I'm very liberal and proud of it, my reactions to the current misunderstanding by so many of the word range from cracking up laughing to sheer frustration. =)
Liberal comes from the Latin liberalis, meaning suitable for a free man/person, doubt anyone could object so far. It is an adjective basically meaning generous, open, unfettered by authoritanism, orthodoxy and tradition. Synonyms include charitable, philanthropic, benevolent, advanced. progressive, open-minded and tolerant. Liberty is the noun basically meaning, independence, emancipation, liberation and autonomy, synonyms include freedom and license.
People vary in the degree to which they are liberal, those with small c conservative/right of centre political beliefs are often pretty liberal but it is true that the further right political belief becomes the more illiberal the person is too. A liberal person can be radical but never reactionary and frightened of change for the common good.
2007-08-09
05:03:47
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20 answers
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Anonymous
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Politics