A double standard often (by no means always) exist with left leaning people. Mr. Layton and many left leaning policy makers often champion their positions on the following key words: 'inclusiveness', 'fairness', 'tolerence' and being non-judgmental. They use these words to advocate creating laws that reflects their means of best serving others.
If someone on the right has equal love for people, but does not share the same means of getting there, conservatives are immediately called out as (make long list here) intolerant, judgmental, pig-headed, paranoid and a derivative of some phobia. The very 'tolerence' a left leaning person demands for their means of affecting policy is the very intolerance they aggressively attack others with. We see this as soon as disagreement to their agenda is in the air: foul play indeed.
Here's the logic in general terms
1. Canadians desire to serve and love other people (I accept this as true for the vast, vast majority of Canadians).
2. Canadians typically have different means to express their service and love towards others.
3. Generally Canadians are viewed on 2 political spectrum's: right vs. left (and everything in between). This is viewed as a contrast of more government vs. less government
3. More government vs. less has ways of expressing itself: 'means'
4. the means are typically expressed through laws, policy, studies and programs
5. The right AND left both love people! We just have different ways of expressing it.
A conclusion: we ought not to debate against people's desire to love others. We should all accept as genuine our love for others regardless of political stripe.
Please follow this logic; I am no expert in logic so this is quite simple:
Where A is a person (who is either left or right)
Where B is a policy
Where C is an alternate policy to B
Where D is the generally accepted belief that Canadians en mass love others and want to best serve them
A thinks B should be done to affect D
A thinks C should be done to affect D
Simple example:
A (Person-Socialist) thinks B (creating multi billion dollar child care program) should be done to affect D (loving and serving others).
A (Person-Conservative) thinks C (tax relief, not government programs) should be done to affect D (loving and serving others).
Since A is a class of both left/right people AND both left and right want to affect D equally,
what remains is B vs C (i.e two competing policy ideas both aimed at serving and loving others...just B is different then C)
All too often, when the left 'brand's' the right as extremists, bigots, intolerant, haters etc, they are really saying, "B is better then C and unless you stop pursuing C and accept B, you are a "phobia-ism-ist". (By God I swear I just made up a word: phobia-ism-ist).
Neither the Conservative or the Socialist have rights to brand the other person just for thinking differently!
Left leaning policy being different then right leaning policy is no ticket for the left to brand those on the right anymore then the right can brand equally those on the left...i.e we disagree on policy then call the other party intolerant and bigoted. By left logic, we have equal access to call the other a phobia-ism-ist. I challenge any person to come up with a logical and reasonable argument to defeat what I underlined. I disagree with, "You think differently then me therefore you are intolerant and a hater". Please, left learners, make an argument!
Until that happens, I propose a difference in policy is what ought to be debated and discussed!
Small 'c' conservatives, lighten up! We are too uptight! The cat's out of the bag. Many on the Left want to brand you a phobia-ism-ist, which means "you are all things opposite of good because your policy disagrees with mine. We both love others, but your way of loving others differs from mine. I do not have reason and logic to defeat your point...so you are intolerant, phobic-everything, unfair, hater of equality, caveman etc. You are a Phobia-ism-ist." So lighten up. And here is how we ought to respond when we are attacked for thinking differently then someone on the left:
Response:
-Socialists run to tolerance, acceptance and inclusiveness when creating policy, yet viciously attack in the opposite manner those who disagree with their policy. Don't make their doublespeak your problem. Don't react emotionally or defensively.
-Ask the socialist, "how are you demanding I am tolerant to your policy, yet you are intolerant towards mine?
-Your confidence should come from alignment of personal values lived out in family work and politics. Do this through other people partnering with you on this journey. Let's focus more on caring for others, personal responsibility and acting in compassion then baseless doublespeak.
-When we see left leaning people struggle to extend their core principles (tolerance, inclusiveness etc) to the right, we are watching socialists demand something of others (tolerance towards their ideas) that they are not extending to conservatives (in calling those who disagree with them above mentioned names). When socialists want something of others they are unable to provide, it is not because they are bad people. They are trying the best with the tools they have; so don't get flustered or mad. Be an agent of help. Try to serve the person as best you can.
Happy Easter and may you be inspired to think of ways to continually serve and grow!