This is the first installment in a series-The Truth About Liberalism, in which I plan on dispelling many of the myths that are so often brought up whenever a conservative is trying to incite an anti-liberal riot. Of course, everything in this series is information most conservatives would rather you didn't know because it doesn't portray the better side of the fence as doped up, communist, flip-flopping, gay, pro-terrorist hippies. You could call this part "Liberalism 101" if you wanted.
According to Oxford's Dictionary and Thesaurus, Liberal:(adj) 1)tolerant, respecting individual freedom (in politics), favoring moderate social reform 2) generous 3) (of interpretation) not strict of exact.
The synonyms listed for liberal are: Tolerant, broad-minded, open-minded, enlightened, unprejudiced 2) generous, open-handed
Another word we sometimes describe ourselves with is progressive. I think the word speaks for itself, having to do with progress, moving forward, and improvement.
The definition of conservative? Conservative: 1) Opposed to change, (of an estimate) purposely low
Synonyms: conventional, traditional, orthodox, cautious, unadventurous, old-fashioned, reactionary (it should be noted that the definition of reactionary is: opposed to progress and reform)
So, as liberals, we believe that individual freedoms (the first amendment, heck, the whole constitution, anybody?) are good, we're open minded, tolerant, willing to change things that don't work so that we can improve. And what's a conservative? Somebody who's old-fashioned and opposed to change. Hmm, in the olden days we had slavery, and a bunch of people didn't want to change that.
Thank God we've got liberals.
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4 comments:
What say's that holding back is a bad thing instead of jumping into things that will make the rest of the world mad at them?
FIRST
What? Can you re-write that? I'm confused.
very useful article. I would love to follow you on twitter.
What? I call Poisoning the Well against this argument. You are trying to tell us that "traditional values" are bad because Americans traditionally owned slaves. Sure, throw in slavery and immediately people will listen to you (you think)! No. First of all, the definition of Liberal and Conservative has reversed since the 19th century. The Liberals of that century are equivalent to the Conservatives of the previous one. Thus, I call myself a true conservative. I want to conserve the Constitution and its values, laws, spirit and freedoms. Do I believe that gays should get married, or raise families? No, but I'm not gonna support government officials who would force that ideal upon them. Do I approve of porn in a family home? No, but I'm not gonna support those who would outlaw porn. That's a personal decision, just as the decision to buy a gun and ammo is a personal one that the government should have no part of. Censorship is tantamount to communism, and hinders free speech and knowledge. Striving for equality does not mean forcing it upon the people. Look at the liberals these days; most of them stand for forcing their beliefs upon children, as well as adults. George H.W. Bush is a liberal: don't believe me? No Child Left Behind. Like most liberal ideas, it sounds good on paper but cannot be implemented without screwing the hard-working, responsible kids who actually enjoy studying and school. Look it up.
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