Monday, October 31, 2011

Take a positive or a negative position for a debate on the following topic: "Liberalism is a failed ideology due to all of the challenges it...

In a political context, liberalism has two main components that could create challenges. The first is a desire for a more robust government regulation of things like banks, corporations, and manufacturing. While some simply object to this on the grounds that it gives the federal government too much power, there are more nuanced arguments that are worthy of consideration. For instance, the heavy regulation of manufacturing like standards imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency can cause overhead to dramatically rise for an individual company, leading to the stagnation of wages or growth as they try to manage the cost of compliance.


The second aspect of liberalism that can be challenging is a call for greater tolerance of diversity. In pluralistic nations like the United States, the population is comprised of people from a wide variety of religions, races, and ethnicities. Tolerating and celebrating such diversity can reduce the likelihood of social bonding and increase the potential for conflict born out of misunderstanding and poor communication. For example, people often look back on the 1950s as a period of peace and success for the United States. This was due in large part to the fact that many people made a conscious effort to fit into a small number of groups and made an overall commitment to an American identity, which often required setting aside or stifling aspects of heritage and culture that would have challenged the social bond.


Having said all of that, it's worth noting that conservatism can be equally challenging. Limiting regulations on business and manufacturing led to some corporations engaging in questionable behavior that has had long-term implications for the environment, among other things. From a social perspective, the dominant group's disinterest or refusal to tolerate diversity has led to conflict between sub-cultures and contributed to a less welcoming environment for those who fall outside of the dominant culture.

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