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

  • Neato
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    1 month ago

    It has 2 common definitions:

    1. Neo-liberal: a political approach that favors free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending
    2. Leftism in general.

    You’re almost never going to hear the right-wing use #1. Authoritarian communists will use #1 as a catch-all for modern capitalism.

    • @lugal@sopuli.xyz
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      331 month ago

      The US is such a right wing country that liberals are the mainstream left. In Europe, liberals are centrists and they aren’t further to the right than American libs.

      • Neato
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        71 month ago

        The meme says “American Republicans” so I thought we were considering this from an American pov. Definitions are going to change going to other countries and doubly so when talking about politics.

        • archomrade [he/him]
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          111 month ago

          It isn’t just about it meaning something else when ‘going to another country’. ‘Liberal’ has an actual definition with a history.

          I’m honestly kind of confused about american liberals digging their heals in on this definition when it has historically been taken to mean something they don’t seem to agree with anymore.

          • @CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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            01 month ago

            ‘Liberal’ has an actual definition with a history.

            The word “awful” has an actual definition with a history too. That history starts with it meaning “full of awe”
            https://www.etymonline.com/word/awful

            Word usage and definitions change over time. If you know people use a word differently then you need to at least explain the definition you are using or you’re just going to confuse or alienate people who understand the word differently.

            • archomrade [he/him]
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              01 month ago

              I’ll happily state my case for whatever usage I’m adopting, and ask for clarification when I suspect someone is operating on a different one, but I don’t see any case to be made for the vague american label when discussing anything beyond american electoral politics - for the same reason i’m happy to jab at the usage in the same context, because it’s the assumption of neutrality it asserts that I take issue with and am calling attention to.

          • @Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            I’m honestly kind of confused about american liberals digging their heals in on this definition when it has historically been taken to mean something they don’t seem to agree with anymore.

            Because regardless of history or whatever, the definition were giving you is how the 300 million Americans who actually use the term define liberal. Doesn’t matter what you or I think, if we want to have effective communication we need to use words as they are used. I really don’t feel like dying on that particular hill.

            I made my stand with “literally”, I’m not wasting effort on holding fast to a Eurocentric definition of liberal.

            • archomrade [he/him]
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              11 month ago

              Doesn’t matter what you or I think, if we want to have effective communication we need to use words as they are used.

              I don’t actually disagree with you, I just find it frustrating trying to use a more precise meaning to make a point and being met with resistance. I think a part of the problem is that leftists are trying to point at a distinction that exists within the overbroad american-liberal label that separates leftism proper and center-right democratic institutions, and i feel as if some centrists don’t enjoy the discomfort of being singled out from the more progressive side of the caucus. I could be wrong, and I don’t really care if I am, but I think it’s important to acknowledge the tensions and to try not to erase the diversity of ideology that exists within the ‘liberal party’.

              • @Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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                -11 month ago

                I think Leftists are trying to play up those tensions more than they truly exist, and some of the smarter ones are specifically exploiting the difference in terminology to do so. “Liberals”, in the US, are actually quite left wing (outside of the “anyone right of Lenin is literally Hitler” lemmy bubble). But by associating US liberals with European economic liberals, it muddies the water and allows for a ton of motte-and-bailey style arguments.

                • archomrade [he/him]
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                  1 month ago

                  “Liberals”, in the US, are actually quite left wing (outside of the “anyone right of Lenin is literally Hitler” lemmy bubble).

                  Even with whatever scale you’re using to make that statement, there is still a distinct ideological divide between socialists/anarchists/communists and modern democrats. A centrist may fundamentally agree with the central tenets of liberalism (the right to property being the biggest point of disagreement), even if they ostensibly agree with many (if not most) progressive issues. Most people wouldn’t notice those differences because they result in the same types of value statements, but leftists see them in high contrast because liberals will cater their policy decisions around preserving liberal institutions (e.g. the right of private property, small businesses, market-based financial instruments, ect).

                  But by associating US liberals with European economic liberals, it muddies the water and allows for a ton of motte-and-bailey style arguments.

                  I don’t think it muddies the water at all, I think it precisely identifies the point of disagreement. I’m also not even sure what ‘motte-and-bailey’ arguments you could be talking about, let alone having seen one in practice.

                  • @Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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                    01 month ago

                    As I said

                    outside of the “anyone right of Lenin is literally Hitler” lemmy bubble

                    Bailey: Democrats are right-wing

                    Motte: Democrats are liberals, and liberals are right wing

                    Establishing that “liberal” = right wing allows for a motte they can retreat to whenever someone clues in that they’re trying to say Democrats are the opposite of what they actually are

        • @lugal@sopuli.xyz
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          21 month ago

          But the definition doesn’t really change. Take universal healthcare. A liberal idea that’s considered common sense in Europe and left wing in the US. Obamacare would be something you expect from a center right European and a left American. Both are called liberal.

          And if the meme was from an exclusively American pov, it wouldn’t specify “American Republicans”

          • @FozzyOsbourne@lemm.eeOP
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            41 month ago

            You’re correct, I specified “American republicans” to refer to the political party because everywhere else “republican” means anti-monarchist

        • lad
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          11 month ago

          Yeah, this is about as confusing as it gets, I feel like those labels rarely make much sense :(

    • archomrade [he/him]
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      111 month ago

      It’s extremely frustrating hearing this repeated so often here.

      It’s fine if this is the colloquial definition you’re used to hearing and using, but this is certainly not the way it’s used outside of American politics and pretending like it’s the only use comes off as both ill-informed and condescending.

      When used derisively from the left, rest assured it is not referring to either of your adopted generalizations but a very specific ideology.

      • Neato
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        31 month ago

        Ok. But this meme says American Republican.

        • archomrade [he/him]
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          101 month ago

          The meme also says ‘authoritarian communists’ but there are plenty of anarchists and socialists who use liberal as a disparagement.

      • @thedirtyknapkin@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        ok, so among English speaking countries, how is it more often used? we’ve got multiple people in this thread aggressively telling him he’s wrong, but no other definitions.

        • @saltesc@lemmy.world
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          141 month ago

          how is it more often used?

          Look up liberalism for liberals.

          I wasn’t aware Americans made up their own meaning. Now I understand why upvoted comments mentioning “liberal values” receive a flurry of downvotes while I’m asleep, Americans have lost the meaning of another word, probably due to their media.

          Though, just checking, the American dictionaries seem entirely correct still. Are you all confused?

          • @postmateDumbass@lemmy.world
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            51 month ago

            Its the way the wealthy wamt the poor and middle class - undereducated and bombarded by agenda driven media.

            The US propaganda machine is pretty damn effective domestically.

            • @saltesc@lemmy.world
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              1 month ago

              I think you’re right. It’s not like anything’s changed, so people are obviously buying someone’s bullshit from somewhere and it’s working exactly as the seller intends.

              Going to have start signalling when talking about the two different concepts, like…

              Today I’d like to discuss liberalism.

              vs

              Today I’d like to discuss 🛻🇺🇸LIBeralism™🎸🦅

              Since they’re almost entirely opposing concepts sharing the same word.

          • @Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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            11 month ago

            https://www.dictionary.com/browse/liberal

            liberal 1

            [ lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl ]

            Phonetic (Standard) IPA adjective

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

            Antonyms: reactionary

            1. (often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform. of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism, especially the freedom of the individual and governmental guarantees of individual rights and liberties.
        • archomrade [he/him]
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          91 month ago

          Like I said, it’s fine assuming your own definition if that’s the one most familiar to you, but that doesn’t mean you have to stubbornly double down on semantics when confronted with a competing definition. When used derisively from the left it is almost certainly being used in the original sense of the word as per John Locke

        • @jaspersgroove@lemm.ee
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          1 month ago

          The definition I see most often used here on Lemmy is: Liberal - literally anybody who doesn’t have Xi Jinping’s and/or Vladimir Putin’s cock(s) alllllllll the way down their throat

      • @CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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        11 month ago

        pretending like it’s the only use comes off as both ill-informed and condescending.

        That works both ways. Pretending the European usage of the word is the only use comes off just as ill-informed and condescending.

        • archomrade [he/him]
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          -11 month ago

          The people who are using liberal derisively are playing off the american liberal self-identity. They’re acknowledging both definitions in the jab.

    • @Cowbee@lemmy.ml
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      111 month ago

      Liberalism has never meant “leftism in general.” It has always been an ideology supporting the individual via private property rights. Neoliberalism is the modern form of it.

      Liberalism was considered left when feudalism was right, but liberalism has never meant leftism.

      • Neato
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        61 month ago

        Thanks for your input. I learned a lot.