“Conservatism Offers Minorities Human Rather Than Racial Dignity”

It has been my observation that in my lifetime with the exception of Winston Churchill, and occasionally JFD, beautiful words with powerful meaning in the English language have been formed by American blacks in general and American black pastors in particular. 

Beautiful American language both written and spoken has been a tradition in the American South.  Justice Clarence Thomas has a fine command of beautiful American.  But, my favorite “piece’ of the art of language comes from Shelby Steele’s explanation regarding what drew him to conservatism. 

I have already quoted these words Mr. Steele wrote in an article in the Wall Street Journal, already a  few times  in my blog writings……and it is time to include them again in hopes more and more Americans will respect the power and depth of meaning of Mr. Steele’s interpretation of the strength and dignity of his view of conservatism.   

“ What drew me to conservatism years ago was the fact that it gave discipline a slightly higher status than virtue.  This  meant it could not be subverted by passing notions of the good.  It could be above moral vanity.  And so it made no special promises to me as a minority.  It neglected me in every way except  as a human being who wanted freedom.  Until my encounter with conservatism, I had only known the  racial determinism of segregation on the one hand and of white liberalism on the other;   two varieties of white supremacy in which I could only be dependent and inferior.
The appeal of conservatism is the mutuality it asserts between individual and political freedom, its beautiful idea of a free man in a free society.  And it offers minorities the one thing they can never get from liberalism; human rather than racial dignity.”
Mr. Steele continues:  Conservatism “seeks the discipline of ordinary people rather than the virtuousness of extraordinary people.  The challenge for conservatives today is simply self-acceptance, and even a little pride in the way we flail away at problems with an invisible hand.”

Conservatives must never bribe others to turn to its persuasion.  The superiority of its message is that in its highest calling, it “seeks the discipline of ordinary people rather that the viruousness of extraordinary people”…….and that it offers all people “human rather than racial dignity”.

“One nation under God, with liberty and justice for all”.   That is the conservative message to the  unaware.