Whats a liberal?

Question

people seem to love that word yet its meaning can be anything.

I consider myself moderate, i am moderate..but maybe to many of you my ideas are outrageous

Answer 1

well, many words don't mean the same thing to everyone, but liberal is one of those words that people tend to take an extra liberal (hahaha) interpretation of...

to some it seems to be the boogey man and they are the cause of everything wrong in the world...

to some they are saviors... the cause of everything right...

overall, to me I think they see things that are wrong and want to change them... do they always take the best approaches... maybe not, but they do want to change things for the better...

hahaha... only a conservative would call a dictionary "liberal press"... where does it end with you guys?

Answer 2

A liberal is someone who is more willing to let things happen that may or may not fit in with what the majority of people consider moralistic. A conservative is someone who holds what would be considered a higher moralistic code (as they see it) than the majority of people. Problem is, morals change from person to person and no one person is fully right or fully wrong. Liberals and Conservatives are the extremes, the answer is usually in the middle with the moderates anyway.

Answer 3

Liberal=retard.

Encarta Word Dictionary=Liberal Press.

Answer 4

Someone who values personal liberties and believes that the government should serve and support the people.

In the Preamble to the Constitution, there are five goals (values) of the US government: "establish Justice, to ensure domestic Tranquility, to provide for the common Defense, to promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty"

Conservatives think the most important are "to ensure domestic Tranquility" (meaning to promote conformity with 'traditional' ways) and to "provide for the Common Defense". Most conservatives are Republicans, who (nowadays) want group rights (conformity with 'traditional' values) and a large government to ensure domestic tranquility (by enforcing those conservative majority beliefs). Moderate republicans (originally called fiscal conservatives) want a small government, just large enough to provide for the common Defense.

Liberals think it's more important to "promote the general Welfare, and ensure the blessings of Liberty". Most liberals are Democrats, who want individual rights and a large government to promote the general welfare. Moderate democrats don't want a lot of wasteful spending, and want to achieve their goals without causing too many problems. Democrats do have a Conservative wing, which focuses on better ethical leadership and greater protection for both groups and individuals. The main difference is that conservative democrats still don't believe in enforcing their views on the minority, even if their own personal choices would be the same as what conservative republicans would make.

The concept of promoting Justice is important to both camps, but their idea of justice differs. Most camps of the liberal parties believe ensuring Justice requires favoring defendants, preferring the guilty to go free rather than sending the innocent to prison. Republicans and conservatives believe the promoting Justice requires being harsh to those accused, even if that occasionally inflicts sentences on the innocent.

Interestingly, the spectrum is not linear, and has more than one dimension. There are other political parties who focus on different combinations of those values. For example, Libertarians want a small government (no wasteful spending) and very little Welfare (few if any entitlements), but strong on Defense. Libertarians also want lots of protection for individual civil rights, to secure the blessings of Liberty. They feel that Tranquility will take care of itself, and doesn’t need government enforcement of morality. As such, they are moderate about most issues, except for being adamant that the majority should not impose its beliefs on the minority, as part of their way to promote Justice.

So, it basically comes down to which sets of Constitutional values each group thinks are most important.

Answer 5

I am also a moderate. However, if you do not like to see this country going to hell in a handbasket, that by definition makes you a liberal. Or at least to the close-minded people on this site, it does.

Answer 6

lib·er·al [líbbərəl, líbbrəl]
adj
1. broad-minded: tolerant of different views and standards of behavior in others
2. politics progressive politically or socially: favoring gradual reform, especially political reforms that extend democracy, distribute wealth more evenly, and protect the personal freedom of the individual
3. generous: generous with money, time, or some other asset
My great-aunt was liberal in her bequests.

4. generous in quantity: large in size or amount
a liberal helping

5. language not literal: not limited to the literal meaning in translation or interpretation
6. arts culturally oriented: concerned with general cultural matters and broadening of the mind rather than professional or technical study
a liberal education

7. history of political liberalism: relating to a political ideology of liberalism


n (plural lib·er·als)
liberal person: somebody who favors tolerance or reform


[14th century. Via French from Latin liberalis , from liber “free” (source of English liberty). The underlying sense is “suitable for a free (later wellbred) person.”]

Answer 7

Liberals want to take away from working people and give it to people who don't work.

They believe in a form of communism. And they are full of hatred and meaness.

Answer 8

A tree hugging hippie.

Answer 9

so am i a moderate

Answer 10

It's almost exactly like a conservative.