Are people liberals because it is "cool"?

Question

Every liberal that I have met, or heard their views (especially on this site) have been uninformed, and they simply follow the liberal ideals because it has become "cool" and popular.

Answer 1

First, let us differentiate between liberals and Liberals. America's founding fathers and earliest intellectuals were liberals (now called classic liberals). They favored the rights and freedoms acknowledged and accepted within the Bill of Rights, as well as economic freedom and limited government. Modern Liberals are a bit different in that they, unlike classic liberals, favor economic controls and unlimited governments.

Now we must also differentiate between conservatives and Conservatives. Little 'c' conservatives tend to be socially conservative as well as economically conservative -- where as modern Conservatives (think modern Republicans) tend to be fairly favorable towards larger government and bigger spending. The main difference between Liberals and Conservatives is that they prefer to spend your money on different friends, essentially.

Now to address your question more directly, I would argue that many younger people who associate themselves with Liberalism do so because it is considered cool, or chic, or whatever term you prefer. However, most of the "cool Liberals" develop either an intellectual basis for their Liberalism or abandon it and become more moderate or Conservative while they are of college age.

Statistically, the trend appears to be such that as people age, they begin to move 'rightward' on the left-right political dichotomy -- up until a certain point, of course. This would help explain the overwhelming number of "moderates" in the United States.

Answer 2

People are liberal because they desire change. If all the liberals you meet are doing it to be trendy, you really need to get out more...

Most of the liberals I know are liberals because they feel a desire to change the direction the nation is headed in. They often are persecuted and insulted for their beliefs, but still pursue change. They don't do it because they want to be "cool" or "popular". Quite often, it is the hard (unpopular) choices that are the most beneficial.

As far as your "uninformed" jab, I think that if you look at most of the arguments that both sides make, you'll find both sides are pretty even in that regard. Yahoo Answers tends to be 95% opinion/5% fact.

I also find it humorous that people like answer annie talk about the Bible preaching love and then spew hatred. How about "practicing what you preach"?

Answer 3

So wrong........... It is the conservatives that are working off a script, for example, see if you recognize any of the following:

"Ho yeah, and FDR knew the Japanese were going to bomb Pearl Harbor!"
"They did find WMD in Iraq!!"
"The Liberals never have any facts to back up what they say!"
"Kerry is a flip flopper:"
"Tax and Spend Liberals" ""you don't hear that one often lately, wonder why?""
"We only want an up or down vote!"
"We fight them over there so we don't have to fight here!"
"You want to know how many terrorist we were fighting, just count the dead bodies!"
"Mission Accomplished!!!!!"
"You go to war with the Army you have and not the one you want!"
"When they stand up, we will stand down!"
"Who in world could have imagined they would turn airplanes into missiles, and that stupid enlisted privates would use digital cameras to take pictures inside the Prison?"
"If I told you once, I told you a million times, the generals will let me know when they need more troops!!!"
"I say Bringer on!!!"
"Now you all listen this time, I am the decider, and you sir, with the pad, pencil and the dark glasses are the typer, and that leaves you folks at home being the believers. Now don't make me repeat that again, you hear!!
"We did not, do you hear me, we did not pack the facts around the policy; in fact, I, don't even know what that means, dam Englishmen don't know how speak American!!"

Answer 4

I don't think it's so much a matter of being cool (for most people anyway). I just think that we're entirely too polarized for our own good. I know loads of liberals who don't even think about issues individually- they simply ask themselves, "Where do liberals/conservatives stand on this?" and then go from there. If people are liberal because they truly feel that their beliefs coincide with the liberal agenda, then I think that's fine. The same can be said for conservatives. If people are picking a side for EVERYTHING without actually questioning those beliefs, then they're close-minded sheep. Yes, even liberals can be close-minded (and sheep).

Answer 5

Take it from somebody that worked on the Ronnie Reagan campaign, the whole nine yards. When Reagan came to our town, was I even informed about it? Heck NO. When Ronnie won the trip to the White House, did I get an invite to the celebration dinner in Texas or Washington, DC? Heck NO. You're going to find that Mr. and Mrs. Republican have visualized a caste system as their most generous view for America's future. I like economic growth. Conservatives hate economic growth, they call it "inflation".

Answer 6

Quite frankly, most "libs" are younger and ignorant. Generally, as people get older, wiser, and more educated, (Especially after they begin to have families) they swing a bit more to the conservative side.

It's not really "cool" to be a conspiracy theorist, liberal whack-job. It is just easier than researching the truth or having an original thought.

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And Brandon... since WHEN is it the government's job to 'level out income' of its citizens??? We have the right to succeed, just as we have the right to fail. You think handing out to the lazy, at the expense of the motivated workers leads to the will to work more by those hard workers? Since when am I, or any other person, responsible for another person's income comfort? This communistic CRAP is not part of a free society.

Answer 7

My perspectives tend to be greater conservative and that i do have faith AGW is something to have an interest approximately contained sooner or later and action would desire to be taken now. i think of the finished political and non secular element of this communicate is unquestionably exciting. it somewhat is like the jobs are reversed and conservatives are the atheists, skeptics and the liberals are the fundamentalist. even nevertheless i've got faith the philosophy and bias of scientists and AGW alarmist impacts the projections of the risks, I nonetheless do no longer think of the technological information would desire to be exceeded over. some people who're deniers have a problematic time siding with people who're political enemies in different factors. i think of this is additionally genuine if the situation have been reversed. Its unlucky that human beings can no longer positioned aside those ameliorations even nevertheless it somewhat is somewhat human nature. Reactions to AGW take a protracted time to conform i've got faith, no longer because of the fact human beings are ignorant or deny technological information yet because of the fact exchange of habit is so perplexing. it somewhat is basically less complicated to be a skeptic each and every from time to time, basically ask an atheist.

Answer 8

Most people don't actually know what liberal and conservative mean. I will go out on a limb and say that you don't either. I tend to vote for liberal candidates because I believe that a larger (and more efficient) government can be a good thing if it helps to even out the income levels in our country. I also tend to support environmental protection, higher education spending and universal healthcare. However, I do agree that many people join parties not because they are cool, but instead because their peers or families belong to a party.

Answer 9

I agree. I think it started because at one point it was "so uncool to be a liberal that it was cool." Now it's just, "you're a liberal, so what?" They are kinda like all the fake punk kids who try sooo hard to be non-conformist that they all run out to Hot Topic and buy the same "non-conformist" clothes and pins. They all end up looking the same. My boyfriend's family is very liberal and it makes me sick when I visit them, because they spend so much effort and time just showing me how liberal they are. It's just so pitiful.

Answer 10

I am a Liberal not because it is "cool" actualy if you think about it it's not really cool because people like you and the fox news chanel have followed the lead of Rush Limbaugh and the rest of those guys (You know who) and been brainwashed into thinking Liberals are a bunch of dope smoking, baby killing, gay loving, Hippies.Who are gonna take my guns away truthfully I am a liberal because I am a hard working Democrat who belives in fredom of choice, peace, love, and happiness