Written : May 29, 2012
Some of my friends asked to read about my memoir in this blog so I decided to comply in a multi-part series.
I like the conservative movement - partly because, like me, it learned from the left’s best teachers. However, progressives either forgot or ignored the lessons. I can't speak for everyone, but many conservatives idolize Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy - and/or took their words to heart. JFK said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." The right agrees with this concept, but the left seems to want more and more from their government(s). Dr. King offered us a vision of the world where people judge others by the content of their character, and not their skin color so that all men could someday live together in peace. The right swallowed this idea whole and is completely colorblind, and yet many politicians on the left tend to use race and financial classes to divide us, to make us fight amongst ourselves. I don't understand why they tend to cling to this losing strategy, but I keep some theories tucked away.
In college I discovered political bias. I loved to photograph people in the peak of action, enjoying themselves. I felt that showing depressed people too often perpetuated the condition. One photography professor said that in order to join a new photo club he started in his spare time - outside of our learning institution - we needed to photograph the poor and destitute. He, like many left-wingers, insisted on showing how the ills of society mistreated and beat down the unsuccessful. He refused me entrance to his team of shutterbugs because of his political views and his desire to spread them. I saw his lockout as petty, especially coming from a college professor, a person in a position of power - an individual to admire and emulate. He should have widened the focus of the group to include, but instead chose to exclude. At the time I saw it as the antithesis of my liberal teachings; bare-bones intolerant and closed-minded.
These are not the only reasons I gravitated toward the right. My memoir explains it by showing you the details. Think about it, my friend. Which way is best? Please don't laugh when I say this: Like me, you too can become a conservative. The saying goes, "Mean people suck," right? Why cling to negativity, frowns, anger, and name-calling - when you can enjoy the benefits of logic and healthy good feelings instead? We may approach problems from different angles, but we can solve them together, and without screaming, cursing, generalizations, or violence. When you make the decision to come over, I promise we won't judge you - we'll shake your hand and walk with you arm-in-arm, instead!
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Keywords: Conservatism, Conservative blog, Mark A. Cohen, From The Left to the Right, JFK, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, MLK, Dr. King, liberalism, college, professor
Keywords: "Conservatism", "Conservative blog", "Mark A. Cohen", "From The Left to the Right", "JFK”, “John F. Kennedy”, “Martin Luther King”, “MLK”, “Dr. King”, “liberalism”, “college”, “professor"
See Mark's 'Author of the Month' page at Castle Rock's Local Gathering Place
Mark A. Cohen is currently seeking representation for his memoir, From The Left to the Right.
Mark A. Cohen is a member of and helps run the Parker Writers Group
Mark A. Cohen is a member of the Castle Rock Writers
Mark A. Cohen currently sits on the committee which will host the 2012 Castle Rock Writers Conference.
Mark A. Cohen spoke for about 30 minutes at the Douglas County Republicans’ First Friday Breakfast in Parker, CO, held at The War Horse Inn, on Dec. 2, 2011.
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