To me, ideology is like a personal filter or lens for how we see the world. It’s made up of what we believe and value, and how we understand and perceive everything around us. There’s no right or wrong (unless it’s extreme, of course) and everyone’s different ideals should be respected generally. And this generally agreed-upon ideology as a group shapes a bigger frame as a country, affecting the governing laws and expectations of how people should behave.
When I think about the differences between conservative and liberal ideologies in U.S. politics, I see it as a matter of how much freedom and government involvement people believe is best for society. Conservatives, in my view, really value personal freedom, especially when it comes to owning property and making money. They seem to believe in the idea of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and tend to want the government to stay out of people’s business (“free market capitalism” according to the reading material). Yet, they support strict law enforcement and traditional views on social issues like abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and feminism, aiming to keep things the way they’ve traditionally been.
On the flip side, I understand liberals as being more focused on fixing the social inequalities and injustices in society. They agree with conservatives about the free market being a good thing to a certain extent, but they see big differences in how to handle social issues. Liberals push for laws that help even the playing field, like minimum wage laws and better public services. Those on the far left take it further, advocating for free healthcare and education as ways to give everyone a fair chance at success.
A clear example that highlights this divide for me is the debate over healthcare. Conservatives I’ve listened to argue for a healthcare system driven by the market, believing competition will lead to better services. In contrast, liberals, especially the far left, argue that healthcare is a right everyone should have access to (for example: Obama Care), regardless of their financial situation. And Biden’s student loan forgiveness is another great example of what liberals believe in while conservative states are strongly against his plan and even brought it up to the Supreme Court.
Althusser explained ideology as a system that justifies keeping things the way they are, suggesting that society doesn’t need to change, started in Feudal Age when the privileged class used it to maintain their power and status quo. Then he explained this idea has changed or evolved in the 20th century, arguing that ideology reinforces behaviors that are expected and accepted in a capitalist society. So I think ideology is like water in which it doesn’t have a definite shape or rigid frame but rather flows freely and can be changed interchangeably depending on the era, situation, and by what kind of people use it with a specific purpose as a way to control or retain their power.
