Me and my brother both joined the army at slightly different times. We both did a tour in Afghanistan that overlapped and were just one province away from each other. I did a second tour over there and he got out.
We both came from a VERY conservative family. It was after serving that we both became suuuuper liberal. It was like the wool being pulled out from out eyes when we joined the army and saw how much of a lie it all was. Oddly enough, this is a semi common story for conservative people joining the military.
We grew up with our dad working in the military-industrial-complex and he would make fun of the liberals who called out the military for serving the MIC companies, and how it Iraq was a war for profit. Then we serve and see it first had with all the contractors, the needless equipment, the contracts for new tech that wasn’t needed, and all the other money sinks going into it. It was all a lie.
We grew up being told how bad universal healthcare would be, but then had it in the military and saw how amazing it was.
We were told that if people didn’t have a personal motivation through debt and loans to make them work harder, then people going through college would have no motivation to improve their lives. And yet here I am with the GI bill. (Granted, I still have 70k in student loans. The GI bill is kind of a lie in its self).
Everything that was a conservative talking point was exposed as a lie after joining army.
Similar story, except I joined the Air Force. 8 still consider myself somewhat social conservative, but distanced myself from the party and the messaging years ago. I would say that it’s not necessarily a conservative position just because the RNC says it. I’m pro labor now, and I think of it as a very conservative position, as worker empowerment would empower families to make more choices and would hopefully improve the birth rate. All that to say, don’t give up on your principles and beliefs just because the political machine corrupted things.
For me, that is a lefty position. The Bernie Sanders-type Left is about giving people freedom. Actual Freedom, like you describe. Not the “technically, you have the freedom to visit the ISS” kind of freedom we currently have. Allowing families to earn enough, so they can live off of one income, if they so choose. Paying men and women equally for equal work, so the man has the opportunity to stay home and raise the kids. Or having enough and affordable daycares, so that both parents can work, if they so choose.
And yes, giving people actual freedom also means allowing people to change their perceived gender or pronouns.
I’m definitely not gonna disagree with you. Gotta take friends where you can get them, these days. The difference I would say is in intent. I want workers rights so we can go back to a traditional one income household with a married couple and lots of kids, that’s what I mean by conservative position. But if people want to take that freedom to try out other stuff like DINK household with plenty of economic security, or a stay at home dad situation, or quality affordable daycare, more power to them. Can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. As long as quality of life is improving, I won’t turn my nose up at it, just cause it doesn’t match my traditional religious conservative ideas of society.
I mean, as long as it is an option to go back to what is to you a more traditional household, rather than a requirement, then more power to you! Everyone deserves the ability to choose the life they want, and as a society, we should do everything we can to enable those choices.