Why is the word "liberal" such an insult in the USA, the self-proclaimed land of the free?

Question

Trawet: you didn't answer the question, you just lifted a paragraph wholesale from wikipedia without acknowledging it (under the aegis of the free exchange of ideas, no doubt).
I know what liberalism is. I want to know why it has become such a dirty word in a country expressly founded upon liberal principles.

Answer 1

Largely, Republicans are responsible for "liberal" to be considered an insult. It is part of their tactics in controlling the dialog and political perceptions in this country. And as you've seen by some of the answers here, it works on some people.

Answer 2

I have wondered the same thing.

Liberal/conservative are terms which mean radically different things depending on where you are in the world. A conservative in Cuba for instance would be a communist, whereas a liberal would be a right winger.

What a liberal is is very much subjective. However, if we are to be objective and cast aside our subjectivity a liberal would be among other things:
• favorable to or respectful of individual rights and freedoms : liberal citizenship laws. • (in a political context) favoring maximum individual liberty in political and social reform : a liberal democratic state.

That does not sound too bad. Many have equated Christ with a liberal, and again according to Oxford dictionary one of the definitions of "liberal" is:
open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values
And on some issues this would be a correct statement about the Lord. His actions were highly unorthodox and challenged the dominant values and ideas of the time. If they did not, no-one would really have any reason to crucify Him, so...
Even today His values would be contrary to the more "default" values and ideas. Supporting the weak, and helping the downtrodden? Giving what you have to the poor? Unpopular views in today's system. I think you could call him a liberal of his time, without drawing any lines between what that means and whatever subjective interpretation of liberal is dominant where you live today.

However, back to the issue at hand. I do consider the fact that "liberal" is hated in much of the US somewhat confusing. I will be careful about saying too much about it because I do not live in the US. However, I will say as much as this about "the land of the free" idea. The US may have been a beacon in some areas for other nations to follow in the past. Much good has come forth from the USA which has helped other nations change in a good manner. (and yes, I am perfectly aware of the evil things as well). However, if we look at statistics and research done we find that the USA is very far from the freest nation there is. Far from the safest. Far from the most rapidly growing. Far from the most educated and more.
I have always been a fan of supporting one's claims such as "the freest nation in the world" with facts. If it is just blind patriotism it has no value for anyone but potential dictators. We must think free, and be informed. We need to be honest about facts and bury our blind, uninformed patriotism. Anything else just harms our freedom, and helps those who would seek to undermine our freedom.

Answer 3

If you read the Old Testament then you are right that God had chosen the Jews as His chosen people. This because they adored and turned to Him while the others had other gods made of stone who could not hear or do anything. Even in the Bible we can find many exclamations by non believers that the God of the Jews is the real and the one alive. You can read this in the story of Moses and how the jews were fred from Egypt. Even the king of Babylon admitted this after Daniel was put to be eaten by lions but nothing happened to him. It was all a lie against him and then the king slayed the accusers and said that the God of Daniel is the true God. There are many and many others. By this they used to think that they were something special. By the coming of Christ, He showed that the true God is a God for everyone and that was why He came to earth. The word gentile used to be used in the beginning of Christianity to defer from the Christians and the others. However the order of Christ was to " go all over the world to preach the good news that God loves everyone ". That is why the Catholic is catholic because it means 'universal'. God does not look at the colour of the skin or wealth but at one's heart and love of God and neighbor . I think that there is no reason why you should feel insulted. No, please, do not, our neighbor is everyone even our enemy and if one does not love the others he would not love God. Peace be with you and may you have the wisdom to choose what is best for you.

Answer 4

The term "liberal" has nothing to do with liberty, liberation, or freedom. It is a world view. The liberal looks at the problems of the world and claims that these problems are due to the disparity between the rich and the poor. They believe that the rich should be punished and the poor rewarded and then the world's problems would be solved.

For the liberal, justice means equality. If things are not equal then there is no justice. The concept that "all men are created equal" means that socialism must prevail.

This contrasts with "America, the Land of Opportunity" and the "American Dream" which generally states that, if you're an honest, hardworking individual then there is no limit to the success you can achieve. So the American Dream is capitalist in nature and contrasts markedly to American Liberalism.

Answer 5

I think it depends on what part of the country you live in. I live in Oklahoma, so it's considered an insult here. The reason is because a vast majority of blue-collar conservatives, from what I've seen, view liberals as elitist.

It seems that liberals are more interested in having more government involvement in their lives. This, in turn, tends to depict liberals as being unwilling to be self-reliant.

I think, though, that the term is slowly losing its negative image as more and more Americans see that they are being taken advantage of by politicians and the media.

Answer 6

Where do you get your information.
Liberalism is what the U.S. is all about I personally am insulted that you would even think that.


Liberalism refers to a broad array of related doctrines, ideologies, philosophical views, and political traditions which advocate individual liberty.[1] Liberalism has its roots in the Western Age of Enlightenment, but the term has taken on different meanings in different time periods.

Broadly speaking, liberalism emphasizes individual rights. It seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power (especially of government and religion), the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of all citizens are protected.[2] In modern society, liberals favor a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed


Ok fair enough
I do not consider the word liberal to be an insult.
I also do delieve that it is not the oppinion of everyone living in The States


At the time of electons you may hear the word liberal in a negative way because it is a party that is trying to be voted into office.

http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm

Answer 7

I am just as insulted when called a "liberal" as I am when people accuse me of being a "neocon". Both are words used to create a negative image, yet everybody accuses everybody of being either one or the other. I guess people only see in two colors these days. Red and Blue.

Answer 8

It's only an insult to those who throw the mud. I'm a moderate and I resent being called a liberal every time I turn around because I don't agree with Bush. I'm not offended and I don't consider it an insult. It's just irritating that supposedly intelligent people can't differentiate between the two because they're so caught up in their b.s. that it's just easier to call everyone "liberals" that doesn't agree with them.

Answer 9

Because some on the right have decided that the people should be kept divided so that they can profit from that division. It is a way of weakening this government of, by and for the people. Rush Limbaugh is their propaganda minister and his success has spawned many imitators.
Look how successful they've been. The President has been given fast track authority to form the NAU and dissolve the USA and the people are not even able to stand up and protest.

Answer 10

Liberalism today IS an insult to anyone who receives it. Liberalsim that started this country is NOT represented by any liberal today. In fact not one liberal today can honestly say they are a true liberal because that would be a lie. Liberalism today is veiled socialism. YES, socialism. Liberalism today is the antithesis of what our founding fathers incorporated into this Republic. It was a liberal that changed this country from a republic to a democracy, something the founding fathers tried to avoid. Liberals believe that government not the people should be in charge, NOPE. WRONG. Liberals believe that rich people are evil and pooor deserve their money. NOPE, THAT IS STEALING. Liberals believe doing the Constitutional job that was designed for one office is a crime and they create lies in order to subvert the Constitution. YES, liberal is an insult to any true blooded American.
I bet I pissed off all those who fell for the lib failed rhetoric.