I'm not going to say they're not real or not sentient. But I will absolutely say that they are selfish. They lack the empathy required to understand how things will affect others. They lack the willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. They lack the humility required to understand that they could be wrong, and the critical reasoning required to change their views in the face of new evidence.

Almost every conservative I've ever met is either extremely rich or lives in microcosm. Hell, I've got extended family that have never travelled outside of their hometown and anything foreign or different to them is either ridiculed or shunned.

They want a social hierarchy, and they want their place in it preserved. God forbid people get equitable standing.