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

  • Neato@ttrpg.network
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    6 months 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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      6 months 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@ttrpg.network
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        6 months 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.

        • lugal@sopuli.xyz
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          6 months 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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            6 months ago

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

        • lad@programming.dev
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          6 months ago

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

    • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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      6 months 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.