Love this article. I felt the same way in Scotland after the referendum on independence. I voted YES was was gutted when we didn't get the win, but the sheer venom that some of my associates had towards people pushed me to try and be more tolerable and hear other people's point of vote. People can be extremely nasty at times. It tore families apart and everything.

You should say a bit more about why you feel that way.

I don't think conservative attitudes in humanity have changed significantly in the last hundred thousand years.

We're all the same species. me conservatism is fueled by three things: ignorance, fear and selfishness.
The ignorant tend be conservative because they are struggling with life as it is. They don't want anyone changing anything when they're only a third the way through understanding how things work as they are.
The fearful are the heart and soul of conservatism. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" They generally lack the imagination see how broken things really are, and as long as they have a roof over their head and three meals a day, they want nuthin' changed.
The selfish are those who know they are doing well from the status quo. They include the rich and the elderly; those who have found a certain level of comfort in life and want lock it in for the rest of their days. They prefer think that those who are living in poverty or who are unhappy with life somehow deserve it, or feel that God has ordered things this way for a reason.

Most conservatives I know are quick get emotional, and feel threatened by any cultural change. They can be very prickly, judgemental and grudging. Xenophobic as well as narrow-minded.

I may have rose-coloured glasses but I feel conservatives of the past were more open-minded. They preferred slow things down and test new ideas thoroughly before allowing them be implemented in public policy, holus-bolus. There is certainly a place for conservatism in public discourse, but the world being endangered by some from the conservative side in important issues such as climate change where they are more inclined believe in the greatest conspiracy ever (or maybe 2nd after the faked moon landings) rather than accept that on uncountable different measures the planet is warming radically and that the vast bulk of evidence points humanity as the culprit.

So when you say modern conservatives are more caring and accepting, do you mean they are more caring and accepting than conservatives of yesteryear, or that the are more caring and accepting than progressives?

There are lots of studies and research on the topic. Seems it's a different way to think and process, which allows conservatives to be more open. Kinda odd, since all you hear from the left is that we are racists, homophobic, misogynist rapist.