Who are liberals?

[PROFESSORPAUL]

I have a few friends who seem to absolutely hate liberals. I pretend to know who they are and what they do, but I'm just curious who they really are. All I know is that Republicans are about the government and world issues, and Democrats are about the country's needs, at least I think that's right. I personally would rather have a Democrat in office cause I hate to say it... but this country is kinda going down hill.

But who are these liberals? Some kind of in-between people? And why do people hate them/make fun of them.

[RZZZA]

.... :laughing:


Hey Paul, I think I know you from Gamefaqs or IGN.com or something, I've seen your handle on a lot of boards. As to your question...wow...where to begin. What greade are you in? My public school has courses on the basics of politics, didnt they teach you this stuff in your Junior or Senior year?

Well its kinda complicated stuff to explain when youre not a certified teacher...

Here is a decent website that can give you the gist of it.

http://www.betteryou.com/theview.htm

Consider the bias of the author before taking what you read to heart. There is a difference between being a liberal or a conservative on economic issues and being a liberal or conservative on social issues. Basically, its just a linear school of thought, its camps or "cliques" that people put themselves into based on how they view the world, and issues in their environment. A good excercise is to ask yourself questions such as... "Do I believe in the death penalty" or "Do I support minimum wage?" or "Do I support abortion"? Depending on how you answer you could be said to lean more towards the left (i.e. liberal) or more to the right (i.e. conservative). USUALLY people who are rational,indecisive, or just dont care will not lean either way, and will remain in the middle on most issues. These people have moderate tendencies, and although moderates are unpopular in American government, moderate thinking is actually the most rational imo. I tend to be more moderate than liberal or conservative.

There is a huge difference between liberals/conservatives and democrats/republicans, do not confuse the two. Google and dictionary.com are your friend bud, dont be afraid to look up anything you dont know.

[imb39]

Thw word liberal has different connotations in Europe. In Europe, to be labelled a lberal is no bad thing.

[Erik]

Thw word liberal has different connotations in Europe. In Europe, to be labelled a lberal is no bad thing.

Yes it is.
Well, according to me at least.

[PacSubCom]

Thw word liberal has different connotations in Europe. In Europe, to be labelled a lberal is no bad thing.

Being non-liberal is the same as closemindedness.

Liberals=more liberty at the expense of order and equality.
Anything else is bastardization of the word.

What? That's not liberal. These people just descibe themselves as liberals to set themselves in a more positive light. They have nothing to do with liberalism.

[Tom Paine]

Being non-liberal is the same as closemindedness.

Not always; you can be open to ideas, just not willing to implement them for the sake of it, or want to maybe go a littl at a time.

[First Crusader]

Thw word liberal has different connotations in Europe. In Europe, to be labelled a lberal is no bad thing.

It isn't here either.

But here, liberals aren't necesarily socialists. Many, perhaps most, of the moderate ones are capitalists - they just disagree with capitalists on certain issues on how it should be applied.

[GodNeptune]

I think that the US meaning of liberal originated during the 1940's and was applied to those who took a liberal interpretation of the constitutional clause "to provide for the general welfare". The original meaning of the word was someone who believed in economic and political liberty; classical liberals were strongly opposed to any form of monarchy. A US liberal believes that the government should play a large role in solving social problems through legislation and tax and spend measures. Conservatives differ from liberals in that they don't want the government to play as large a role in dealing with social problems. They believe that people are intelligent and generous enough to solve their own problems without much state intervention. Both favor a mixed economic system and do not act all that different when they are in power.

[RZZZA]

Very well articulated GodNeptune.

[Custor]

Winston Churchill

[RZZZA]

Its not a bad thing in America either, its just that there is an AWFUL lot of stupid liberals in America. There are a lot of stupid conservatives too (like in the south). For instance, an example of a stupid liberal would be a PETA member, or one of those Save the Rainforest liberals who pounds iron nails into trees so lumberjacks hit them with their chainsaws as theyre sawing and get injured. Ultimately though, its not the classification of "liberal" or "conservative" that makes people stupid or smart....its the person themselves, its the issues they deem important, its how they approach those issues, its how they present themselves, its how much life experience or maturity or wisdom the person has.


edit-Also, just because a person is liberal on one issue, such as saving the rainforest, it doesnt mean they cannot also be conservative on other issues, such as supporting the death penalty. There is rarely such a thing as a person who is liberal on ALL issues...those people are called libertarians, and there are very few of them. So you see, its ignorant of your friends to make fun of liberal idealogies.

[IronBrig4]

Yes, there are very few people who are 100% liberal or 100% conservative. You can be a fiscal conservative and a social liberal at the same time, and vice versa.

[imb39]

Rzzza, I wasn't saying an American liberal was a bad thing. To be labelled as one, though, is politically bad news; in Europe, to be called a liberal (moderate) is a positive thing.
Ironbrig4 - this is a true statement. Usually people's position on a range of topics falls within a broad spectrum. For example I am distinctly on the left/liberal on many issues (immigration, for example), but getting increasingly conservative when thinking about the Welfare State.

[RZZZA]

Yes I agree with you. Being a liberal isnt an innately bad thing...but it is a bad thing in American politics the way things are now. The country swings one way for awhile and then swings the other way...right now we're in a period of strict conservatism, not so much fiscally but more socially. Nobody is calling Mr. Bush a true conservative for instance, because his financial policies and views dont tie in with traditional conservatism. Generally, fiscal conservatives strive to increase the budget of the country rather than running it dry, like Bush has. This is partly why conservatives are starting to abandon the Bush camp, along with many other reasons of course. A fiscal liberal would probably try to spend money on government projects, such as welfare and public education...y'know, things to better the community of America in some way.

That is not to say conservatives dont do this as well, they just tend to go about in in different ways. For instance, a conservative might choose to open a new branch of some corporation in a town to try and give a little money back to the community, as well as some particular services or goods.

You're making a mistake if you think that conservative republicans are "evil" and liberal democrats are "good". Thats not true at all, and it seems to be what a lot of younger kids think nowadays. They look at Bush and what hes done and label him as an evil corrupt conservative republican and then think back to Clinton and glorify him as a fair and just liberal democrat. It isn't true...when democrats were in power, they were just as corrupt as any republican is today.

[danzig]

You're making a mistake if you think that conservative republicans are "evil" and liberal democrats are "good". Thats not true at all, and it seems to be what a lot of younger kids think nowadays. They look at Bush and what hes done and label him as an evil corrupt conservative republican and then think back to Clinton and glorify him as a fair and just liberal democrat. It isn't true...when democrats were in power, they were just as corrupt as any republican is today.

Ok who are you and what have you done with the real RZZZA?

My country's government today is made mainly of right-wingers; however, to be called liberal is a positive thing (more freedom I suppose) and to be called conservative is not exactly a compliment because everyone thinks about conservatism as something old-fashioned, dictatorship-like, less based on intelligence and more on hypocrisy etc..

Yeah as has been said generally the defination between liberal/conservative is quite different in the US compared to other countries. Though Bush is doing his damnest (sadly) to redefine it yet again (more towards your countries version of conservatism sadly), true defintion of an 'american' version of conservative would be states rights, leaving most of the power at the local/state level, fiscal restrain, accountability for ones actions and strong protection for our rights (freedom of speech etc quite ironic really). Sadly few of politicans who run around today actually live up to much of this anymore.

[RZZZA]

LOL. I'm still RZZZA, but I try not to live under any illusions, I know that Clinton has done many crooked things in his presidency. He's made bad judgement too, but is he a worse prez than Bush? Not by a longshot....

See? Same ol' RZZZA.

[Erik]

The country swings one way for awhile and then swings the other way...right now we're in a period of strict conservatism, not so much fiscally but more socially.

American politics doesn't swing more than 1%.
Republicans and Democrats are realy the same except for some small details.

And Liberals don't have extreme views compared to the rest of the world.
They would be labled moderate-right-wing in most of Europe.
They are only "extreme" compared to the small group of "swing voters" in the middle that all American elections are based on.

[Hamelkart]

My country's government today is made mainly of right-wingers; however, to be called liberal is a positive thing (more freedom I suppose) and to be called conservative is not exactly a compliment because everyone thinks about conservatism as something old-fashioned, dictatorship-like, less based on intelligence and more on hypocrisy etc..

[RusskiSoldat]

Liberals=more liberty at the expense of order and equality.
Anything else is bastardization of the word.

[LSJ]

In Canada the Liberals have had the power for a long time. The Conservatives and New Democrats haven't had the position for a long time.

Ever since the "Sponsorship Scandal", people have been losing faith in the Liberals, who over the years have greatly contributed to equality, education, healthcare and the economy. They have more power because many of the NDP voters don't want the Conservatives to win, so they vote Liberal. However, since they are losing voters, and the Conservatives are gaining voters, they are likely to win soon. I don't like their ways; they are less focused on equality, healthcare and human rights. They oppose anything good for gay people, they want privatized health care, and most of all ever since I saw that one CSI episode I cannot look at their leader, Steven Harper, the same way again. He looks just like the pedifile.

With privatized health care comes inequality, where the rich have the power and the poor suffer, as they no longer have free basic health care, and the surgery costs triple.

The NDP are good, as they focus on the things the Liberals do, but also the environment. There is likely to be a revolution in the Gov't soon. The Liberals will be ousted, the Conservatives will win, then soon after the NDP will be the second biggest party. They will probably win quickly after the election after that one. Then my second favourite party will finally have some power for once. My first favourite party is the "Green Party", who are the newer, infamous group. They have several doctors, ecologists and teachers in their ranks. They are focused on Healthcare, Education, and the environment, and less so on buying support from greedy people.

I don't know if there is anything like the Green Party in the USA. They are my favourite group, and also the fifth most powerful votewise.

Depending on your country, Liberals, Conservatives and anything else has different meaning. In some places the Republican party is a communist group, whereas the Democrats are for free enterprise. In the USA they are both about the free markets.

Has anyone ever voted jokingly for the American Neo-Nazi party? They are in Texas, but only gain a few votes every year, luckily. They are very unknown and apparently support communism and hold strong religious views, although they are non-violent and will not create death chambers for Jews. I have a cousin who voted for them once, as a joke so at Hallowe'en he could say he was a Nazi when he wore his Hitler costume. I am not sure what cities they work in, but at least that little "crap-shack" village (AKA "forgotten by the government") that my cousin lived in had them listed.