You call out Russia or China, MLs think if they regurgitate “read theory” that solves my issues with them.
You call out American liberals and how they aid fascists, you’re calling a secret Trump supporter.
You say that genocide is an evil action, liberals and Tankies will defend their favorite country’s actions because you’re a shill for the enemy if you do.
You say America did something kinda good, you’re somehow a neolib in disguise. You lightly praise the USSR, you’re Stalin’s second cousin as an AI.
I just don’t want people harmed by a government force. Fuck me, I guess? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills for applying the same morals to every politician and country, even ones I live in or slightly like.
Edit: If someone said it was annoying being an leftist and a bunch of liberals came in exusing their actions and doubling down, everyone would be singing a different tune. Just kinda fascinating.
Liberal has an overloaded definiton. OP may have used liberal as an American Conservative might. I prefer using the term to describe the philosophy.
The term “right” is associated with Liberalism. Property rights is a Liberal idea and has included the right to own a human as a slave or to vote in an election for representation. The “marketplace of ideas” and “invisible hand of the free-market” are liberal ideas. The ideas have been assimilated by various political factions to suit their vision.
I would argue you have autonomy to tell me my ideas suck. I have Anarchist ideas like consensus, mutual aid and autonomy. I have the autonomy to choose goals I work toward. The product of my labor is mine. Humans are strongest when working together toward common goals. Working together requires respecting the autonomy of all. All power to all people.
Voting Republican or Democrat grows harder as both support a hierarchy where a Palestinian baby does not have the same right to life as an Israeli baby. With first-past-the-post voting, refusing to vote Democrat means being a Trump supporter. If it is troubling that the reality of the voting system does not capture the consent of the governed, maybe Liberalism isn’t for you. The system is working as intended.
Liberal is just used as a dog whistle in USA language it doesn’t have meaning anymore.
Liberal being a dog whistle is equivalent to Anarchy being a dog whistle. If words lack meaning there is nothing to discuss.
Oh the word doesn’t lack meaning, US people just verbally rape the word as a dog whistle.
I can agree that the current usage imparts more effort during conversation to establish a consensus of definitions. My hypothesis is that the effort for that establishment scales non-polynomially.
I wonder if there is research on how many people can walk away from a conversation with consensus of definitions. My guess is less than 20.