi @Ocanain ,

First, welcome to TrekBBS! I hope you enjoy your time here.

I know you're new here, so you may not have encountered this yet, but we generally prefer people not to reopen a thread that has been dormant for a year or more. In this particular case, the thread has been dormant for over 11 years, so I'm just going to go ahead and close it.

If you haven't seen it yet, please take a look at our rules thread, as this should give you the basics around posting here.

Again, welcome, and hope you see you around!