Do any of them know what the word “liberal” actually means?

  • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    17
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    I used to think it just was synonymous with the left, but I’ve recently been seeing a lot of comments on Lemmy saying liberals aren’t leftist so now I am not sure if it means anything or if those Lemmings are just dumb.

    I’ve grown up with the term “bleeding heart liberals” being applied to groups like Green Peace and hippies that promote love and unity by people who are just complete pieces of shit, and in that context I was always like “I guess I’m a liberal 🤷🏻‍♂️”

    • bl_r@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      7 months ago

      Liberals are somewhere between center left and center right. In the US, the alternative to republicanism is the “liberal party” and because they often encompass people further left than the party line, they are seen as left wing. Generally, I associate people who are always in favor of slow electoral measures, a strong state, strong individualistic rights that are positively defined (the right to do rather than not having the right to do) and the view that capitalism is the only method that had worked so far and is therefore best with liberalism. But thats far from an academic definition.

      When you add in the fact that people usually end up seeing another person’s politics in relative to their own, things get unintelligible for someone trying to pinpoint an ideology.

      An anarchist like myself will probably point towards someone like Biden or Obama and say they are a liberal or neoliberal, which is probably accurate enough (if I do say so myself), but I’ll also call conservatives like Romney, Bush, and Raegan, liberals or neoliberal even though those are people most self titled liberals would hate. A staunch authoritarian communist might call AOC or Sanders a liberal because they aren’t revolutionary communists, even though I’d personally consider them somewhat socialist progressives. Heck, I’ve ben called a liberal by hardcore communists even though my views are more similar to their definition of communism than theirs, and I’ve been called a liberal by some alt right people even though their views are closer to liberalism than mine.

      Fox news, on the other hand, would call a pink haired person on a college campus a liberal for the pink hair alone. They might label a gay trump supporter who has a pride flag a liberal because of their homophobia combined with the association pride has with liberals to them. They might call someone who is genuinely far left a liberal because they either can’t comprehend their beliefs or because they don’t catch some of the indicators that they are looking at a communist, anarchist, etc.

      • Tryptaminev@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        7 months ago

        US Dems and mainstream liberals are definitely right to far right by (mainland) European standards.

        The political window in the US is very different from the European ones.

        • bl_r@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          7 months ago

          Yeah. The US is a shit show. At least the Overton window now includes antizionism, small victories!

          I do think a lot of liberals are further right than they realize. But I don’t think it’s accurate to call them far right unless you solely are considering their economic ideology (which is reductionist), or are lumping in people who would probably be more accurately described with a better label. Or your perspective is skewed from being far enough left.

    • FozzyOsbourne@lemm.eeOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      7 months ago

      My thoughts exactly! Every real-life human I’ve ever spoken to uses it to mean open-minded and every definition I look up agrees, yet for some reason half the people posting here think it exclusively means economically-neo-liberal capitalist.

      • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        7 months ago

        The context is typically pretty important for how it is being used. The user of the term often provides more than enough context I find.

        If ‘liberal’ is being used in a derogatory sense, which isn’t going to be captured by an academic definition, it’s often aimed at neoliberalism in a pretty broad sense.

        Which is probably what this meme is referring to: the shared rejection of neoliberalism. The motivations are different but that’s immaterial to these things. I mean: it is specifically referencing an American political party here: so I wouldn’t be looking for a political science definition on ‘liberal’.

          • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            7 months ago

            Those statements are both true, but: Neoliberalism dominates both political parties in the United States and has for generations. The Democratic Party is also neoliberal, (often in spite of their voters.)

            The Republican Party’s neoliberalism has fostered fascist and christian nationalist factions to the point they may take over.

            The Democratic Party’s stance has been to try and absorb disaffected Republican neoliberal voters from the above.

            Which leaves ‘non-neoliberal American liberals’ with the choice of supporting… well it is and has been a successful right wing strategy to say the least.

            • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              7 months ago

              The Democratic Party’s stance has been to try and absorb disaffected Republican neoliberal voters from the above.

              That’s a leftist idea that Leftists just made up and are running with due to their own echo chambers. Dems do like capturing centrists, especially now the GOP has gone off the rails, but the coalition is absolutely led by progressives who push progressive policies as much as they can. The theory is to capture disaffected centrists and win them over with clearly superior Democrat policies and positions. Doesn’t always work, but that’s the play. When the Democratic party allows oil leases or higher border funding, it doesn’t do so skipping with joy. It does so reluctantly as part of a compromise to win other gains.

              This is the part where you get out the tin foil hats and claim that despite all evidence to the contrary, Democrats actually secretly want every bad thing ever to happen. Because they’re just that evil.

              • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                7 months ago

                Dems do like capturing centrists,

                Doesn’t always work, but that’s the play.

                Sure doesn’t. Very strong arguments to my point.

                • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  7 months ago

                  You didn’t even read it did you lol

                  Just like “aha, everything you said actually supports me!” like you think it’s some sort of debate uno reverse card

                  • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    ·
                    7 months ago

                    It doesn’t seem like you’re grasping that I wasn’t or haven’t really been refuting you.

                    The Democratic Party’s appeal to centrism by passing right wing policies is against their progressive base. The strategy doesn’t always work and it hasn’t been working.

                    So why you working yourself up?

      • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        7 months ago

        Yeah these are old school definitions, like how a “liberal education” means you get a broad education in differing perspectives (ironically, this term is now associated with a Eurocentric take on topics). In the same sense, “liberal policies” would mean freedom of religion, sexuality, etc.

        All good things that progressives agree with, but it also entails more pernicious property rights, and the protection of the state/establishment against those who threaten those rights.

        It doesn’t necessarily have to be this way, but this is what I believe it’s come to mean in practice. It also has very little to do with how one votes, especially in a democracy like the U.S. where you’ve just got your “monkey loves you” and “monkey needs a hug” choices.

      • Jimmyeatsausage@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        7 months ago

        It’s easier than accepting nuance, and it’s usually from the same people who demonstrate that same lack of nuance in everything else they post.

      • Tryptaminev@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        7 months ago

        1 favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

        2 noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.

        3 of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism, especially the freedom of the individual and governmental guarantees of individual rights and liberties.

        4 favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, especially as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.

        5 favoring or permitting freedom of action, especially with respect to matters of personal belief or expression:

        6 of or relating to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.

        7 free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant

        8 open-minded or tolerant, especially free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.

        Only 5,7 and 8 are “open minded” Being favorable to progress does not mean being open minded and what constitutes as progressive is in itself up to debate. Individual rights and liberties can be understood as neo-liberal capitalism of “well the law allows you, your economic situation doesn’t concern us, and now back to slaving 60 hours a week.” Or it could mean “We need to enable people to enjoy their liberties so we need to ensure their basic human dignity with healthcare, education and social welfare to empower them.”

    • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      7 months ago

      ‘Liberal’ is one of those words that has so many definitions that it can have contradictory meanings. It can mean ‘open to / tolerant of’. It can denote a style of education that tries to be broad rather than deep. It can describe various political positions - the ‘Liberal Party’ is left-wing in Chile, centrist in the UK and Canada, and right-wing in Russia, Japan and Australia. This is also what OP is memeing about. At this point, to avoid confusion, I would just avoid using the word except in the purely academic / technical sense.

    • Aux@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      7 months ago

      Some authoritarians strongly believe that they’re far left. But an authoritarian regime cannot be left. If you’re not liberal, you’re an authoritarian, not left, and it doesn’t matter what type of authoritarian bull shit you’re subscribing to.

    • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      7 months ago

      I used to think it just was synonymous with the left, but I’ve recently been seeing a lot of comments on Lemmy saying liberals aren’t leftist so now I am not sure if it means anything or if those Lemmings are just dumb.

      @Cowbee@lemmy.ml

      I’ve been fucking telling you, insisting on a Eurocentric definition confuses people, and that confusion is exploited by fascists.

      American definition of liberal: socially liberal

      European definition of liberal: economically liberal