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Before you start lecturing I know that liberal has become a slander in many people's minds. However, it is just a word which describes a particular political ideology. Do you not just add fuel to the fire by allowing yourself to be riled by a mere term, no matter what context it is used in? Wouldn't you be better served to attack the content of what is being said in conjuction with that term? I am not trying to challenge anyone here and I am not trying to be glib. I am just honestly curious. The reason is because I do not feel the same level of animosity in myself when someone uses the term conservative.

2007-08-01 12:26:44 · 13 answers · asked by Bryan 7 in Politics & Government Other - Politics & Government

JDK: Politics is polarizing in general. It would be nice if we could all meet in the middle, but this is unrealistic. Terms are necessary to define particular mindsets for the purpose of adequate debate. Would you not agree?

2007-08-01 12:33:17 · update #1

Noah H: The question is in response to an answer I saw in another a question where someone said they get upset when someone says "Hey Libs".

2007-08-01 12:36:05 · update #2

trevor22in: Uneducated? I know the dictionary definition of the term. The question is not uneducated in the least. It is in fact a polite query regarding behavior I have seen and would like to understand. Remember that personal attacks are the last refuge of a weak mind, so before you insult my intelligence I would suggest you do some soul searching in front of a mirror and determine why you couldn't answer the question without using an attempted insult. For the record the term Neo-Con doesn't bother me at all.

2007-08-01 12:41:00 · update #3

ndgbill: Did that tirade make you feel better? Get over yourself already because if you are looking to insult me you are not even in the ballpark with that load of crap.

2007-08-01 13:06:35 · update #4

gramma_arlene: Obviously you missed the point of the question entirely. If you consider yourself a liberal there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be proud and state that fact plainly. In fact, that is the whole point of the question in general. If you hold these beliefs then there should be no reason why a mere term should cause such animosity in so many people. Just look at some of the answers here. Simply asking why some people get upset by being referred to with a term with which they use to describe themselves has drawn some pretty unnecessary derision.

2007-08-01 13:12:26 · update #5

gramma_arlene: The asker has a name, it is Bryan and you will find I have great sense of humor, but I do require that the material actually be humorous in order to arouse it. Snide comments and feigned insults just don't meet that criteria.

2007-08-01 13:31:16 · update #6

JDK: Optimism is a great thing. The best solutions result from a belief that all things are possible.

2007-08-01 14:09:33 · update #7

13 answers

Most get upset when it is MIS-used -- either applied incorrectly (such as calling a liberal a socialist) or applied as a generality assuming that 100+ million people all think the same.

2007-08-01 12:29:27 · answer #1 · answered by coragryph 7 · 5 3

Most liberals I know are absolutely proud of being liberals especially as we look back overr history and realize how much good liberalism has contributed to society and relatively how much of the opposite that conservatism has visted upon us all.

Conservatism MEANS STAUS QUO and if it wasn't for liberals the STATUS quo of slavery Robber Baron Capitalism ,no social security,no medicare,no laws protecting workers, no Civil Rights Act ,no end to Jim Crow laws,no vote for women and a thousand other abominations would still be with us.

You of course feel no animosity when someone calls you a conservative because as the so partial list above attests to,conservatives are not only morally and ethically crippled people what they are all about is symbolized by Bush who waged/wages an ILLEGAL war of choice based upon a pack of anti-Christian immoral LIES that has resulted in the totally immoral anti-Christian slaughter of over 400,000 INNOCENT Iraqi civilians including tens of thousands of CHILDREN.

Yes you feel no animosity if somebady calls you a conservative ONLY because in your monumental ignorance you know not what horrors YOUR conservative history attests to.

You are simply oblivious.Ignorance is bliss .

Have a great Day .

2007-08-01 19:51:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

Holy Cow! I've been calling myself a "proud liberal" and now I find out it's a label that should make me mad. But, getting mad at myself seem counter-productive, at this juncture, so I will continue in my ignorance in labeling myself as such...if you follow my intention. May I call myself a "proud Democrat", or is that a nasty expression also? And, by the way, when I call you a "conservative" it is not derogatory, but when I call you a "con", I am being a little snotty. Sorry!

2007-08-01 20:03:59 · answer #3 · answered by ArRo 6 · 0 0

many people who are liberals (many, NOT all) are so out of a reflex (an action that occurs without thought) because they want to feel good about something without taking the time to think it through and to justify their beliefs/actions. it is a religion. a set of beliefs/actions/ideologies that just are, without the need for examination and anyone who criticizes, objectively evaluates or questions must immediately be wrong and shouted down (global warming/animal rights/environmentalism are good examples of this extremism - anyone who disagrees must instantly be for nuclear holocaust/killing all animals in horrid ways/destroying the ecosystem with man-made toxins). middle ground is neither sought after nor compromises accepted from extremists.

there are many true liberals who would not be upset with being called such and who do have thought out, defined positions that are based on a process of ideas and actions, but in today's society they seem to be the minority.

conservatives also suffer from the same knee-jerk thought-free positioning as liberals, but overall to a much lesser degree, as the media and many 'people on the street' attack and slander conservative ideas, forcing those who truly want to hold onto them to invest time and effort defending their ideas/beliefs/actions.

2007-08-01 19:42:48 · answer #4 · answered by Act D 4 · 2 0

What is commonly referred to as a liberal today is not a classical liberal. A classical liberal is me... a libertarian. Personal freedom, personal responsibility, limited government. I refuse to use the word liberal to describe the 21st century liberal. I call them leftys, controllers, socialists... terms that properly describe them.

Today's liberals prefer to be called progressives. Ooooh, sounds great, doesn't it? Progressive. Progress. Moving forward. Think about it. I fail to see how expanding the nanny state and an ever-expanding theft of property from productive people to feed the beast constitutes progressive thinking but hey, what do I know?

2007-08-01 19:36:54 · answer #5 · answered by RP McMurphy 4 · 3 1

If you use the dictionary definition there's no problem. Being liberal is more than political...it means being open to new ideas and not being particularly impressed by entrenched interests. Anyway, who says anyone is 'riled' in the first place? If someone wants to beat up the 'liberal' strawman let 'em have at it. We all know that's how the 'reactionaries' avoid dealing with real problems in the real world that affects real people.

2007-08-01 19:34:19 · answer #6 · answered by Noah H 7 · 3 2

Bryan, I would suggest that you grab a dictionary and look up the meaning of the word you are asking this question about. By calling someone a "liberal," you are actually giving your uneducated opinion about their personal life.

I am quite certain that's why some of them get upset.

Why do neo-cons get upset when the term neo-con is used?

2007-08-01 19:34:26 · answer #7 · answered by trevor22in 4 · 1 3

Because it's a polarizing term. I prefer not to be thought of as liberal or conservative. Can't we just all be people with opinions? Why does someone have to be either one, the other, or a flip-flopper.

I know this is unrealistic but I can be a hopeless optimist. Put me in that category, please:

UNREALISTICALLY OPTIMISTIC

2007-08-01 19:30:10 · answer #8 · answered by JDK 2 · 2 2

The term liberal in and of itself is not offensive. Most liberals are proud to be liberal. When, however a nasty connotation that is simply not true is attached to that label than of course they get upset. It is like con. A true conservative should get upset when the term is used to describe a radical conservative and not them. It goes both ways.

2007-08-01 19:33:10 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4 2

The thing is, the word "liberal" we use to describe current lefty politicians, bears no resemblance to the actual meaning of the word.

2007-08-01 19:29:53 · answer #10 · answered by Uncle Pennybags 7 · 2 1

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