Does "American liberal" equal "moderate" by world standards?

Question

Which would make the American conservative an extremist.

Answer 1

In Europe, yes. In other parts of the world, I doubt it because issues such as women’s rights and individual rights, in general, are not universally recognized and sometimes are governed by extremely conservative standards.

My European friends describe themselves as politically moderate or even conservative but they are very supportive of universal health care, environmental protection, free university tuition, and other issues that would be considered part of a liberal agenda in this country. They are also very much against the Iraq war. I don’t pretend to understand European politics but Europeans also have a wider range of political parties, in general, including a range of “liberal” parties so that they describe some as “conservative liberals,” “progressive liberals,” “center left” etc. They also have large parties labeled as socialists, Christian democrats, conservatives, etc. They apparently look at issues from a different perspective.

Answer 2

Nope. An American liberal is a "hypocrite" by world standards. That makes the American conservative a relatively straightforward fellow.

American liberals are hypocrites because they adopt untenable positions (on behalf of other people, or on behalf of people in general) for moral or psychological reasons, in defiance of their own ability to reason things through.

American liberals advance causes that make them feel good, and they make excuses when those causes never prosper. They battle hunger by feeding the hungry, for example, whereupon the hungry breed like rabbits and multiply the original problem by a sizable factor. As another example, they advocate a society in which unequal races are treated as equals, and, when institutions begin to crumble from incompetence, they look everywhere EXCEPT at the true cause in order to find out why things went wrong.

I'm not a conservative. It doesn't make sense to be a conservative when so little remains of worthwhile culture. And besides that, conservatives lose their political struggles with leftists for an obvious reason. Every controversy is instigated from the left. The average result is that the liberals get part of what they want, but not all of what they want. The conservatives then adjust to the new status quo.

Then the leftists come along with a new barrage of controversies, and the process begins again. Every "compromise" is really a win for the liberals. Over time, the political worldview shifts steadily leftward, and gradually what conservatism was originally becomes regarded as "extremism." It does not matter whether the original conservative position was wise or correct: once it acquires the political smell of extremism, even the conservatives will mostly try to avoid it.

To recognize truth and wisdom behind the smear-wall of extremism, you need honest radicals. Radicals are people who don't care what you think about them; they're going to promote what they want even if they have to yell and shake their fists in your face--even if they must break laws and go to jail. Some radicals are dishonest ones who know they're simply bullying people to gain advantages and power, including many of the leftists whom the media politely call "activists."

Other radicals are honest, though. They want to correct some fundamental error, the ignorance or denial of which is besetting society with problems, and they are willing to make personal sacrifices to get the job done. You can sometimes tell who these radicals are because the media usually try to marginalize or misrepresent them, or describe them with pejorative, loaded language.

The difference between one extremist and another extremist is in their degree of honesty. You can't rely on the media to tell them apart for you; you really must do your own thinking.

Answer 3

I can give you the European perspective.

The level of sheer stupidity, hypocrisy, and fuzzy thinking displayed by American Liberals is practically unheard of in most European countries. Here on the Continent, people read about a subject in depth, not just some magazine article. America has people like Barbra Streisand who considers herself an expert in environmental issues, even though she could never gain the expertise and education of the serious scientists who are gradually debunking the Global Warming theory.

Europeans equate American Liberals with the social pariahs you see on The Jerry Springer Show, and other sensationalist programs which display Americans as nightmarishly uneducated, lazy, dishonest, and downright stupid.

In contrast, while Europeans generally have a low opinion of President Bush, they consider Conservatives as more their intellectual equals.

Answer 4

Not by middle eastern standards. By their standards, American liberals are social radicals with our equal rights for women, seperation of religion and government, gay marriage, and support for other social freedoms.

The reason the middle east is so backward is because it is run by religious conservatives/fundamentalists.

Answer 5

Yes in socialist countries you would be considered normal. Please exit stage left to France...they only work 30 hr weeks so you will enjoy that...oh there unemployement rate for 18 - 28 yr olds is 26%, well don't worry they have nice coffee shops.

Answer 6

Sounds about right

Answer 7

according to Europe- Yes
Asia- half/half
middle east-no

Answer 8

well put i would like to say.