What does it mean to be Liberal?

[r0ckyreed]

My dad showed me this article below after watching Leo’s new video on Learning = Distinction.

When political debates arise, it is important to ask, what does it mean to be liberal? What do our policies mean? What do people mean by being liberal? Why is there so much debate? 
 

I am quite new to studying politics. I look forward to hearing liberal thought and conservative thought on this article below:
 

“I'm a liberal, but that doesn't mean what a lot of you apparently think it does. Let's break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for. Spoiler alert: not every liberal is the same, though the majority of liberals I know think along roughly these same lines:

1. I believe a country should take care of its weakest members. A country cannot call itself civilized when its children, disabled, sick, and elderly are neglected. PERIOD.

2. I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Somehow that's interpreted as "I believe Obamacare is the end-all, be-all." This is not the case. I'm fully aware that the ACA has problems, that a national healthcare system would require everyone to chip in, and that it's impossible to create one that is devoid of flaws, but I have yet to hear an argument against it that makes "let people die because they can't afford healthcare" a better alternative. I believe healthcare should be far cheaper than it is, and that everyone should have access to it. And no, I'm not opposed to paying higher taxes in the name of making that happen.

3. I believe education should be affordable. It doesn't necessarily have to be free (though it works in other countries so I'm mystified as to why it can't work in the US), but at the end of the day, there is no excuse for students graduating college saddled with five- or six-figure debt.

4. I don't believe your money should be taken from you and given to people who don't want to work. I have literally never encountered anyone who believes this. Ever. I just have a massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying because they can't afford to go to the doctor. Fair wages, lower housing costs, universal healthcare, affordable education, and the wealthy actually paying their share would go a long way toward alleviating this. Somehow believing that makes me a communist.

5. I don't throw around "I'm willing to pay higher taxes" lightly. If I'm suggesting something that involves paying more, well, it's because I'm fine with paying my share as long as it's actually going to something besides lining corporate pockets or bombing other countries while Americans die without healthcare.

6. I believe companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, livable wage. Somehow this is always interpreted as me wanting burger flippers to be able to afford a penthouse apartment and a Mercedes. What it actually means is that no one should have to work three full-time jobs just to keep their head above water. Restaurant servers should not have to rely on tips, multibillion-dollar companies should not have employees on food stamps, workers shouldn't have to work themselves into the ground just to barely make ends meet, and minimum wage should be enough for someone to work 40 hours and live.

7. I am not anti-Christian. I have no desire to stop Christians from being Christians, to close churches, to ban the Bible, to forbid prayer in school, etc. (BTW, prayer in school is NOT illegal; *compulsory* prayer in school is - and should be - illegal). All I ask is that Christians recognize *my* right to live according to *my* beliefs. When I get pissed off that a politician is trying to legislate Scripture into law, I'm not "offended by Christianity" -- I'm offended that you're trying to force me to live by your religion's rules. You know how you get really upset at the thought of Muslims imposing Sharia law on you? That's how I feel about Christians trying to impose biblical law on me. Be a Christian. Do your thing. Just don't force it on me or mine.

8. I don't believe LGBT people should have more rights than you. I just believe they should have the *same* rights as you.

9. I don't believe illegal immigrants should come to America and have the world at their feet, especially since THIS ISN'T WHAT THEY DO (spoiler: undocumented immigrants are ineligible for all those programs they're supposed to be abusing, and if they're "stealing" your job it's because your employer is hiring illegally). I believe there are far more humane ways to handle undocumented immigration than our current practices (i.e., detaining children, splitting up families, ending DACA, etc).

10. I don't believe the government should regulate everything, but since greed is such a driving force in our country, we NEED regulations to prevent cut corners, environmental destruction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. It's not that I want the government's hands in everything -- I just don't trust people trying to make money to ensure that their products/practices/etc. are actually SAFE. Is the government devoid of shadiness? Of course not. But with those regulations in place, consumers have recourse if they're harmed and companies are liable for medical bills, environmental cleanup, etc. Just kind of seems like common sense when the alternative to government regulation is letting companies bring their bottom line into the equation.

11. I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I can’t get over an election, but because I've spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past.

12. I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think, and desperately needs to be addressed. Which means those with privilege -- white, straight, male, economic, etc. -- need to start listening, even if you don't like what you're hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that's causing people to be marginalized.

13. I am not interested in coming after your blessed guns, nor is anyone serving in government. What I am interested in is the enforcement of present laws and enacting new, common sense gun regulations. Got another opinion? Put it on your page, not mine.

14. I believe in so-called political correctness. I prefer to think it’s social politeness. If I call you Chuck and you say you prefer to be called Charles I’ll call you Charles. It’s the polite thing to do. Not because everyone is a delicate snowflake, but because as Maya Angelou put it, when we know better, we do better. When someone tells you that a term or phrase is more accurate/less hurtful than the one you're using, you now know better. So why not do better? How does it hurt you to NOT hurt another person?

15. I believe in funding sustainable energy, including offering education to people currently working in coal or oil so they can change jobs. There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else.

16. I believe that women should not be treated as a separate class of human. They should be paid the same as men who do the same work, should have the same rights as men and should be free from abuse. Why on earth shouldn’t they be?

I think that about covers it. Bottom line is that I'm a liberal because I think we should take care of each other. That doesn't mean you should work 80 hours a week so your lazy neighbor can get all your money. It just means I don't believe there is any scenario in which preventable suffering is an acceptable outcome as long as money is saved.”

 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ron-howard-i-am-liberal-essay/

Edited May 26, 2020 by r0ckyreed

[Roy]

The explanation for why there is so much mindless debate and hostility in politics these days is pretty simple. Technology has ruined our attention spans. Most people can't be bothered nor care enough to sit and listen and discuss specific policies or nuanced POV. Not to mention most of the "discussion" takes place on public platforms like youtube, media, or tv where people are trying to score points with the eyes watching.

People hear one point or policy from another person, and because they are intellectually lazy and have no attention span, they just automatically classify them in their head broadly as a "liberal" or "alt-right", and assume they hold a bunch of other positions based on that caricature. Of course people are much more complicated than that. For example I've got policy views and attitudes that swing all over the place. From supporting universal health-care to the death penalty. I can't even think of a word for myself lol.

Obviously this sort of political clashing is nothing new. It's just that modern technology and media has served as the perfect nesting ground for it. Everyone gets to pile up their own ideological mole hill and then gets everyone who thinks the same to come over and hands them a shovel.

The ultimate circle-jerk.

[Preety_India]

 

Labeling people into boxes is usually an easy mechanism for the lazy brain to not have to deal with sorting new information. 

Political opinions about different subjects can span over an entire spectrum from left to right. 

Most people might not fit into any category. So categorizing people is just stereotyping. 

Stereotyping doesn't allow fine nuances to be noticed. 

There is nothing wrong with being a liberal or a conservative. Either way most people just want a happy life. 

All the clashing is just drama  and distraction from any actual accomplishment. That's how the devil played his game, sowing the seeds of division and waiting for chaos to ensue. 

 

 

 

[silene]

1 hour ago, r0ckyreed said:

11. I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I can’t get over an election, but because I've spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past.

Out of interest, what are the similarities you can see? I don't have any agenda on this, but it just stood out as a strong statement in your post (most of which I agree with by the way). 

[DivineSoda]

1 hour ago, Preety_India said:

 

Labeling people into boxes is usually an easy mechanism for the lazy brain to not have to deal with sorting new information. 

Political opinions about different subjects can span over an entire spectrum from left to right. 

Most people might not fit into any category. So categorizing people is just stereotyping. 

Stereotyping doesn't allow fine nuances to be noticed. 

There is nothing wrong with being a liberal or a conservative. Either way most people just want a happy life. 

All the clashing is just drama  and distraction from any actual accomplishment. That's how the devil played his game, sowing the seeds of division and waiting for chaos to ensue. 

 

 

 

Yep.. and I would even go as far as to say it is like this by design. Natural hierarchies of societies don't want the common people to have nuance and complexity in their thinking. They are more easily controlled this way. So we're constantly fighting and arguing about our identities and ideologies of right vs. wrong. It keeps us going in circles rather than realizing how much more we have in common than different.

We do it too, right here on this forum.