I’m a Republican, but I don’t think I’m that different from other women – Democrats or not. I love my kids and my dogs. I hate cleaning. I don’t like the current prices of meat and eggs. I own a gun, but I don’t brandish it in public. I voted for Donald Trump, but I no longer support the former president. I don’t like what some Republican politicians say, and I like what others say.

In some ways, I am a typical Republican, even if I don’t look or act like the Republican politicians I see in Washington, DC or my Texas capital of Austin. That’s mostly because there’s an obvious difference between career politicians and average voters, and also a big difference between the stereotype and the reality of being a Republican woman.

Yet it is difficult to talk about these differences when liberals portray Republican views as outdated and oppressive and Republican women as chaos.

Are the women at the top of the Republican Party not entirely human?

Many progressives distort the identity of Republicans. Not only do they disagree with their views, but they often don’t understand why conservatives believe what we believe, leading to unfair mischaracterizations and demeaning caricatures.

This is painfully evident in New York magazine’s recent cover story: “How Did Republican Women End Up Like This?”

The 5,000-plus-word article picks out a few extreme or eccentric Republican leaders — Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — and spins them into the thesis that Republican women hate the transgender movement, abortion, themselves, and other women. That they are misogynists leading a push for misogyny.

“The public presence of Republican women is fragmented, wild and far less coherent than ever before,” writes progressive author Rebecca Traister in the article.

The article cites politicians like Greene and political activists like Laura Loomer, two of the most extreme public conservatives in the United States. That would be like discussing the Democratic Party and citing only Representative Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Joy Behar of “The View” as examples. Sure, they’re liberals, but do they really represent millions of liberal women? Doubtful.

The article is dripping with blatant contempt, blanket labels and scathing comments about Republican women’s appearance and dress. The author even claims that, given their ill-fitting clothing and pro-life policies, their uncultured taste and their concerns about the medical treatment of transgender children, women “basically cannot lead a party that seeks to oppress women; in fact, they cannot even be full human beings in it.”

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Am I really not a full human being just because I share the same conservative political beliefs as millions of other Americans?

The article provides insight into the attitudes of many progressives toward conservative views and the condescension they feel not only toward politicians in Washington, but also toward tens of millions of Republican women across the country.

Are progressives okay?

Our democratic republic presents an interesting paradigm: Voters elect politicians who often do not fully represent them. Does Governor Noem truly reflect the people of South Dakota? Does Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib fully represent the views of the people of Michigan or even her district?

In an age of 24/7 social media, politicians on both sides have become much more extreme. The article in the New York Magazine column does not reflect these nuances.

On social media, the opinion piece’s headline was even more accurate: “Are Republican Women Doing Well?” I had to laugh. Forget Congressman Mace or former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. I looked around my age group and asked some of my conservative friends and family: Are we doing well? Let’s see.

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Overall, Republicans tend to be healthier, happier, wealthier, and more spiritual than Democrats. (If we compare, which seems to be the case at New York Magazine.) So by any measurable standard, Republican women are OK. In fact, we might even be great.

Perhaps this explains the long and persistent efforts to discredit, demonize, and crush Republican women as demagogues and deviants, rather than respecting them as human beings and women.

The problem with stereotyping and exclusion is that it makes people easier to dismiss. I could spend my days writing diatribes about the outrageous rants of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or the anti-Semitic tweets of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, and then paint a picture that their behavior reflects the mindset of hordes of Democratic women.

But would that be fair?

Like most Republicans, I disagree with progressive ideas. I have a different value system than progressives. That’s the most important thing.

Who are Republican women anyway?

There seem to be two kinds of Republican women: women with tact and the caricature of Republican women that we represent in the eyes of progressives.

“On the cusp of an election season that could further transform this democracy and the role of women in it, women on the American right face thorny questions. Should they be ruthless or sweet? Cold enough to kill a dog or warm enough to bake an apple pie?” writes Traister. “To whom is their devotion first and foremost: the country, their husband, God or Trump?”

Imagine reading a bizarre story about Governor Noem killing her dog and thinking: I knew this was what Republican women had in common!

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Imagine looking at tens of millions of Republican women from Alaska to Florida – married, single, divorced, widowed, mothers of eight, one or no children, working, retired or students – and asking yourself without a hint of irony: Can these women really have different lifestyles and life experiences and still hold on to traditional beliefs?

What a concept.

Time and again, in the news, on social media, and in real life, progressives target traditional conservative beliefs, sneer at them, and declare that anyone who holds those values ​​must be stupid, ignorant, or misguided. Behind the commentary in the New York Magazine article about politicians’ dress and personality lies a mockery of the orthodox views held by millions of conservative women.

Progressives claim that women who share their views are liberated and those who hold opposing views are oppressed. This is not the case. Advocating for policies that keep unborn babies alive is not oppression. Nor is supporting policies that protect unfortunate children from life-altering medical treatments.

These positions are not wrong, not oppressive, and not even that strange. Like me, millions of women across America hold these and other conservative views. We deserve respect, not ridicule.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four children. Subscribe to her newsletter, The Right Track, and have it delivered to your inbox.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are Republican women doing well? I’m a conservative and I’m doing well