By Jean-Marie Valheur

Are you a liberal or a conservative? Why?

It fluctuates. My beliefs are neither 100% this nor 100% that and I dislike the cult-like approach people seem to have to their group. You have to either walk the line and agree with whatever the hive-mind says or you’re not a “true liberal” or “regressive” or “Republican in name only” or whatever… it’s so damn tiresome.

In some things, I am a right-wing hawk. In other things, I am a borderline socialist. In some aspects, I am a puritan conservative traditionalist. In other ways a complete liberal. I can be progressive in one thing, yet critical of aspects of said thing. I can support people and their rights 100% yet still ask questions that uncomfortable enough for me to be quickly labeled a [insert any group]phobe.

It’s funny, how everyone has to fit in one group, then fall in line. It’s so claustrophobic at times. Like, let me breathe, people! Don’t try to box and label everyone and everything. The world isn’t black or white…

Like, someone could support BLM for example and still think looting and violence are bad and the movement has attracted some bad people. Someone could, for instance, support the LGBT and still think there’s too many damn genders and some of it’s just plain old attention seeking. Someone could support #MeToo and yet also acknowledge it sometimes completely misses the mark. Someone could support cancelling someone awful while still thinking #cancelculture is too trigger-happy and makes a lot of innocent casualties that are too quickly tossed aside for minor remarks, or unearthed comments from years ago…

Can I actually be a liberal if I believe Antifa attracts a lot of people who are merely scum looking to loot and burn? Would I be a proper Republican if I said that Netanyahu is a thug and a gangster and the American alliance with the Saudi royals is immoral as hell? If I called out the hypocrisy of left-wing media, would I be a bad left-winger, and if I said right-wing media was no better, would I be a bad right-winger? I mean, hell, this is hard work, man.

I abhor racism on the one hand, but I also — oh shock of shocks! — don’t feel guilty for being white, nor do I think I owe anyone an apology over something my ancestors may or may not have done. I believe there are a lot of cops who abuse their power and use too much violence, but I also think abolishing the police is retarded. I believe people don’t need to be able to freely buy assault rifles without background checks, but I also think people who do manage to provide a ‘declaration of good conduct’ of sorts should be able to buy basic arms, there just needs to be a bit more regulation and licenses should be harder to obtain. Oh, and I’m not a big fan of late term abortion, but all in favor of giving people the right to choose and abort a child that is deformed or end a pregnancy that would endanger the mother’s life.

If you ask me, no one should have to die for being unable to pay for a medicine, insulin should be free and the best medical care should not be given to only those who can afford it. But at the same time, I don’t also want some violent revolution, I don’t wish to “eat the rich” and put Jeff Bezos underneath a guillotine — I want to tax certain people a bit higher, and maybe others a little less. I like fairness. I hate oppression. I love freedom of speech and hate censorship.

So, where do I fall? What on earth am I? I’ve tried many times to figure it out. Figure out who I am, where I am, what my stance is and where that puts me. And I cannot quite put my finger on it, you know? I just don’t like dogma very much. I don’t like being required to be pro-this or anti-that, lest I be a “bad liberal” or “not really conservative”.

Usually when people ask me what I am, I say I’m a moderate. But moderate doesn’t even begin to cover what I am. I’m neither this, nor that. I am a million things rolled into one and I hate the mentality of having to 100% conform to whatever the group thinks or feels lest I be cast out of it.

By Jean-Marie Valheur

Are you a liberal or a conservative? Why?

It fluctuates. My beliefs are neither 100% this nor 100% that and I dislike the cult-like approach people seem to have to their group. You have to either walk the line and agree with whatever the hive-mind says or you’re not a “true liberal” or “regressive” or “Republican in name only” or whatever… it’s so damn tiresome.

In some things, I am a right-wing hawk. In other things, I am a borderline socialist. In some aspects, I am a puritan conservative traditionalist. In other ways a complete liberal. I can be progressive in one thing, yet critical of aspects of said thing. I can support people and their rights 100% yet still ask questions that uncomfortable enough for me to be quickly labeled a [insert any group]phobe.

It’s funny, how everyone has to fit in one group, then fall in line. It’s so claustrophobic at times. Like, let me breathe, people! Don’t try to box and label everyone and everything. The world isn’t black or white…

Like, someone could support BLM for example and still think looting and violence are bad and the movement has attracted some bad people. Someone could, for instance, support the LGBT and still think there’s too many damn genders and some of it’s just plain old attention seeking. Someone could support #MeToo and yet also acknowledge it sometimes completely misses the mark. Someone could support cancelling someone awful while still thinking #cancelculture is too trigger-happy and makes a lot of innocent casualties that are too quickly tossed aside for minor remarks, or unearthed comments from years ago…

Can I actually be a liberal if I believe Antifa attracts a lot of people who are merely scum looking to loot and burn? Would I be a proper Republican if I said that Netanyahu is a thug and a gangster and the American alliance with the Saudi royals is immoral as hell? If I called out the hypocrisy of left-wing media, would I be a bad left-winger, and if I said right-wing media was no better, would I be a bad right-winger? I mean, hell, this is hard work, man.

I abhor racism on the one hand, but I also — oh shock of shocks! — don’t feel guilty for being white, nor do I think I owe anyone an apology over something my ancestors may or may not have done. I believe there are a lot of cops who abuse their power and use too much violence, but I also think abolishing the police is retarded. I believe people don’t need to be able to freely buy assault rifles without background checks, but I also think people who do manage to provide a ‘declaration of good conduct’ of sorts should be able to buy basic arms, there just needs to be a bit more regulation and licenses should be harder to obtain. Oh, and I’m not a big fan of late term abortion, but all in favor of giving people the right to choose and abort a child that is deformed or end a pregnancy that would endanger the mother’s life.

If you ask me, no one should have to die for being unable to pay for a medicine, insulin should be free and the best medical care should not be given to only those who can afford it. But at the same time, I don’t also want some violent revolution, I don’t wish to “eat the rich” and put Jeff Bezos underneath a guillotine — I want to tax certain people a bit higher, and maybe others a little less. I like fairness. I hate oppression. I love freedom of speech and hate censorship.

So, where do I fall? What on earth am I? I’ve tried many times to figure it out. Figure out who I am, where I am, what my stance is and where that puts me. And I cannot quite put my finger on it, you know? I just don’t like dogma very much. I don’t like being required to be pro-this or anti-that, lest I be a “bad liberal” or “not really conservative”.

Usually when people ask me what I am, I say I’m a moderate. But moderate doesn’t even begin to cover what I am. I’m neither this, nor that. I am a million things rolled into one and I hate the mentality of having to 100% conform to whatever the group thinks or feels lest I be cast out of it.

Im simply me, don’t need or want “ group association or affiliation” to simply be just me...Like you I’m 1 million things rolled into one and they can change at any given moment depending on the situation at hand.

Be kind, be happy, be safe and by all means love living by living in love... We only get to do this one time, we may as well enjoy every single bit of it while we move along with all of our “individuality” in full display. The secret, individuality my friend.

Great article by the way.✨👏🏻✨

Same here. I will never just go along with the "group" on anything and it has gotten me in a bit of trouble over the years, especially in work situations. A simple example; I thin healthcare should be treated as a right, especially since we give it to people even if they lack the money or insurance. I like the Canadian system and have never met a Canadian who didn't prefer it even after moving to the US. On other issues, I am quite conservative and I have my specific reasons for it.

By Jean-Marie Valheur

Are you a liberal or a conservative? Why?

It fluctuates. My beliefs are neither 100% this nor 100% that and I dislike the cult-like approach people seem to have to their group. You have to either walk the line and agree with whatever the hive-mind says or you’re not a “true liberal” or “regressive” or “Republican in name only” or whatever… it’s so damn tiresome.

In some things, I am a right-wing hawk. In other things, I am a borderline socialist. In some aspects, I am a puritan conservative traditionalist. In other ways a complete liberal. I can be progressive in one thing, yet critical of aspects of said thing. I can support people and their rights 100% yet still ask questions that uncomfortable enough for me to be quickly labeled a [insert any group]phobe.

It’s funny, how everyone has to fit in one group, then fall in line. It’s so claustrophobic at times. Like, let me breathe, people! Don’t try to box and label everyone and everything. The world isn’t black or white…

Like, someone could support BLM for example and still think looting and violence are bad and the movement has attracted some bad people. Someone could, for instance, support the LGBT and still think there’s too many damn genders and some of it’s just plain old attention seeking. Someone could support #MeToo and yet also acknowledge it sometimes completely misses the mark. Someone could support cancelling someone awful while still thinking #cancelculture is too trigger-happy and makes a lot of innocent casualties that are too quickly tossed aside for minor remarks, or unearthed comments from years ago…

Can I actually be a liberal if I believe Antifa attracts a lot of people who are merely scum looking to loot and burn? Would I be a proper Republican if I said that Netanyahu is a thug and a gangster and the American alliance with the Saudi royals is immoral as hell? If I called out the hypocrisy of left-wing media, would I be a bad left-winger, and if I said right-wing media was no better, would I be a bad right-winger? I mean, hell, this is hard work, man.

I abhor racism on the one hand, but I also — oh shock of shocks! — don’t feel guilty for being white, nor do I think I owe anyone an apology over something my ancestors may or may not have done. I believe there are a lot of cops who abuse their power and use too much violence, but I also think abolishing the police is retarded. I believe people don’t need to be able to freely buy assault rifles without background checks, but I also think people who do manage to provide a ‘declaration of good conduct’ of sorts should be able to buy basic arms, there just needs to be a bit more regulation and licenses should be harder to obtain. Oh, and I’m not a big fan of late term abortion, but all in favor of giving people the right to choose and abort a child that is deformed or end a pregnancy that would endanger the mother’s life.

If you ask me, no one should have to die for being unable to pay for a medicine, insulin should be free and the best medical care should not be given to only those who can afford it. But at the same time, I don’t also want some violent revolution, I don’t wish to “eat the rich” and put Jeff Bezos underneath a guillotine — I want to tax certain people a bit higher, and maybe others a little less. I like fairness. I hate oppression. I love freedom of speech and hate censorship.

So, where do I fall? What on earth am I? I’ve tried many times to figure it out. Figure out who I am, where I am, what my stance is and where that puts me. And I cannot quite put my finger on it, you know? I just don’t like dogma very much. I don’t like being required to be pro-this or anti-that, lest I be a “bad liberal” or “not really conservative”.

Usually when people ask me what I am, I say I’m a moderate. But moderate doesn’t even begin to cover what I am. I’m neither this, nor that. I am a million things rolled into one and I hate the mentality of having to 100% conform to whatever the group thinks or feels lest I be cast out of it.

By Jean-Marie Valheur

Are you a liberal or a conservative? Why?

It fluctuates. My beliefs are neither 100% this nor 100% that and I dislike the cult-like approach people seem to have to their group. You have to either walk the line and agree with whatever the hive-mind says or you’re not a “true liberal” or “regressive” or “Republican in name only” or whatever… it’s so damn tiresome.

In some things, I am a right-wing hawk. In other things, I am a borderline socialist. In some aspects, I am a puritan conservative traditionalist. In other ways a complete liberal. I can be progressive in one thing, yet critical of aspects of said thing. I can support people and their rights 100% yet still ask questions that uncomfortable enough for me to be quickly labeled a [insert any group]phobe.

It’s funny, how everyone has to fit in one group, then fall in line. It’s so claustrophobic at times. Like, let me breathe, people! Don’t try to box and label everyone and everything. The world isn’t black or white…

Like, someone could support BLM for example and still think looting and violence are bad and the movement has attracted some bad people. Someone could, for instance, support the LGBT and still think there’s too many damn genders and some of it’s just plain old attention seeking. Someone could support #MeToo and yet also acknowledge it sometimes completely misses the mark. Someone could support cancelling someone awful while still thinking #cancelculture is too trigger-happy and makes a lot of innocent casualties that are too quickly tossed aside for minor remarks, or unearthed comments from years ago…

Can I actually be a liberal if I believe Antifa attracts a lot of people who are merely scum looking to loot and burn? Would I be a proper Republican if I said that Netanyahu is a thug and a gangster and the American alliance with the Saudi royals is immoral as hell? If I called out the hypocrisy of left-wing media, would I be a bad left-winger, and if I said right-wing media was no better, would I be a bad right-winger? I mean, hell, this is hard work, man.

I abhor racism on the one hand, but I also — oh shock of shocks! — don’t feel guilty for being white, nor do I think I owe anyone an apology over something my ancestors may or may not have done. I believe there are a lot of cops who abuse their power and use too much violence, but I also think abolishing the police is retarded. I believe people don’t need to be able to freely buy assault rifles without background checks, but I also think people who do manage to provide a ‘declaration of good conduct’ of sorts should be able to buy basic arms, there just needs to be a bit more regulation and licenses should be harder to obtain. Oh, and I’m not a big fan of late term abortion, but all in favor of giving people the right to choose and abort a child that is deformed or end a pregnancy that would endanger the mother’s life.

If you ask me, no one should have to die for being unable to pay for a medicine, insulin should be free and the best medical care should not be given to only those who can afford it. But at the same time, I don’t also want some violent revolution, I don’t wish to “eat the rich” and put Jeff Bezos underneath a guillotine — I want to tax certain people a bit higher, and maybe others a little less. I like fairness. I hate oppression. I love freedom of speech and hate censorship.

So, where do I fall? What on earth am I? I’ve tried many times to figure it out. Figure out who I am, where I am, what my stance is and where that puts me. And I cannot quite put my finger on it, you know? I just don’t like dogma very much. I don’t like being required to be pro-this or anti-that, lest I be a “bad liberal” or “not really conservative”.

Usually when people ask me what I am, I say I’m a moderate. But moderate doesn’t even begin to cover what I am. I’m neither this, nor that. I am a million things rolled into one and I hate the mentality of having to 100% conform to whatever the group thinks or feels lest I be cast out of it.