The corruption of political language

[Tooting Carmen]

Key examples:

(1) "Liberal" = socialist. This mostly came about in the US, but has spread to other parts of the world increasingly too. Nowadays, those who advocate for progressive income tax rates and substantial State ownership of the economy are often called "liberals". However, regardless of the individual merits and setbacks of such policies, at the end of the day those are socialist ideas, not liberal ones. For good and for ill, "liberalism" (at least as originally understood) has meant minimising government involvement in social and economic affairs.

(2) "Nationalist" = racist. Nationalism, at least in the purer and more noble sense, means pride and love for one's country, its people, its language and its culture. However, as can be seen not least in this very forum, there are self-styled "nationalists" from multiracial nations like the USA and Brazil, who worry about their children having Black lovers who come from those countries themselves, but at the same time actively support mass immigration of Europeans and possibly East Asians. This is not "nationalism" - this is racism, pure and simple. At the end of the day, Afro-Americans and Afro-Brazilians are far more integral to their respective nations than a Norwegian or Korean person who just arrived at New York or Sao Paulo yesterday. (While there is a case to be made that ethnic nationalism has some validity for European and Asian countries, it ought to have no place whatsoever in New World nations that have been multiracial from their very inception).

(3) "Democracy" = freedom. A lot of people use the two words almost interchangeably, when actually they mean things that are different and even potentially contradictory. Democracy just means majority rule. Freedom means living one's life as one wishes. Thus ultimately, which sort of society is really more free: a parliamentary democracy where the majority party (putatively with the people's consent) has outlawed all sorts of speech and consensual sexual activity, or a dictatorship that nevertheless for the most part allows people to say and write what they want and sleep with whomever they want?

[KMack]

Liberal is a really bad term these days. Progressives are authoritarians who to use especially government to control all aspects of your life and punish those that do not comply. Like this,

Two female Christian artists in Arizona who refuse to make custom-art for same sex weddings could actually be jailed for sticking to their religious beliefs.

Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski , who own Brush & Nib Studio, make custom artwork using painting, calligraphy and handlettering. They filed suit against the city of Phoenix, as a Phoenix city ordinance threatens them with up to six months and/or a fine of $2,500 each day they refuse to make the artwork. First the women filed in state court to overturn the ordinance, but lost in a court of appeals, prompting them to appeal to the state’s Supreme Court, which said on November 20 it would hear the case.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the women, asked in their petition:

Does Phoenix violate the Arizona Constitution’s Free Speech Clause when it forces commissioned artists to create custom artwork—consisting of words and paintings—conveying messages they object to and when it bans commissioned artists from publishing a statement explaining the artwork they can and cannot create?

Does Phoenix violate Arizona’s Free Exercise of Religion Act when it uses criminal penalties—including jail time—to force commissioned artists to create custom artwork expressing messages that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs and when it bans religiously motivated speech?

The petition added, “Their Christian beliefs forbid them from creating ‘custom artwork that conveys messages condoning, supporting, or participating in activities or ideas that violate their religious beliefs. For example, they cannot create artwork expressing messages that ‘contradict biblical truth, demean others, endorse racism, [or] incite violence.’”

ADF senior counsel Jonathan Scruggs stated at the time the state Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, “The government must allow artists to make their own decisions about which messages they will promote. Joanna and Breanna are happy to design custom art for anyone; they simply object to being forced to pour their heart, soul, imagination, and talent into creating messages that violate their conscience.”

https://www.dailywire.com/news/39608...t-hank-berrien

[Tooting Carmen]

Liberal is a really bad term these days. Progressives are authoritarians who to use especially government to control all aspects of your life and punish those that do not comply. Like this,

Two female Christian artists in Arizona who refuse to make custom-art for same sex weddings could actually be jailed for sticking to their religious beliefs.

Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski , who own Brush & Nib Studio, make custom artwork using painting, calligraphy and handlettering. They filed suit against the city of Phoenix, as a Phoenix city ordinance threatens them with up to six months and/or a fine of $2,500 each day they refuse to make the artwork. First the women filed in state court to overturn the ordinance, but lost in a court of appeals, prompting them to appeal to the state’s Supreme Court, which said on November 20 it would hear the case.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the women, asked in their petition:

Does Phoenix violate the Arizona Constitution’s Free Speech Clause when it forces commissioned artists to create custom artwork—consisting of words and paintings—conveying messages they object to and when it bans commissioned artists from publishing a statement explaining the artwork they can and cannot create?

Does Phoenix violate Arizona’s Free Exercise of Religion Act when it uses criminal penalties—including jail time—to force commissioned artists to create custom artwork expressing messages that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs and when it bans religiously motivated speech?

The petition added, “Their Christian beliefs forbid them from creating ‘custom artwork that conveys messages condoning, supporting, or participating in activities or ideas that violate their religious beliefs. For example, they cannot create artwork expressing messages that ‘contradict biblical truth, demean others, endorse racism, [or] incite violence.’”

ADF senior counsel Jonathan Scruggs stated at the time the state Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, “The government must allow artists to make their own decisions about which messages they will promote. Joanna and Breanna are happy to design custom art for anyone; they simply object to being forced to pour their heart, soul, imagination, and talent into creating messages that violate their conscience.”

https://www.dailywire.com/news/39608...t-hank-berrien

But the point is this: how did "liberal" become synonymous with statist in the first place?

[KMack]

But the point is this: how did "liberal" become synonymous with statist in the first place?

It went from the counter culture 1960's I am ok you are ok, I can do whatever I want, free love sex, drugs, don't judge me........to
now we will take over government and force our beliefs on you and if you don't comply we will punish you. It is a collection of anti traditional beliefs even if they contradict each other, like gays marching for Muslims in the USA. Or a black Women's March organizer blaming Jews for slavery.

Basically the counter culture got elected of office and took over the Democrat party, they are the state now.

[Tooting Carmen]

Another one:

"Reform"=large-scale privatisations and cutbacks. When a government privatises large swathes of the economy and introduces notable cutbacks to taxation and welfare, they are deemed to be bringing about "reform". However, if a government tries to do the opposite - nationalises much of the economy, increases tax and welfare etc. - they are not just introducing "reforms", but "left-wing reforms".

[KMack]

Another one:

"Reform"=large-scale privatisations and cutbacks. When a government privatises large swathes of the economy and introduces notable cutbacks to taxation and welfare, they are deemed to be bringing about "reform". However, if a government tries to do the opposite - nationalises much of the economy, increases tax and welfare etc. - they are not just introducing "reforms", but "left-wing reforms".

Government takeover of private business, industries, economy = Socialism.

[Dandelion]

A liberal authoritarian is like a communist capitalist. But of course, a person calling himself one can be anything but. Think about how countries with the word 'democratic' in their name are among the harshest and most restrictive regimes.

In Europe liberal often still means liberal, though. The Open VLD in Belgium and the VVD in the Netherlands suck, though.

[Tooting Carmen]

A liberal authoritarian is like a communist capitalist. Bit of course, a person calling himself one can be anything but. Think about how countries with the word 'democratic' in their name are among the harshest and most restrictive regimes.

In Europe liberal often still means liberal, though. The Open VLD in Belgium and the VVD in the Netherlands suck, though.

China could be described as "communist capitalist".

[Tooting Carmen]

Government takeover of private business, industries, economy = Socialism.

Believe it or not, the US still in some ways is more socialist than Britain, stereotypes notwithstanding. Amtrak is a Federal-owned company, while utilities and airports are usually owned at State or local level. By contrast, British Rail was privatised in the 90's and utilities and airports here were in the 80's.

[JohnSmith]

Interesting. I would consider someone like Abraham Lincoln as a Liberal, but today I would think Conservatives would like to see him as different.