How come the people who attack Liberals know the LEAST about liberals?

Question

Do they intentionally lie or are they ignorant of Liberalism?

The first answer is a prime example. Absolutly NO understanding of the meaning liberal. It has NOTHING to do with socialism. NOTHING. Here it is again: NOTHING. LIBERALISM IS NOT SOCIALISM. It has NOTHING to do with taxes.

Why do so many have the arrogance to assume what a liberal believes in better than a liberal? Arrogance and ignorance in one package.

Example:
"Liberals hate America" - Somehow there still are cavemen who believe this. No matter how many times you tell them "I'm a Liberal and I like America", they still go on with the rant.

Answer 1

I think the trouble starts for the people who attack liberals in knowing the least about life (economics, science, sociology, law). They consequently don't understand how liberals view the world, how it works, and how liberty and justice for all can be achieved within our natural constraints.

Answer 2

Actually the definition of Liberalism has changed in the last 50 years.
Classical Liberalism is what many would consider Conservatism Today.
Modern or Neo-Liberalism is much closer to the Socialist Idea.

The key is to look at the how each group wants the Government to be run, and run society.

Neo-Liberals want more Government Regulation of Commerce. More Government Aid to go to the people. Redistribution of wealth. "Tax the Rich." Government Mandated Redefinition of Society.

Classical Liberals do not want more government control over society. They believe that the people themselves are a better catalyst for Societal Improvement than Government.

I am not saying that either is wrong, but it is a difference in world view.

I would consider myself a Classical Liberal, however not entirely. Many of my views correspond to those of many of the founding fathers, if one were to read their writings, particularly Thomas Paine.

Answer 3

They are just more comfortable parrotting what they hear on Faux Snooze (Fox News). Since Liberals are traditionally the people who have open minds, and will actually research the things they are interested in, I am not surprised that the "anti-Liberals" just say the same old things about us that they have "learned" from hate-mongers, and NOT anything they have taken the time to study themselves.

I use the term "anti-Liberals" and not "Conservatives" because I have actually read intelligent remarks made by Conservatives. And, while I usually disagree with them, they can actually back up some of their statements with facts, and will allow for argument and differences of opinion. These are people that one can, at least, have discussions with! The "anti-Liberals" who generally post comments on Y!A are people who have no thoughts of their own, and no basis for their statements other than things they have heard from the fools on talk radio who make millions by stirring up so-called controversy. They like things the "way they are", and are terrified of any sort of change. They never seem to consider that "change" could bring benefits.


edit: I must disagree with the asker on one thing, though. Liberalism CAN have something to do with taxes---it depends on what sort of Liberal one claims to be. There are social Liberals, and there are fiscal Liberals, and there are various and sundry combinations.

But I totally agree that most of the bashers of "liberals" on Y!A have little or no idea of what "liberal" means, and I KNOW they have no idea of what I believe in!!!

Answer 4

I was raised in a middle class home, Dad belonged to the union and they fought for fair wages skilled labor. Mom was a Catholic that gave up her church and Dad was a Protestant...they allowed me to choose and I looked at both deciding my own faith not based on any man's opinion of it. I traveled and worked many different places. I have had to adapt to different areas and people, the worst to adapt to is a closed society in a small, red neck town....they are fearful of outsiders and anything they don't recognize, even if you know a person there for years you will always be an outsider. Liberals are not the people you see burning flags or parading in gay marches...a Liberal is simply someone who cannot abide with intolerance and cannot allow himself to determine what others do with their lives as long as what they do doesn't hurt others....that the problem with Conservatives they need to determine what is good for others in ways that do not hurt others, like religious views for example....I've seen so many answerers say that since another persons religious actions insult them, they should be prevented from doing so....How can you make another person believe in your god and how can you make them believe in your little red neck town without opening up and letting others in.....it's all about intolerance of others....I can hear a Conservative thiinking about what I'm saying (if he even got this far) that I am intolerant...yes I am...I am intolerant of intolerance.

Answer 5

because of fact it proves that abstinence is the message of Hypocrites and Ignoramuses. inspite of the reality that I trust religious conservatives who choose to undertaking the youngsters to postpone sexual intercourse for a at the same time as, I completely disagree with their message that a condom is a provision for sin. I deliver my Christian acquaintances to the internet website decrease than which debunks the whole ingredient against premarital intercourse interior the Bible. That way they have no excuse to no longer help complete intercourse education.

Answer 6

Well to their credit I don't believe they are lying. What their problem is they get all of their knowledge from pundits who use nothing but exaggerations, hand selected information, and straw man arguments which they repeat ad nauseum until their listeners can think of nothing else. Case in point, one of the answerers directly quoted Ann Coulter. It's to the point where if anyone in the 'Politics' section uses anything but Fox or a conservative blogger as a source they are instantly eliminated from consideration due to 'liberal bias'. You might even be able to say they are brainwashed. I still have an impossible time trying to figure out how these people can get all of their information from one place and claim that it is law, and yet when liberals listen to multiple news sources and make judgments from that it is illegitimate.

Answer 7

People usually do not understand what they attack. Its no different when the people on here attack conservatives they have no idea what we actually stand for. And whats worse is that the people who use these boards to attack each other have no desire to know anything about what they are attacking and its true on both sides.

example= libtards are socialists
example= neocons are all gay

Answer 8

The word liberal has been demonized as baby killer and some sort of pro-islamoterrorist.

I get into yahoo answers fights daily it seems saying "I love my 4 year old son and I'm pro choice why are pro life people saying I hate babies?"

To which the reply from someone rational is "you've been lied to into thinking abortion helps mothers"

so, the propoganda war has targeted the word liberal, its the rush machine

Answer 9

First poster, if you think American Liberalism is Socialism, your pretty damn wrong. Compared to European liberalism, its so wishy-washy and just..not liberal.

Honestly people, terminologies, learn them!

Answer 10

I think you’re missing the basic point of the attacks. Their purpose is just to blindly attack liberals and knowing anything about liberalism is not necessary for that purpose. Some attackers are knowledgeable and just intentionally lie, as you see from many of the posts on Yahoo Answers, but knowledge is irrelevant to their ideological venom.