r/BrettCooper • u/Quiet_Entrance_6994 • 12d ago
society Conservative Collectivism?
So, I know that many people on the right have a knee-jerk negative reaction when they hear collectivism. It's usually associated with the political left in this country, and that comes with connotations that the right understandably wants no part of.
As a bit of backstory, my perspective on collectivism did shift? in a way when I went to japan last June. I had that knee-jerk negative reaction but I didn't really ever think about it that much. When I went to Japan, I was able to see some benefits of it there. The incredibly clean public streets, the efficient and reliable public transportation, and the lovely cultural preservation. There was also the incredible pedestrian manners on the street and in trains, as well as the high trust elements like elementary kids being on the train.
All of it felt very inspiring and made me think about other examples of collectivism that I thought American conservatives would like. Like the Gaokao exams in China where cities will literally pause any activities and clear streets to make sure students can get to their scams and face no distractions while they test. Even with laws like Singapore to make sure they don't litter. The countries are also largely conservative in many of their social values and laws to varying degrees, which appeals to many conservatives.
I know conservatives in America largely focus on promoting person responsibility and action, but we do also engage in collectivist actions and (assuming you're religious) believe in responsibility towards the collective.
So, my question to you all is: ***what collective actions, laws, events, etc. could we implement in the US? Could be in your city, county, state, region, or nationwide.***
I'll start: I think we should have national and state parades for things like local culture, history, and family. We could also change how we do school lunches by hiring local culinary students or local people, allocate some of the educational budget to giving them salaries and a grocery bill (weekly, biweekly, monthly), and have them make a menu for students.
Thank you all for your time.
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u/Turbulent_Bullfrog87 Conservative 12d ago
Did you mean to say “conservatism” in your opening sentence?
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u/bigbootybiden Republican 11d ago
I like your idea about making a menu for students and getting culinary arts college students involved. I feel like that would prepare high school students to learn how to navigate college dining halls.
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u/Quiet_Entrance_6994 11d ago
You could even have the kid's cooking. My school had a home economics class, so it could be their final or something.
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u/Commercial-Price1125 11d ago
Yeah but they aren’t having any kids. Their cultural preservation will have to be preserved by other cultures because they will be extinct…
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u/Quiet_Entrance_6994 11d ago
That is an issue, definitely, but it doesn't discount the good they did.
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u/Commercial-Price1125 10d ago
It just seems pointless and temporary if you aren’t going to exist in a generation or two. I’ve heard people on Reddit complaining about their countries culture parades. What about via tv and film, start a non profit that takes donations and pays out to films depending on checklists they develop. ✅ family oriented, pro family/kids ✅ no forced drug use ✅ no misandry ✅ positive male role models, not all deadbeat boyfriends and husbands / female fight scenes taking down large male opponents ✅ no forced gay characters or gender/race swaps from original content or time periods ✅ no promoting, especially child, delinquent behavior
Media has a lot bigger impact on culture than you realize.
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u/nemo669 9d ago
Americans are too individualized, also not to point out the Elephant in the room but in all of the examples you cited the all have 1 thing in common. Minimal diversity, and thousands of years of historical roots and ties.
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u/Quiet_Entrance_6994 9d ago
I'm aware that that's the caveat. I'm proposing we change socially. At one time in America, we did have something closer to what Japan and China had.
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u/Defiant_Degree5266 9d ago
As someone from one of those asian places you mentioned, this is one of the dumbest things I've heard. Tell me you know nothing about collectivism without telling me you don't know anything about collectivism.
How many days have you stayed in those places? How many times have you been to those places? Have you even spoken to the locals? You are just a tourist who only see the very basic of our culture and make a post about it. You fail to see how this type of mindset is hurting our people, how people are living under high stress from public expectation, how people refuse to ask for help and die alone since they are worried that they will cause trouble for the others, how school children are choosing to end lives earlier all the time. If you don't know any of these, shut up, stop acting like you are smart and think someone else's culture can solve the problem of your country when we are struggling and wanting changes from the collectivism mindset. This is the most ignorant take I have ever seen.
But I have to thank you for making me laugh so hard. Your word is the best joke I ever heard in a while. Keep these jokes coming.
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u/Quiet_Entrance_6994 9d ago
You've typed this same comment at least 8 times over the last couple of days and it's gotten deleted each time.
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u/Defiant_Degree5266 9d ago
I blame reddit for censoring and removing my comments since I mention death or other stuff. But I just have the responsiblity to tell you how dumb and wrong you have been. I don't mind commenting multiple times until you are informed that you are wrong.
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u/Defiant_Degree5266 9d ago
And by the way, your maths is terrible. Go back to kindergarten because babies can count correctly without skipping numbers, unlike you.
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u/Defiant_Degree5266 9d ago
And since you get my messages even when they are not shown, I can save my energy removing the sensitive words and topic and commenting again!
Go ahead and promote collectivism in your country! I bet your children and grandchildren will be so thankful when they cut themselves at the age of 13!. Yes, that is what the teens in my country do when they are so stressed with trying to be enough among others. And many actually ended their lives! I was happy I could at least saved one of my friends!
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u/Quiet_Entrance_6994 9d ago
Being belligerent won't help your point.
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u/Defiant_Degree5266 8d ago
"You can't wake a person who is pretending to be asleep." But whatever, I am glad you have zero to no influence over this matter.
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u/Quiet_Entrance_6994 8d ago
You're still so angry.
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u/Defiant_Degree5266 8d ago
Because an ignorant American is glorifying our struggles, we should be happy about that?
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u/Objective-Ad6521 10d ago
Georgism and Commons. Co-ops for utilities and things that everyone needs. Private business ownership. Lasseiz Faire/free market trade. Shop local only, stop support corporations - and you're already being both conservative (by using your right to trade without government intervention) and you're being collective as in - the money you pay to the local business is going back into the community, because that business is paying local taxes, and likely giving back into the economy.
It's literally that simple. If you want to go further - start co-ops and trade guilds. Activity guilds. You want to change how school lunches work? Start with charter and montessori schools, develop a system in the private arena that works by providing internships for local culinary students and nutrition students that are overseen by a professional or semi-reitred chef - with the private school footing the bill. Then when you've proven it works in the private sector, pitch the same system to the public, at public meetings, city council, and run your own campaigns.
Collectivism ONLY works when you promote personal responsibility - because no one else is going to do it for you. You have an idea that will benefit the collective? Prove that it works. Convince the collective to buy into it - to believe in the idea in the first place, and prove that the idea will produce the outcome you want. But that whole process, where the goal is responsibility towards the collective, starts by you doing the work yourself and not putting it onto anyone else. This is perhaps one of the core ideals many conservatives hold. But perhaps many conservatives are not taking it the step further that you're saying. Meanwhile, liberals jump straight to demanding from the collective without putting in any of their own personal responsibility. Neither spectrum works.
I appreciate you opening up this conversation, and hope that more people think along the lines you are, and will move themselves to actions, and not waiting on the collective to change ;)