All it does it confuse people. When leftists are derisively using the term :LIB: , they're invariably focusing on the "free market/capital" part of the equation. Unfortunately, "liberalism" also includes support of individual rights, civil liberties, equality, and democracy.

Maybe instead the people you disagree with should just be called "capitalists" or "caps" because then you're actually attacking the heart of the matter.

I understand this because part of my genesis years ago included defending Bill Gates and his charities, and people started calling me a dumb lib. I have enough humility that I followed up and did the research to better understand what they were talking about, but my visceral response to being called a lib was, "Yeah, I'm a lib, I'm left of center, in what kooky frame of reference is that an insult?" It draws a dumb line in the sand that most people will see you as a silly ideologue.

So yeah, move on from :LIB: :liberalism:

  • Perplexiglass [they/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    If you google "liberal" the standard political definition includes all those features (in addition to free markets). So when it's used as a pejorative, it's like, "Wait, what? So you don't believe in those virtues? Why would that be an insult?"

      • Perplexiglass [they/them]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Well, don't also forget that under "liberalism" in the 50s there was a 90% tax bracket and all sorts of social service welfare programs. It's just the system has been operating under corruption for so long that there's barely any redeeming value left. Unfortunately other systems are equally prone to corruption.

          • Perplexiglass [they/them]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Yeah, but those things went away (for the most part). I'm just saying there was a time when certain things were possible, but Capitalism in its unbridled sociopathic zeal had other ideas.

            • wtypstanaccount04 [he/him]
              ·
              3 years ago

              Yes, and why did they go away, ya filthy fucking :LIB: ? Was it by peacefully following all of the laws and by vooooooting?

              • Perplexiglass [they/them]
                ·
                3 years ago

                If you want to compare incremental change to a full-blown revolution, I'll sit here and wave my little M4A flag while you go pipe bomb infrastructure and give the cryptofascists more ammunition to take this country hostage.

                Potato, potato.

                • wtypstanaccount04 [he/him]
                  ·
                  3 years ago

                  I might have dunked on you a little too hard, but you're still a :LIB: . :vote: ing is fine, but it can't be the end of political action. First we demonstrate peacefully, and if that isn't enough (it hasn't been) we step it up. Kneeling for the flag didn't change anything, so over time the BLM protests ramped up until we burned down a police station. That burning by the way had a 54% approval rating.