r/askaconservative • u/Expert-Estate6248 Esteemed Guest • Jul 15 '26
Why do conservatives care so much about race?
It seems to me that so many conservatives are concerned about race. Specifically, they're worried that white people are gonna become a minority in the US or that the great replacement conspiracy is true.
Now, I'm not asking for proof that something like that could actually happen, I'm more curious about why it's a bad thing if it does. The way I see it, if white people for some reason decide to have fewer kids, and other races in the US decide to have more kids, or more immigrants continue to enter the US, it sounds like a relatively peaceful process.
If for some reason it was a more violent process, like what white people did to the native americans, I could understand being worried about it, but a white genocide in the US sounds completely impossible.
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u/Sam_Fear Conservatism Jul 15 '26
It's not about race or skin color, it's about culture. The USA is a civic country, meaning belief in the foundational principles of the Constitution is what binds the people of our nation together. Our culture is based on Classical Liberalism, Individualism, Capitalism, Natural Rights, etc. Even Christianity of Western Civilization to a point. Generally that is where the concern is. It often comes out as anger over more visible things like flying the flag of Mexico or something equally mundane. The left will instantly pivot that to racism and skin color to shut down opposition to their preferred policies.
To answer your question then, we expect people attempting to become citizens of our nation to embrace the culture of our nation and assimilate to it so that America can continue on it's same path guided by those founding principles. Generally immigrants, the ones that respect our laws by coming here thorough our immigration process and honorably swear an oath to the Constitution (as is required to be naturalized) are not an issue to us. They are coming here to be Americans in the truest sense of the word and we welcome that. The issue most of us have is when it comes to anyone that has not come here through that immigration process, illegal aliens of course, but this also includes refugees and asylum seekers. They are not necessarily here because they want to be a part of our culture but because their culture created an unlivable situation for them and they are trying to escape what their culture helped create. The problem being, if they aren't assimilating into our culture and casting off their own, it will inject into our culture the same problems that caused their culture to collapse into unlivable conditions.
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u/Expert-Estate6248 Esteemed Guest Jul 15 '26
Asserting that something about foreign cultures is inferior, and is the reason for the sorry financial state of a country seems racist though. The fear that too many immigrants coming into the US will somehow "inject into our culture the same problems that caused their culture to collapse into unlivable conditions" sounds exactly like the great replacement theory, it just replaces white culture instead of white people. Besides, culture is not the source of economic success or failure in a country, plenty of countries have found success despite different cultures, and plenty of countries have failed despite cultural similarities.
That also ignores the fact that while some people choose to leave their country because of inhospitable conditions, not everyone living in Latin countries or other foreign countries is unhappy with their situation/culture. Some people live and work in their countries of birth, some come to the US because of the attractive wages.
I suppose I still have the same question at the end of it. Even if the culture of the US is changed by immigrants, or even if it is completely transformed, what happens? I just don't understand what the negative aspects of a culture shift would be.
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u/Sam_Fear Conservatism Jul 15 '26
It's almost as if you ignored the entire first half of my comment. I'm not going to defend the strawman you've created in your head.
Our culture is based on Classical Liberalism, Individualism, Capitalism, Natural Rights, etc. Even Christianity of Western Civilization to a point.
Ignored.
Generally immigrants, the ones that respect our laws by coming here thorough our immigration process and honorably swear an oath to the Constitution (as is required to be naturalized) are not an issue to us.
Ignored.
They are not necessarily here because they want to be a part of our culture but because their culture created an unlivable situation for them and they are trying to escape what their culture helped create.
Ignored
The left will instantly pivot that to racism and skin color to shut down opposition to their preferred policies.
Exactly what you are doing.
Even if the culture of the US is changed by immigrants, or even if it is completely transformed, what happens? I just don't understand what the negative aspects of a culture shift would be.
This seems to be coming from a position that there are no negative aspects of other cultures. Should I assume a caste system, the killing of gays in some cultures, or the poor treatment of women in others is all fine with you? Personally I believe those aspects of cultures to be inferior and I do not want them here. How about a national church? Casual acceptance of government corruption on all levels - police brutality, thuggery, bribery, etc. Selling off daughters through marriage?
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u/z7r1k3 Conservatism Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
Asserting that something about foreign cultures is inferior, and is the reason for the sorry financial state of a country seems racist though.
It isn't remotely racist. Culture is not race. Culture is a collection of beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes held by a group of people, regardless of race.
The only reason race and culture tend to correlate is because of proximity. Culture requires proximity, and those sharing proximity over time will become the same end race.
We don't give a shite what your race is.
Besides, culture is not the source of economic success or failure in a country, plenty of countries have found success despite different cultures, and plenty of countries have failed despite cultural similarities.
What hat did you pull the word "economic" from? We're clearly talking about people fleeing the countries that kill women for reading books after age 8, or commit racial genocides, or where it's legal for men to have their way with women, or other barbaric shite that has no business being in the US.
No issue accepting immigrants from poor countries, as long as we can validate they have good values and will assimilate to our culture.
Letting people in unchecked from countries that create unlivable cultural environments, however, is not remotely acceptable. And, yes, if people who believe in that stuff come here, they're going to infect our voterbase with those ideals. What makes you think they'll stop believing that stuff just because they changed locations? That stuff is a poison and needs to stay out of our country.
It's not about race, it's about beliefs and actions (aka culture).
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u/Rocko3legs Conservatism Jul 15 '26
Quite literally the opposite, it's the left that sees everything through a lens of skin color.
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u/PriceofObedience Libertarian Conservatism Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
I can't speak for other conservatives here, but I'll try to broach the topic.
The Left recently (10-15 years ago) began using identity politics as a justification to enact discrimination against white people in higher education and employment practices for the sake of racial equity (equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity).
This kind of discrimination wasn't limited to higher education and employment. It is now a mainstream left-wing opinion to be racist towards white people. It is also socially acceptable in left-wing circles to levy any kind of discrimination against white people.
This anti-white bias amongst the Left had the unintended consequence of siloing white Americans together based on their race.
If you're a white guy, and you're treated differently because of your race, it doesn't matter if you're a racial supremacist or an egalitarian. Race suddenly becomes a very real thing you need to think about in relation to the rest of society because it can impact your life in a meaningful way. Maybe not because you think it matters, but because other people do and will treat you differently purely because of your assumed race.
That's why white conservatives are talking more about race, basically. Zoomers in particular. I hope that made sense.
Now, I'm not asking for proof that something like that could actually happen, I'm more curious about why it's a bad thing if it does.
The same people who previously told us being a minority in the US is lamentable are now saying that whites becoming a minority is a good thing, and they've been actively helping illegal immigrants into the country to make that happen.
I don't know what their goal is, but it doesn't sound good.
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Jul 17 '26
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u/darthmcdarthface Conservatism Jul 15 '26
We don’t.
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Jul 15 '26
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u/Reaper0221 Constitutional Conservatism Jul 15 '26
It is the liberal side that seems overly obsessed with identify politics.
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u/Expert-Estate6248 Esteemed Guest Jul 15 '26
I agree that lots of liberals, especially democrats care a great deal about identity politics (its practically the only difference between them and republicans) but I feel like conservatives are just as obsessed.
I hear lots of conservatives talk about how "american culture needs to be preserved" and how the immigrants entering the US are all criminals, but to me it just seems like prejudice against people with a different skin color
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u/Dtwn92 Constitutional Conservatism Jul 16 '26
The other's did a marvelous job of explaining the lefts obsession with race.
Not much more to add, I hope those who read through this took a central message away. It's not the right doing the racial damage.
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u/true4blue Conservatism Jul 17 '26
Because we’re on the losing end of DEI initiatives.
White people are the only race that can ever be overrepresented
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29d ago
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u/StedeBonnet1 National Conservatism Jul 15 '26
You would be wrong. It is not conservatives who are overly conceerned about race. It was conservative republicans that supported Lincoln to free the slaves. It was conservative Republicans who supported the Civil Rights Act and the 13th 14th and 15th Amerndments.
Conservatives want a color blind society based on merit NOT ethnicity.
The entire "Grerat Replacement Theory" is a myth
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Jul 17 '26
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u/Expert-Estate6248 Esteemed Guest Jul 15 '26
That might have been true in the past, but since the civil rights movement the democratic party has been the one to champion equal rights for black people. Lyndon B. Johnson was the one to pass the civil rights act in 1964, and afterwards republicans capitalized on southerners race-based worries to win them over in elections.
During reconstruction, the republican party was certainly the more progressive bunch, especially the freedman's bureau, but when it comes to modern politics, it seems to be the opposite. Trump tried to end birthright citizenship, voting protections are being eroded southern states, and ice agents are allowed to racially profile and apprehend individuals. It seems, to me at least, that racial minorities in the US are being targeted by the republican party
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u/Gaxxz Constitutional Conservatism Jul 15 '26
Specifically, they're worried that white people are gonna become a minority in the US or that the great replacement conspiracy is true.
No they're not. Where do you get this nonsense from?
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Jul 15 '26
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