What Being Open-Minded Really Means

One of the greatest misunderstandings of the 20th century is the idea put forth by modern liberals -- post 1960s -- that being "open-minded" means being "open," or accepting, of everyone and everything. As I'm sure you know, the liberal media -- think Hollywood, the magazine industry, and the mainstream media -- pride themselves on being open-minded; so do everyday Americans who believe in this idea and want people to think they're "nice." To many people in modern America, being open-minded is the hallmark of what makes a person...well, a good person.

Once again the Left has managed to persuade an entire generation of something that sounds good on the surface -- but isn't. Today, those who define themselves as liberal often do so b/c they don't want people to think they're judgmental. But being open-minded, or tolerant, does not translate into being non-judgmental.

Being open-minded means a person doesn't judge a person or situation at face value. It means he or she is open to looking at new ideas or situations. If the person then looks at this situation in its entirely and subsequently makes a value judgment about it, that doesn't make the person close-minded. It means he's looked at from its entire angle and made a decision about what he thinks.

Everyone does this, whether they admit it or not. It is human nature to study things and make value judgments about them. That is not the same thing as being a judgmental person.

Being close-minded is the refusal to look at a situation for whatever reason. It's living one's life according to a rigid ideology and not wanting to look at anything that's different from what you know. It's making a judgment without knowing the facts. The problem today is that people aren't allowed to make a perfectly sound value judgment despite having all the information. Anyone who does is automatically deemed judgmental.

In other words, the only way to be considered good, moral, nonjudgmental is for a person to accept anything and everything as morally acceptable. If you believe in boundaries of any kind, you're automatically pushed over into the conservative camp.

You can see why independents or moderate conservatives feel like they have no place to turn.

Bottom line: The Left doesn't stand on any principles whatsoever -- except for the principle that one shouldn't have any principles.


TOMORROW: What Saddam Hussein Can Teach Us about the Liberal Mindset

3 Responses to “What Being Open-Minded Really Means”:

  1. Anonymous says:

    A similar liberal tendency that drives me crazy is when they toss about the phrase "I admire people who stand up for what they believe in."

    They don't think this at all! What they really mean is "I admire people who stand up for what *I* believe in."

    Colette Moran
    www.clearlynebulous.com

  2. Anonymous says:

    Umm...isn't that what everyone does, Colette? Why would you back someone whose beliefs don't fall in line with yours?!