Here's the PragerU transcript. Message me if you want to get on the phone to constructively discuss or even just tell me why I'm smoking dope. We're Americans. We ought to be able to talk this shit out.

(In my opinion, the video's justification for the last one, authoritarianism, is the weakest. I'll agree that GOP presidents Reagan and Trump did cut taxes and regulations. But that's now what this concern is about. The biggest issue is respecting US law and the peaceful transfer of power. 2020 was not a rigged election. If you believe Trump won in 2020, you're special, and I'm not worthy of your time, so let's not ever talk.)


Transcript
Why do you hate conservatives? Well let’s not say hate. Let’s say dislike, because you don’t really hate anyone.
You may dislike them because they want to ban abortion. Conservatives say they’re all for freedom, but when it comes to a woman’s freedom to choose what she wants to do with her own body, they sing a different tune.
You may dislike them because they oppress people of color and deny the fact that America is systemically racist. Conservatives say that everybody is equal regardless of race, and that racism has little to no effect on the daily lives of people of color. So they just ignore the issue altogether.
You may dislike them because they don’t believe in climate change. Scientists keep telling us we’re overheating the planet and conservatives don’t seem to care. They’re more concerned about profits than people. But what good is money if you have no planet to spend it on?
You may dislike them because they’re obsessed with guns. How are we ever going to stop gun violence if we don’t get guns off the streets? And how are we ever going to get guns off the streets, if conservatives block every commonsense gun law?
You may dislike them because they’re so intolerant. What’s the harm of calling somebody by their preferred pronouns? Why can’t conservatives just show some compassion instead of obsessing over every kind of behavior they don’t like?
You may dislike them because if they got their way, they’d get rid of democracy and establish an authoritarian theocracy. Bye-bye separation of church and state. Hello, fascism.
After all that, you might sum up conservatives in one word: ugh.

If any of this resonates with you, I get it. I’ve been there. But—and this surprised me—I found they actually have reasons for thinking the way they do.

Here are some of them.

On abortion: To start, we can agree that no one likes abortion. But there is a clear divide on the issue. Progressives focus their attention on the mother. Conservatives, while they have compassion for the mother, focus their attention on the baby. They see a human being growing in a mother’s womb as innocent and vulnerable. Those babies deserve to be protected, since they obviously can’t protect themselves.

On racism: Conservatives don’t deny that racist people exist, but when it comes to the narrative of systemic racism, conservatives are unconvinced. Of course there are disparities in this country, but why assume that these disparities are because of racism? Good schools, good parents, good habits, and good communities would go much further toward alleviating poverty and expanding opportunity than a lifetime of racial justice movements. By the way, these rules apply to everyone, regardless of skin color.

On climate change: Conservatives have very little faith in computer models that have been inaccurately predicting disaster for nearly half a century. Conservatives have a lot of faith, however, in human ingenuity to overcome climate. What is air conditioning but a human adaptation to the environment? See Miami or Phoenix for further reference. This is not to say we should simply do nothing. Nuclear power, for example, holds so much promise as a renewable and safe energy source. Conservatives don’t understand why environmentalists oppose it. It makes them skeptical—and suspicious—that the real agenda behind the environmentalist movement is not saving the planet, but giving more power to the government to control people’s lives.

On guns: We all want to live in a safe society. This is why firearms are regulated in every state. But we know bad guys will always find a way to get guns. See Chicago and Baltimore for further reference. That’s why conservatives want guns—to protect themselves from the bad guys. It’s not much more complicated than that.

On tolerance: Conservatives see tolerance as a two-way street. If someone demands to be addressed by certain pronouns and considers it intolerant if you don’t comply, conservatives wonder why that isn’t intolerant. Why are a conservative’s moral or religious beliefs less worthy of respect than anyone else’s?

On authoritarianism: Whenever conservatives win political power, they’re typically trying to cut taxes and regulations, make the government smaller, and bolster constitutional freedoms like that of speech and religion. That doesn’t sound very authoritarian, does it? Progressive policy almost always raises taxes, expands regulations, increases the size of government, and now curtails free speech. To a conservative, that sounds authoritarian.

Well, now that you’ve heard a few of their arguments, do you dislike conservatives less than you did before?
Not even a little?
I’m Amala Ekpunobi, host of Unapologetic at PragerU.com for Prager University.