Word Usage: Conservative

In an article which relates the Iranian crackdown on improper attire (here), the following statement caught my attention:

Many conservatives have applauded the drive, but moderates have publicly questioned whether Iran would be better off tackling poverty and crime rather than slack dressing.

I am wondering if that is proper usage of the word. I consider myself a political conservative (though a recent test placed me as a northerner instead of a right-winger), but this does not mean I care about what people wear. I question the use of that, because I think it limits on who these people are. A better word would have been orthodox. In fact, it would have been factually sound to call those that adhere strict to the code of their religious law as orthodox, not conservative.

I didn’t realize that Iran permitted people to be moderate at all. I wonder if liberals are still celebrating the Iminajihad Mood as a great leader. More of this crack down on freedom of expression to occur.

Advertisement