R: Conservatives Should Be Activists

At first glance, the term “conservative activist” seems to imply an inherent contradiction. Whereas activism is typically defined as the process by which citizens use activities such as protests to enact social change, conservatism often reels in these movements with an adherence to and faith in tradition. Yet, in the words of Bill Buckley, “A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so.” This quote has ambiguous interpretations. The act of preventing history from overstepping itself is fundamentally conservative. But Buckley’s solution—the yelling of, “Stop!”—does not immediately present itself as the temperamentally-conservative thing to do. At the heart of this week’s debate is the central dilemma of whether conservatives ought to be “yelling” at all. In recent decades, conservatives across the globe have begun to adopt the means of activists in order to achieve the ends of promoting conservative values. On this occasion, we will be debating the merits of this kind of conservatism and whether we, as Federalists, should adhere to its principles or not.

The affirmative represents those conservatives who believe that the best way to promote their cause is to take to the streets. They argue that the utilization of our First Amendment right to “peaceably assemble” is the only way to bring about meaningful change in a society under threat. As Machiavelli said, “men judge more by the eye than by the hand”: an active, visual presence on the front lines will convince more people than respectful discussion. If the political enemy has a microphone, you should buy a megaphone. To be truly conservative means having the courage to abandon a place of comfort and stability for the public arena in order to fight the good fight; those who say otherwise are hiding behind the cover of cowardice.

The negative cautions against the fervor of protest by appealing to those who pride themselves on a conservative nobility of demeanor—what Burke might label as “dignified obedience.” To be a conservative is to have the humility to recognize that many problems require complicated solutions. Every conservative should be wary of those presenting slogans as truth. And while preventing radical change remains a priority, it is inappropriate to sacrifice methods of logical analysis for blind, ideological support for a cause. More productive, ennobling approaches to the promotion of virtue exist to achieve the same goals without the loss of emotional temperance that comes with activism.

Is it possible to reconcile conservatism and activism? Should we abandon gentle reflection for aggressive reaction? And how can anyone save a population that has lost its desire to listen?