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Some ‘liberals’ are illiberal-minded.
On here, and in the land of political journalism, there is a sect of people known as ‘liberals’. The sect name is confusing in many ways. ‘Liberal’ at core means ‘free’ ‘open’ or ‘generous’. 1/
On here, and in the land of political journalism, there is a sect of people known as ‘liberals’. The sect name is confusing in many ways. ‘Liberal’ at core means ‘free’ ‘open’ or ‘generous’. 1/
But it’s been kicked around so wildly in lay socio-political discourse that dictionaries don’t know what to do with themselves. Some omit the definition of the word outside of politics altogether. 2/
Some reflect reality a bit by including competing political definitions. No two dictionaries arrive at the same place.
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‘Liberal institutions’ includes the word used in a socio-political context that these definitions don’t approach. Then there’s ‘liberal arts’ etc. One or two mention ‘liberal’ in the ‘generous’ sense but several omit that altogether. 4/
In the US, there is a political sect called ‘liberal’. Some people seem to think that the sect is called ‘liberal’ because they are soft-capitalist vs. ‘neoliberal’ being hard-capitalists. That ain’t it, though to be liberal and state-communist would be antithetical. 5/
Some forms of socialism are consistent with being liberal (according to most, but not the strict classical economics definition of the term). Some are not. What Americans term “progressive” is consistent with being liberal.
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There are also old-school definitions of conservative that can be consistent with being liberal - this is all in the definition of liberal in ‘liberal minded’ ‘tolerant of new ideas or difference’ ‘generous’ ‘free’ ‘open’ etc.
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But in the US, the political sect ‘liberal’ seems at the moment identified as the very broad set of people who were politically active Democratic voters in 2020 who did not support Bernie. 8/
But as Bernie is no longer an electoral question, I see that some of the differences within this broad group are becoming more noticeable.
A sharp one to me is: are you actually liberal-minded? Is your mind flexible or open? 9/
A sharp one to me is: are you actually liberal-minded? Is your mind flexible or open? 9/
I see people who got so entrenched in political primary warfare that they cannot accept that people who disagree with them on some policies (if those policies were identified with the other primary team) might actually be reasonable, well-intended people. 10/
Bernie’s campaign was illiberal: “if you don’t want M4A you want people to die”. This is illiberal. It is a big part of why I personally rejected Bernie as a candidate. Illiberalism.
But “if you are left of
This is rambling and I have to interrupt because daughter. Be back.
But “if you are left of
This is rambling and I have to interrupt because daughter. Be back.
Ugh. My daughter shows up “I’m meeting some friends at the park can you drive me?”
“OK give me 10 minutes”
“They’re already there! I never see anyone! I’m going to miss everything!”
Ok. Fair enough. Covid causes social stress.
“OK give me 10 minutes”
“They’re already there! I never see anyone! I’m going to miss everything!”
Ok. Fair enough. Covid causes social stress.
I’m going to restart without rambling. If you are in the ‘liberal’ sect but you’re position is “every single person left of me is a racist populist” you might be in that sect but you aren’t liberal.
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And TBH, I saw a few of ‘liberals’ leaning on the concerns of Black people in critiquing Bernie’s campaign and wondered to myself whether they were *using* or *supporting* Black people.
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Bernie’s a class reductionist. Always will be. His second campaign tried to tamp it down a little through policy proposals, but his extemporaneous speaking always reverted to type.
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