what's a "liberal"...?

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  • RainDogRainDog Posts: 1,824
    surferdude wrote:
    I think trying to legislate "morality" is just another attempt at trading freedoms for security but labelled and marketed differently.
    Can't argue with that.
  • RainDog wrote:
    Ah, yes. The blanket statement.

    To answer your question, no. It's just a dictionary. It merely provides definitions. It makes no attempt at understanding abstract concepts such as irony; though I do imagine I could find the definition of irony there.

    So, who's going to better protect your civil liberties - a corporation who's soley accountable to the bottom line or an elected entity accountable to an energized voting population?

    As for the granting of freedoms to one person necessarily taking freedom from another? Well, the definition did say "maximum individual freedom possible." Still, though, I don't agree with your assessment of freedom; unless you're arguing that freedom doesn't actually exist in a truly literal sense. It doesn't, of course. However, as a concept, I don't find any correlation of freedom being a zero sum game - that one person becomes more free by making someone else less so. Sure, there are examples: the civil rights movement for one. White people no longer have the freedom to torch blacks with impunity. Industries no longer have the freedom to employ children for 14 hours a day. The government no longer has the freedom to scrutinize every aspect of an individual's personal life (though it's getting that freedom back with a vengence).

    The truth is, both government and business have the capacity to take away your freedoms. Both need oversight to ensure our liberty. A truly "free" market isn't any more capable of protecting freedom than a totalitarian government.

    However, when governments have laws written into them that limit their 'right' to hamper individual liberty, and they have the power to force business to follow the same standards, then achieving "maximum individual freedom" is possible.

    great explanation.
    "We have to change the concept of patriotism to one of “matriotism” — love of humanity that transcends war. A matriarch would never send her own children off to wars that kill other people’s children." Cindy Sheehan
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  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • AbuskedtiAbuskedti Posts: 1,917
    surferdude wrote:
    Someone who believes that government has the answer to all your problems, even in the face of empirical evidence that shows otherwise.

    If that were the case - then there are very few..
  • polarispolaris Posts: 3,527
    VictoryGin wrote:
    baby-killer

    feminazi

    welfare recipient

    educated


    ha! ... educated ... anyhoo - my 2 cents is that it might be a generalization in its origin but now has been made to become a slag with no apparent reasoning whatsoever ... all it takes is a few people to say "liberals are ..." and boom we got a catchphrase similar to "flip flop" ...
  • Liberal's are the idiot's that blame America for all the shit that goes on in the world.Mostly Europein's and Canadian's...ya got that right.Basically those who kill baby's,want criminal's to bee freed,gays to be together,destroy the nucular weapon's and some how create world peace.They always got somethin to bitch about
    I’d thank my lucky stars,
    to be livin here today.
    ‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
    and they can’t take that away.

    And I’m proud to be an American,
    where at least I know I’m free.
    And I wont forget the men who died,
    who gave that right to me.
  • qwerty1qwerty1 Posts: 142
    Dino283 wrote:
    Liberal's are the idiot's that blame America for all the shit that goes on in the world.Mostly Europein's and Canadian's...ya got that right.Basically those who kill baby's,want criminal's to bee freed,gays to be together,destroy the nucular weapon's and some how create world peace.They always got somethin to bitch about


    Hey Dino, have you ever been to Canada or Europe?
    This sidewalk is for regular walking, not for fancy walking!
  • PaperPlatesPaperPlates Posts: 1,745
    inmytree wrote:
    I'm serious...I see and hear the term all the time...while I understand the term has a negative connotation, at the same time, it's pretty subjective...

    I'm really curious as to what it "means"....

    A american liberal is an american who wishes they were european.


    A euro-wanna be.



    When you boil it all down.
    Why go home

    www.myspace.com/jensvad
  • JeanwahJeanwah Posts: 6,363
    Weird how the conservatives on here think that "liberal" has something to do with being from another country (Europe, the great land of Cananda). You people must forget that America was built on the ideals of a melting pot, home of the FREE (as in free-thinking, free to choose one's religion, free to voice an opinion about anything, free from being told what to do, what to say, etc.). One of the great things about being liberally minded is that we're free thinkers, instead of blindly following whatever dink is in charge. I guess that's what conservatives are for. ;) I pity any sucker that doesn't think for him/herself.

    Just because we're under an ass-backwards, christian-headed, closet pediphilia, lying, "do as I say and don't do as I do" kind of gov't, doesn't mean that to be liberal has to be someone who lives in a different country. I bet deep down, you all secretly admire how free those foreigners are and wish you were the same, but you can't figure them out so you automatically dismiss the term "liberal" as one of them.

    On behalf of the liberals in the states, I'd say that we feel honored that you'd compare us to our free-thinking counterparts, but we're very much American. We just can't believe the atrocities that are being acted out in America today and that Bush gets away with his criminal actions. It's a shame more people don't think more for themselves, more often.
  • PaperPlatesPaperPlates Posts: 1,745
    Jeanwah wrote:
    Weird how the conservatives on here think that "liberal" has something to do with being from another country (Europe, the great land of Cananda). You people must forget that America was built on the ideals of a melting pot, home of the FREE (as in free-thinking, free to choose one's religion, free to voice an opinion about anything, free from being told what to do, what to say, etc.). One of the great things about being liberally minded is that we're free thinkers, instead of blindly following whatever dink is in charge. I guess that's what conservatives are for. ;) I pity any sucker that doesn't think for him/herself.

    Just because we're under an ass-backwards, christian-headed, closet pediphilia, lying, "do as I say and don't do as I do" kind of gov't, doesn't mean that to be liberal has to be someone who lives in a different country. I bet deep down, you all secretly admire how free those foreigners are and wish you were the same, but you can't figure them out so you automatically dismiss the term "liberal" as one of them.

    On behalf of the liberals in the states, I'd say that we feel honored that you'd compare us to our free-thinking counterparts, but we're very much American. We just can't believe the atrocities that are being acted out in America today and that Bush gets away with his criminal actions. It's a shame more people don't think more for themselves, more often.

    I find it funny that every liberal I hear speak about how conservatives and Americans in general need to learn how to think for themselves, ALL SAY THAT IN ALMOST THE EXACT SAME PHRASING WORD FOR WORD. Free thinking my ass.
    Why go home

    www.myspace.com/jensvad
  • JeanwahJeanwah Posts: 6,363
    I find it funny that every liberal I hear speak about how conservatives and Americans in general need to learn how to think for themselves, ALL SAY THAT IN ALMOST THE EXACT SAME PHRASING WORD FOR WORD. Free thinking my ass.

    I take it that you'd rather not think for yourself, then. That's what you're implying here, anyway. I had no idea I say it the same way as someone else, I'm talking for myself here. But if you say that I say the exact same thing as every other "liberal" then I guess you're "right" then. Whatever!! I guess that makes you feel better, huh.
  • DCGARDENDCGARDEN Posts: 515
    I Think Of A Man.....and Then I Take Away Reason And Accountability
    I'll keep taking punches
    Untill their will grows tired
  • DCGARDEN wrote:
    I Think Of A Man.....and Then I Take Away Reason And Accountability

    you just described the Bush administration
    hate was just a legend
  • you just described the Bush administration

    sad but true...a president that claims to try and find "weapons of mass destruction", but yet can't pronounce nuclear...a president that believes that war can be fought with any sum of money, yet believes social security will become bankrupt...you begin to think is really an idiot, because it takes a level of ingeneous malice to make smart americans think you're stupid, some say cheney is running the country, but what if condoleeza rice was elected? would we be better or worse off, i think worse, all bush and cheney need to do is keep the war up and running killing those who want nothing but to live peacefully and risking the lives of those who only want to serve their country in what they think is just, to get more republicans in power, "compassionate conservative"(an oxymoron, in and of itself), i think not. please if you care at all about what you just read then come 2008 and vote to make a difference and end this madness...
    "Feel it rising, yeah next stop falling!"

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  • lgtlgt Posts: 720
    Jeanwah wrote:
    Weird how the conservatives on here think that "liberal" has something to do with being from another country (Europe, the great land of Cananda).

    The irony of course is that in Europe a liberal party is now considered to be on the right of the political spectrum.
  • inmytreeinmytree Posts: 4,741
    A american liberal is an american who wishes they were european.


    A euro-wanna be.



    When you boil it all down.

    what does this mean...? Could you define a "euro-wanna be", please...?

    I really don't know many who "wishes they were european"...do you...?
  • inmytreeinmytree Posts: 4,741
    I find it both sad and funny that those who throw the term "liberal" around really can't define it...

    I guess labels do make things easier, after all, when the labels are used, the user doesn't have to think....
  • an advocate of personal liberty and economic policies that have built a robust middle class
  • Basically, (And I try to be as Unbiased as I can) A liberal is usually/usually stands for:

    Letting every foreighner into the country
    Abolishing the death penalty
    Think Human rights etc.
    Anti abortion
    Pro-Homosexuality
    They are mainly behind Political Correction
    They're into freedom of speech etc. (Even if sometimes they contradict themselves)
    Usually they are Upper/Middle class, the typical kind who send their kids to private school and get into 'Beat the Jones's' situations.


    I say this not as a joke, but at the main Liberal extreme, alot of them kinda wave in and out of those beliefs which there is nothing wrong with I guess, I do the same but from a more 'Right wing' way, although saying that, there are some Liberal beliefs that I can look at and think 'Yeah, I'll go with that'


    I don't really like to get into politics much, but when I do I only dip my toe in the pond, I dont get into it very much.
    no matter where you go,
    there you are.

    - brain of c
  • inmytree wrote:
    really...only the unemployed are "liberals"...?

    Yeah man, about half the country is unemployed. Didn't you hear?
  • Dino283 wrote:
    They always got somethin to bitch about

    Kind of like....You, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter
  • chopitdownchopitdown Posts: 2,222
    a liberal usually views the gov't and money as the answer to problems (if i throw enough money at a problem it will get better, rather than addressing the underlying situations b/c that may involve criticizing people). They are usually compassionate, yet idealistic. I think sometimes they tend to derive ideas from a perfect world that don't always translate well in the real world. They tend to believe in the goodness of people and most people if given equal money and opportunity will be equal. The issues they are passionate about are freedom for people to do what they want, which is at odds with conservatives b/c liberals see things as a choice to be made and conservatives view that choice as skirting responsibility at times. They are responsible for the overly PC culture we live in and think that differences are bad (generally speaking there are easily exceptions so don't jump me) instead of just differences. They seem to think that happiness is a right. They try to legislate fairness and think that legislating it will make everyone get along. They have good intentions just like conservatives they just have a different frame of mind when thinking about it.
    make sure the fortune that you seek...is the fortune that you need
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