"Liberals!"

[amicus]

Why is "liberal" a pejorative term to most Americans?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_liberalism

Classical liberalism (also known as traditional liberalism[1], laissez-faire liberalism[2], and market liberalism[3] or, outside the United States and Britain, sometimes simply liberalism[citation needed]) is a doctrine stressing individual freedom, free markets, and limited government. This includes the importance of human rationality, individual property rights, natural rights, the protection of civil liberties, individual freedom from restraint, equality under the law, constitutional limitation of government, free markets, and a gold standard to place fiscal constraints on government[4] as exemplified in the writings of John Locke, Adam Smith, David Hume, David Ricardo, Voltaire, Montesquieu and others.

~~~~

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_liberalism

Social liberalism is a political position that supports heavier regulation of the economy and more welfare than other types of liberalism, particularly classical liberalism. Moreover, social liberals consider the accumulation of wealth and power by a small group as a threat to liberty.

Amicus...

 

[sr71plt]

Probably for the same reason "conservative" is a pejorative term.

because too many people are narrow minded and ideologically trapped.

 

[SweetPrettyAss]

Probably because Liberals insist that people are not responsible for their own actions. There is always something like peer pressure and psychology and toilet training and bad schools and bad childhoods and anything else to blame their bad behavior on. Liberals also favor things like racial and gender quotas in hiring and social promotions in schools and school bussing and a lot of other things that are seen by sensible people as doing more harm than good.

 

[BentSecrets]

Add to that the fact that the word Liberal, as defined by history and any good dictionary, in no way reflects the people who wear that label today. Those who call themselves Liberals today are in fact *Progressives*.

 

[ILBurbsGuy]

It's interesting that when I did some reading about what is a liberal, I found some concepts that I associate with conservatives as well as well as those that I thought of as more liberal. Liberals believe in individual liberty but also look to an expanded role of government in regulating to solve problems or perceived problems while the conservative would look to the private sector to deal with those issues. Those with a negative view about liberals are perhaps looking to the part of the expansion of government spending that occurred to help the poor starting around the Johnson administration. There are good intentions behind these programs, but a downside is the way they can expand and have a segment of society rely upon the assistance rather than improve their own situation.

 

[oggbashan]

Why is "liberal" a pejorative term to most Americans?

Amicus...

Why is "liberal" a pejorative term to Amicus, equated to "socialist", "marxist", etc?

Why can't he understand that people can hold a different view of the world without necessarily being "liberal", "socialist" or "marxist" in his terms?

Why can't Amicus understand logic or recognise that changing the whole basis of an argument isn't a valid defence?

Why can't a woman be more like a man? (Sorry, that's a quote from My Fair Lady)...

Og

 

[Liar]

Add to that the fact that the word Liberal, as defined by history and any good dictionary, in no way reflects the people who wear that label today. Those who call themselves Liberals today are in fact *Progressives*.

Indeed. And many of those who call themselves Conservatives are in fact Reactionaries.

 

[off2bed]

Liberals don't like being called that because they don't like liberty. Either that, or they're just easily offended.

 

[off2bed]

Indeed. And many of those who call themselves Conservatives are in fact Reactionaries.

That is accurate, in that the things conservatives want to conserve haven't existed in years. One could say the colonists who sided with the Redcoats were "conservatives."

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

When I worked for government I had a case involving a violent alcoholic. He landed on my turf after he beat the crap out of mom and daughter. The cops tossed him in jail and the sweet judge tossed him out with little or no criminal consequences.

So the state went after him for the domestic violence and the child abuse, in civil court. My job was to assess the family and formulate a plan to end the alcohol abuse and violence. I put a plan together, submitted it to the court, and daddy was ordered to accept alcohol treatment and anger management therapy. During a 6 month period I sent daddy 6 referrals for treatment (no cost to him) and he used none of them. Plus he was jailed by the police for drunk driving with no valid drivers license.

The sweet, liberal judge blew it all off, and eventually closed his case. She indicated that the poor man was a victim of his own opposition & defiance of authority.

 

[Liar]

Liberals don't like being called that because they don't like liberty. Either that, or they're just easily offended.

I had no idea Liberals don't like being called Liberals. Liberals don't like the word being used as if it was interchangeable with Commie Hippie.

And Liberals like liberty. Social and civil liberty. Which is why the right equates Liberal with Hippie. But they are not as keen on financial and corporate liberty. Which is why the right equates Liberal with Commie.

Libertarians (like me, athough I'm so moderate I still get called a Commie now and then) are the ones who have a boner for civil, social, financial and corporate liberties alike.

 

[sr71plt]

Probably because Liberals insist that people are not responsible for their own actions. There is always something like peer pressure and psychology and toilet training and bad schools and bad childhoods and anything else to blame their bad behavior on. Liberals also favor things like racial and gender quotas in hiring and social promotions in schools and school bussing and a lot of other things that are seen by sensible people as doing more harm than good.

Excuse me? Where were you when LaJoke went postal on me on this forum because I advocated someone being responsible for their own actions? And I am proudly an ultraliberal. I go back to the problem being in the label caller--no one is all of anything. The only ones suggesting they are are the ones trying to box them up as something no one would want to be.

 

[Pure]

amicus research on "social liberalism"

Social liberalism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (February 2009)
This article contains weasel words, vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. (February 2009)

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amicus: Why is "liberal" a pejorative term to most Americans?

no evidence presented. ami's just spewing rush.

 

[DesertPirate]

Going by the real definition, Joe Lieberman is the only Liberal in Washington. The rest are just far left flakes!

 

[rengadeirishman]

only a fool gets his definitions from wikipedia.

by that same logic, i could go on wiki, say that objectivism is the philosophy of being a "heartless, selfish blowhard who cares only for yourself", then turn around and post it as a valid definition.

o wait

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

only a fool gets his definitions from wikipedia.

by that same logic, i could go on wiki, say that objectivism is the philosophy of being a "heartless, selfish blowhard who cares only for yourself", then turn around and post it as a valid definition.

o wait

YOURE A TYPICAL CLUELESS MICK.

 

[cloudy]

Going by the real definition, Joe Lieberman is the only Liberal in Washington. The rest are just far left flakes!

Kinda like those that go by the name "conservative" these days are really right-wing neo-nazis who want to force their beliefs down every one else's throat.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

CLOUDY?

What's your point?

 

[amicus]

In the style of Jeff Foxworthy, the comedian, You can tell you are a Liberal if:

...you believe abortion is a matter of women's reproductive rights and not the premeditated taking of a human life.

...you believe that same sex relationships exist on an equal par with hereto sexual activities.

...you belief that the public should be educated by confiscating funds from all citizens to education your children.

...you believe that the rest of the people should pay for your health care.

...you belief in the class warfare of labor versus business and that labor unions are anything but the use of force and coercion.

...you believe that 'war' is never an option in defending individual rights and properties and the sovereignty of a nation.

...you believe the environment is of greater importance than the people.

...you believe that global warming is caused by man and not normative climate change.

...you believe that 'rights' are the province of the whole and not the individual.

...you believe that African Americans and Native Americans deserve compensation or affirmative action or 'quota's' for any reason

~~~~~

If you 'believe' in any single one of those things, you are a Liberal. Even if you are a 'single issue', liberal, you are still a liberal. Not only that, but since each and every one of those issues is at odds with all that it means to be American, all what it means to respect the Constitution and Bill of Rights, it means that you are anti American.

Thas why 'modern' liberals is a pejorative reference.

amicus...

 

[cloudy]

since each and every one of those issues is at odds with all that it means to be American, all what it means to respect the Constitution and Bill of Rights, it means that you are anti American.

Oh, get over yourself, ami. No one believes that...I doubt even you do.

 

[wmrs2]

Why is "liberal" a pejorative term to Amicus, equated to "socialist", "marxist", etc?

Why can't he understand that people can hold a different view of the world without necessarily being "liberal", "socialist" or "marxist" in his terms?

Why can't Amicus understand logic or recognise that changing the whole basis of an argument isn't a valid defence?

Why can't a woman be more like a man? (Sorry, that's a quote from My Fair Lady)...

Og

Liberals have traditionally been viewed by Americans as an anti democratic group because of their efforts to distort the Constitution, undermined Christian American values, and promoted the new morality of anything goes if it feels good. The American belief, that the Western Civilization values life over government deciding who lives or who dies, is now at risk as the self-evident right of children to live and be happy is abolished through abortion laws. Liberals are taking us back to the Dark Ages where it was acceptable to kill children that were under age of accountability. This is just one reason liberal's code of ethics conflicts with the moral imperative of respect for the individual and for life.

 

[cloudy]

Liberals have traditionally been viewed by Americans as an anti democratic group because of their efforts to distort the Constitution, undermined Christian American values, and promoted the new morality of anything goes if it feels good. The American belief, that the Western Civilization values life over government deciding who lives or who dies, is now at risk as the self-evident right of children to live and be happy is abolished through abortion laws. Liberals are taking us back to the Dark Ages where it was acceptable to kill children that were under age of accountability. This is just one reason liberal's code of ethics conflicts with the moral imperative of respect for the individual and for life.

There is no such thing as "Christian American values." This country is in no way, shape or form a "Christian nation." It was founded in large part on the separation of church and state, and the founding fathers were deists, if they were anything.

Learn your history. As it is, you just make yourself look ridiculous.

 

[wmrs2]

Indeed. And many of those who call themselves Conservatives are in fact Reactionaries.

Progressive, a much more evil term designed to camouflage the destruction of self-evident truths that really do protect our freedom. Let's be conservative and keep the Constitution as it is. If liberals are allowed to skirt the rights of the Constitution, the American way of life is doomed.

 

[cloudy]

Progressive, a much more evil term designed to camouflage the destruction of self-evident truths that really do protect our freedom. Let's be conservative and keep the Constitution as it is. If liberals are allowed to skirt the rights of the Constitution, the American way of life is doomed.

Your boy Bush did more to destroy the Consitution than anyone in our history has.

Dear god, you're ignorant as fuck, aren't you?

 

[oggbashan]

Self-evident?

Every time you use the term "Self-evident" you make statements that are debatable and contentious. Such statements are the opposite of self-evident.

Please refrain from putting forward "truths" as self-evident when they are not.

Og