Why do you assume everyone arguing with you is a liberal?
In regards to the person I was originally replying to here, because this is a tendency that I notice especially among liberals, and which seems to track with their idealist ideology. They view their position as being “obvious,” “objective” and “rational,” and therefore expect everyone to agree with them unless there is some sort of irregular interference in the “marketplace of ideas,” like foreign subversion. Furthermore, since liberalism is the dominant ideology of the present world, it is easier for people to believe that it is the only thing any reasonable person would believe.
Leftism is comparatively fringe, and also has many different forms of analysis that account for people believing different things. Any leftist should be aware that people who have different material conditions and material interests are likely to arrive at different sets of beliefs. It is difficult to imagine a leftist thinking that anyone who disagrees with them must be disguising their beliefs and motivations, they would have to be paranoid and suspicious of virtually everyone they ever encounter in life. It makes no sense. Furthermore, there are many different leftist ideologies so even if a leftist did expect everyone to be a leftist, it raises the question of, “which tendency?” A Trotskyist and a Maoist will have a substantial number of disagreements with each other.
As for the others, well, because they say lib things and take offense when I talk negatively about liberals. I’m sure some of them style themselves as “anarchists” while supporting liberals and acting and thinking like liberals. Anarchism has some very cool aesthetics, after all.
Perhaps, if they start respecting our labels and bothering to understand what the difference is between a Marxist-Lenininst and a Maoist instead of just blanket labelling everyone to the left of Bernie as a “tankie,” then I’ll consider respecting the difference between self-identified liberals vs anarcho-NATOists instead of labelling them all liberals. But then, if they bothered to learn or understand the things my side actually believes rather than just making shit up about us whole cloth and dismissing us when we try to actually explain our positions, they’d hardly be liberals, would they?
Seeking “freedom” does not mean much without specifying what kind of freedom you seek and in which area.
In the USA, “liberal” is almost synonym with “leftist” since it’s always understood as “social liberalism” which actually relies on a strong government to defend social freedom.
This is an international forum, not an American one.
The reason “liberal” is synonymous with “leftist” in the US is that the left has retreated so ridiculously far. Left anticommunism has been a dismal failure that’s played into the right’s hands. People thought that if they just demonstrated their anticommunist credentials that people would stop accusing them of being “reds” or “pinkos,” but it absolutely has not worked and only emboldened the right to the point that even “liberal” became an accusation, a dirty word, while at the same time hurting and dividing the left.
I don’t accept that, and neither do people outside of the US. A liberal is a supporter of capitalism, liberals are, by definition, right wing.
I try to discuss stuff with you all in good faith, but its really hard to ngl.
Edit to add: Why do you assume everyone arguing with you is a liberal?
In regards to the person I was originally replying to here, because this is a tendency that I notice especially among liberals, and which seems to track with their idealist ideology. They view their position as being “obvious,” “objective” and “rational,” and therefore expect everyone to agree with them unless there is some sort of irregular interference in the “marketplace of ideas,” like foreign subversion. Furthermore, since liberalism is the dominant ideology of the present world, it is easier for people to believe that it is the only thing any reasonable person would believe.
Leftism is comparatively fringe, and also has many different forms of analysis that account for people believing different things. Any leftist should be aware that people who have different material conditions and material interests are likely to arrive at different sets of beliefs. It is difficult to imagine a leftist thinking that anyone who disagrees with them must be disguising their beliefs and motivations, they would have to be paranoid and suspicious of virtually everyone they ever encounter in life. It makes no sense. Furthermore, there are many different leftist ideologies so even if a leftist did expect everyone to be a leftist, it raises the question of, “which tendency?” A Trotskyist and a Maoist will have a substantial number of disagreements with each other.
As for the others, well, because they say lib things and take offense when I talk negatively about liberals. I’m sure some of them style themselves as “anarchists” while supporting liberals and acting and thinking like liberals. Anarchism has some very cool aesthetics, after all.
Perhaps, if they start respecting our labels and bothering to understand what the difference is between a Marxist-Lenininst and a Maoist instead of just blanket labelling everyone to the left of Bernie as a “tankie,” then I’ll consider respecting the difference between self-identified liberals vs anarcho-NATOists instead of labelling them all liberals. But then, if they bothered to learn or understand the things my side actually believes rather than just making shit up about us whole cloth and dismissing us when we try to actually explain our positions, they’d hardly be liberals, would they?
“liberalism” is a confusing word with 3 different meanings: “economic liberalism”, “classical/conservative liberalism” or “social liberalism”.
Seeking “freedom” does not mean much without specifying what kind of freedom you seek and in which area.
In the USA, “liberal” is almost synonym with “leftist” since it’s always understood as “social liberalism” which actually relies on a strong government to defend social freedom.
This is an international forum, not an American one.
The reason “liberal” is synonymous with “leftist” in the US is that the left has retreated so ridiculously far. Left anticommunism has been a dismal failure that’s played into the right’s hands. People thought that if they just demonstrated their anticommunist credentials that people would stop accusing them of being “reds” or “pinkos,” but it absolutely has not worked and only emboldened the right to the point that even “liberal” became an accusation, a dirty word, while at the same time hurting and dividing the left.
I don’t accept that, and neither do people outside of the US. A liberal is a supporter of capitalism, liberals are, by definition, right wing.