The narrative that is being pushed by the left is that conservatives are intolerant racists and bigots that make life a living hell for sexual, religious and ethnic minorities. However, dissidents are popping up everywhere telling another story. They tell that it is often the other way around, that conservatives are often the most tolerant and that the place to look for hatred and bigotry is on the left.
Chadwick Moore was the editor in chief of the two largest gay magazines in America, until he came out of the closet as a conservative, upon which he was fired from his job, lost most of his leftist friends and started receiving hate messages and even daily death threats.
In an interview with Bill Whittle, he explains that he got mostly love from conservatives. The most negative comment he ever received from a conservative was from an Angelical preacher in Texas who sent him an email saying “I don’t agree with your lifestyle but welcome to the party, welcome home. I love you.” For the full interview see Bill Whittle’s “After Hours” video below.
What is really like in this culture to be both black and conservative? We went to one of Liberty Nation’s most prolific authors, Jeff Charles, to get the skinny. Our conversation is recorded below:
Mr. Åm: Jeff, how long have you been a conservative and did you ever have a “coming out moment”?
Mr. Charles: I have been a conservative for most of my life, even before I understood what Conservatism meant. I was raised with conservative values – but in my early twenties, I had a brief tryst with the left like many others do when they’re young college students. However, even then, I still held mostly conservative views. I never had a “coming out” moment, but I would say most of my political beliefs were shaped and solidified in my mid-twenties when I became more interested in politics and current events.
Mr. Åm: Obviously high-profile people like Chadwick Moore get more ferociously attacked than others, but from the testimony of others, it appears that his experience is not unique, if not quite as extreme. Have you ever experienced any negative reactions from leftists, or from other blacks for your political beliefs?
Mr. Charles: As a conservative, I have been attacked by leftists who disagree with me just as any other right-winger has. The difference is that white leftists can’t use their usual tactic of launching false accusations of racism against me – for obvious reasons. As a result, they must debate me on the merit of our ideas, or just disengage from the conversation completely (which happens often).
I haven’t experienced tons of vitriol from other black Americans because I haven’t had many political discussions with them. I will admit that I’m hesitant to discuss my beliefs with other black Americans because I’ve seen that it can become emotionally charged. But in my few political conversations with other blacks, I have experienced a certain level of hostility. During the 2008 election, I had an interesting exchange with friends and family members.
Somehow, I was included in an email chain which included friends and family, some of whom I did not know. The email chain discussed how important it was to support Barack Obama for president. I never intended to vote for Obama, and I made my opinion known in the exchange. The response was pretty harsh. I can’t remember the precise wording, but I remember one person saying that John McCain and I “deserve each other.” I got called all the predictable names.They were quite upset! You would think I had said I was supporting David Duke for president, not John McCain!
In my time writing for Liberty Nation, I have received some negative responses from other black people. When sharing my opinions and articles, I have been told that I’m not really a member of the black community and have been called an Uncle Tom. One blog quoted one of my articles and referred to me as a “slave catcher,” which I thought was amusing.
Mr. Åm: Your testimony seems to match that of many conservatives who do not fit the leftist narrative. How would you compare these episodes with how conservatives have treated you?
Mr. Charles: So far, I haven’t had any negative experiences with conservatives that I would attribute to racism. There is much diversity of thought on the right – we agree and disagree on many different issues. While I’m sure there are plenty of conservatives who resort to ad hominem attacks rather than rational arguments when debating, I don’t see it as much on the right as I do on the left.
Mr. Åm: From a myriad of reports, there are many people of minority background out there who either are secretly disaffected with the left, or even sympathize with conservative viewpoints, but are too scared to come out in fear of retaliation. Given your personal experiences, do you have any words of advice to them?
Mr. Charles: Everyone’s situation is different, but I would say that minorities shouldn’t let fear keep them from expressing their political views. If they truly feel that conservative ideas are best for America, they have every right to say so.
Our silence will only make it easier for the left to maintain their hold over our communities. I believe this is one of the reasons why the left shames minorities who espouse opposing views – they recognize that if more of us are willing to speak out, others will realize they are not alone and will follow suit.
Mr. Åm: That seems like excellent advice, which also echoes the words of wisdom by the great conservative thinker Edmund Burke: “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”
