Main Entry: lib·er·al
Pronunciation: 'li-b(&-)r&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin liberalis suitable for a freeman, generous, from liber free; perhaps akin to Old English lEodan to grow, Greek eleutheros free
1 : BROAD-MINDED; especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms
2 a : of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism b capitalized : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism; especially :
of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated
with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater
individual participation in government, and constitutional, political,
and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives
So when did this become a swear word, as seen in the recent Bush-Kerry
debate and as seen used in such a sneering context by many Bush
supporters? When did it become so strong a word in a political scene
that the accusation could destroy someone’s political aspirations?
“You’re not fit to lead! You’re liberal!”
Bizarreness…
8 Responses to “Liberals”
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When the typical example of the breed (in the States) is a self-hating, blame-the-victim, terrorist-appeasing, statist, lettuce-muncher, perhaps?
Oh, that answer wasn’t meant to be hostile in any way, just the best one-line definition I could come up with at the time…
Is that really the typical example of the breed? Or is it just another stereotype that really only exists in caricatures and in one or two extreme cases?
And lettuce rocks.
S’cool, didn’t think it was meant in a hostile way!
Yeah….see for example, Michael Moore, Noam Choamsky or Howard Dean.
Oh, I like lettuce as well…as long as there’s plenty of salt and pepper on it. Especially crunchy iceberg lettuce.
Your examples do tend to go too far, but I see it more as extreme counter-reactions in an environment where a more balanced, deliberated point of view is ignored, derided and/or swept under the carpet in patriotic fervor.
Lambs lettuce, all the way.
*Proud* to be a liberal!
Besides ‘fuck’ is considered a bad word too… but that doesn’t mean most of us don’t like it
Well…what you see as “patriotic fervor” I see as simply standing up for our rights not to be terrorised back to the 7th century.
But then I am generally described as “somewhere to the right of Gengis Khan” on a lot of matters