NationStates Jolt Archive

I'll be glad when the bloody election is over, the commercials are driving me nuts. Every third word is liberal. When did being liberal become an insult?

When a conservative think tank decided that they needed something to insult a minority without sounding racist, sexist or homophobic; an elegant way of getting around political correctness.

I'll be glad when the bloody election is over, the commercials are driving me nuts. Every third word is liberal. When did being liberal become an insult?

In the early 90's, as part of the Republican Contract On ... sorry, For America. Disgusting, isn't it? I make it a point to use it positively whenever I can. Perhaps I should say, I use it liberally. :p

I get called "liberal" more and more these days, I am begining to think it's a catch-all meaning "I don't agree with you"

:p

I blame Rush Limbaugh. Evil bastard.

The title of my post comes from a commercial here on the radio. It says the word "Liberal" no less than 5 times in 30 seconds, homosexual or gay three times, amnesty for illegal aliens once.

Meh. Liberals should start - and are - doing the same to conservatives, equalizing conservativism with stupidity. Although, it's only a lie in the case of what conservatives say about liberals.

We should get more liberals to be proud of the word and not cringe when a conservative nutcase flings it at you. Shout from the rooftops: "I'M A LIBERAL AND I AM DAMN PROUD OF THAT!!!"

You think it's bad now ... wait until 2008. ;)

You think it's bad now ... wait until 2008. ;)

What happens then? Pancakes? MMmmm... pancakes.

"Liberal" is a meaningless word, thanks to common usage. It applies equally well to people who believe in freedom (liberty) - i.e, anarchists and libertarians - as to people who believe in huge, controlling, authoritarian government - i.e, socialists and communists, Republicans and Democrats.

When a single word can mean either "up" or "down," that's a sign that that word no longer has any coherent value except for purposefully being ambiguous and lame.

"Liberal" is a meaningless word, thanks to common usage. It applies equally well to people who believe in freedom (liberty) - i.e, anarchists and libertarians - as to people who believe in huge, controlling, authoritarian government - i.e, socialists and communists, Republicans and Democrats.

When a single word can mean either "up" or "down," that's a sign that that word no longer has any coherent value except for purposefully being ambiguous and lame.

You speak duckspeak!

:p

You speak duckspeak!

:p

Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!

Jeez, tell me about it. It's as if the word "liberal" is the worst possible insult on the planet. I can picture it now. Kids on the playgrounds nowadays shouting back and forth...

"You're a doodoo head!"
"Your mother wears combat boots!"
"You have AIDS!"
"You're a liberal!"
**GASP** **GASP** **FAINT** **HYPERVENTILATE**
**slow steps from the one who was just called a "liberal" in the style of an Old West shootout**
**slow pan up to a second-grader**
"Them's fightin' words, varmint. Draw."

I'll be glad when the bloody election is over, the commercials are driving me nuts. Every third word is liberal. When did being liberal become an insult?

Well, because most people picture liberals as hippies. I'm Liberal (Believe it or not....), but I'm no damn hippy!

Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!

But I never pretended to be a doctor. o_O

:D

Well, because most people picture liberals as hippies. I'm Liberal (Believe it or not....), but I'm no damn hippy!

I'm a liberal and I'm a damn grouch. I'm as far from being a hippie as you can get.

I'm a liberal and I'm a damn grouch. I'm as far from being a hippie as you can get.

*Gives Hockey Players High Five*


Join the club. Also, I love Hockey too. :D

We should get more liberals to be proud of the word and not cringe when a conservative nutcase flings it at you. Shout from the rooftops: "I'M A LIBERAL AND I AM DAMN PROUD OF THAT!!!"

I think that (apologies to those from other countries for my US-centric perspective) 80% of liberals' problem is that they're/we're perceived as soft or wimps or weaklings.

If you polled the public about a set of political issues, the "liberal*" positions are often more popular than the "conservative*" ones, even among many people who prefer the label "conservative."

* As that term is understood in the USA.

I think that (apologies to those from other countries for my US-centric perspective) 80% of liberals' problem is that they're/we're perceived as soft or wimps or weaklings.

If you polled the public about a set of political issues, the "liberal*" positions are often more popular than the "conservative*" ones, even among many people who prefer the label "conservative."

* As that term is understood in the USA.

Sad but true, and that perception comes from a liberal's tendency to consider all sides of an issue. To me, a conservative is one who thinks that our best achievements are in the past and should be "conserved." As a liberal I think humanity should look ahead to the future.

Jeez, tell me about it. It's as if the word "liberal" is the worst possible insult on the planet. I can picture it now. Kids on the playgrounds nowadays shouting back and forth...

"You're a doodoo head!"
"Your mother wears combat boots!"
"You have AIDS!"
"You're a liberal!"
**GASP** **GASP** **FAINT** **HYPERVENTILATE**
**slow steps from the one who was just called a "liberal" in the style of an Old West shootout**
**slow pan up to a second-grader**
"Them's fightin' words, varmint. Draw."

You win this thread.

Also: I confuse so many people today whenever I use liberal and conservative, along with lots of other political words, such as anarcho-capitalism. Mainly because I'm using them from the international definition, which they don't understand. Once again, the sad state of our political landscape shows.

I get called "liberal" more and more these days, I am begining to think it's a catch-all meaning "I don't agree with you"

:p

Quite so, dear. Personally, when someone calls me a liberal, I generally say "thank you!"

I'll be glad when the bloody election is over, the commercials are driving me nuts. Every third word is liberal. When did being liberal become an insult?Because some people hate freedom :)

I've noticed a lot of liberals now identify themselves as progressives. Let's see how long it takes for that to become a derogatory word.

I've noticed a lot of liberals now identify themselves as progressives. Let's see how long it takes for that to become a derogatory word.

If I was less lazy, I'd dig up situations in which it was used as a derogatory word. I vote we use "Jesusesque".

If I was less lazy, I'd dig up situations in which it was used as a derogatory word. I vote we use "Jesusesque".

I think you might be on to something. Maybe Liberjesusal?

Jesus was a hippie. That's one of the things I like about him.

If I was less lazy, I'd dig up situations in which it was used as a derogatory word. I vote we use "Jesusesque".

I think you might be on to something. Maybe Liberjesusal?

No, no, we mustn't let the Neo-Cons roust us out of our own word!

I'll be glad when the bloody election is over, the commercials are driving me nuts. Every third word is liberal. When did being liberal become an insult?

I would say it was during the Conservative Golden age known as McCarthyism.

I remember reading somewhere that Cary Grant went into retirement in 1953 because his friend Charlie Chaplin was black listed for liberal political beliefs.

First the communists, then the anarchists, then the socialists & now the liberals.

When did being liberal become an insult?

About 1980 in public, roughly 20 years earlier in the chambers and cabals of Conservative Weltanschauung.

We should get more liberals to be proud of the word and not cringe when a conservative nutcase flings it at you. Shout from the rooftops: "I'M A LIBERAL AND I AM DAMN PROUD OF THAT!!!"

I'm with you on that. I have a t-shirt that is charcoal grey and has the word "Liberal" in bright white letters with a period after it.

However, wearing in in Bismarck, where I just followed a car yesterday that had a sticker on it that read "MY SON SERVED IN IRAQ SO YOUR KID COULD PARTY AT COLLEGE", is a risky proposition.

So that's why I refrain from yelling. Instead, I make calm, reasoned refutations of the more vociferous and reality-challenged of conservatives. Yelling lowers me to their level, and if I yelled that I was damned proud to be a liberal, I know I'd only hear something back like "then get out of the country", or "you proud to be a terrorist, too?" or some other such fraudulent claptrap.

I'm with you on that. I have a t-shirt that is charcoal grey and has the word "Liberal" in bright white letters with a period after it.

However, wearing in in Bismarck, where I just followed a car yesterday that had a sticker on it that read "MY SON SERVED IN IRAQ SO YOUR KID COULD PARTY AT COLLEGE", is a risky proposition.

So that's why I refrain from yelling. Instead, I make calm, reasoned refutations of the more vociferous and reality-challenged of conservatives. Yelling lowers me to their level, and if I yelled that I was damned proud to be a liberal, I know I'd only hear something back like "then get out of the country", or "you proud to be a terrorist, too?" or some other such fraudulent claptrap.

I agree 100% about the yelling. The trouble is, the Conservatives are winning by yelling. Yelling almost always trumps reasoned discourse. So does negative advertising.

I agree 100% about the yelling. The trouble is, the Conservatives are winning by yelling. Yelling almost always trumps reasoned discourse. So does negative advertising.

But a golf club upside the head always trumps yelling. And reasoned discourse always trumps a golf club upside the head. It's like some fucked-up game of rock-paper-scissors.

I agree 100% about the yelling. The trouble is, the Conservatives are winning by yelling. Yelling almost always trumps reasoned discourse. So does negative advertising.

Then we liberals need to start playing dirty. We need to just start making shit up about conservatives.

"I'm Joe Senator and I approve this message. Bob Challenger screws drunken sheep and kicks puppies down elevator shafts. He bought hookers on the stock market, was personally responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, and took bribes from Enron executives, which he turned around and spent on cocaine. He also drives a bright red SUV, and he once ran over an old lady who was a day shy of her 100th birthday. He didn't so much as apologize to the old lady. Then he turned around and sued the old lady's estate for damages to his SUV, and his best friend, Jimmy Judge, gave him $13,000 in damages. That ended up costing taxpayers $97 quadrillion in taxes. We just can't afford Bob Challenger. Plus, he smells like cow shit."

Then we liberals need to start playing dirty. We need to just start making shit up about conservatives.

"I'm Joe Senator and I approve this message. Bob Challenger screws drunken sheep and kicks puppies down elevator shafts. He bought hookers on the stock market, was personally responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, and took bribes from Enron executives, which he turned around and spent on cocaine. He also drives a bright red SUV, and he once ran over an old lady who was a day shy of her 100th birthday. He didn't so much as apologize to the old lady. Then he turned around and sued the old lady's estate for damages to his SUV, and his best friend, Jimmy Judge, gave him $13,000 in damages. That ended up costing taxpayers $97 quadrillion in taxes. We just can't afford Bob Challenger. Plus, he smells like cow shit."

Works for me. And remember these words, too: "I was quoted out of contect."

I'm a liberal and I'm a damn grouch. I'm as far from being a hippie as you can get.

So you're kinda like Lewis Black. Cool. Me too. His stance (and especially his delivery) on many issues resonates with me. He derides conservatives who say global warming isn't real by mentioning that a couple of years ago, a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico was moving -- BACKward. From west to east. That had never happened before.

I would add the recent decimation and substitution of the Alaskan fisheries. Warm water species like flying squid and great white sharks are showing up near Dutch Harbor for the first time in recorded history, and Alaskan salmon are spawning in Arcitc Ocean-feeding rivers for the first time ever...and so forth.

Best of all was his reaction to the guys from the Adelphia company who stole a billion dollars from their company. Quoth Black: "A billion, B, billion. What the fuck were they gonna do, build their own SPACE PROGRAM?!?" And his take on the same guys who stole a few million from Adelphia to build a golf course in their back yard. Black: "What I don't understand is why all the people who worked for these people didn't rise up as one and slay them. I never used to understand why the rabble in the French Revolution beheaded Marie Antoinette -- now I fuckin' GET it!"

Let's hear it for grouchy liberals!

Then we liberals need to start playing dirty. We need to just start making shit up about conservatives.

"I'm Joe Senator and I approve this message. Bob Challenger screws drunken sheep and kicks puppies down elevator shafts. He bought hookers on the stock market, was personally responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, and took bribes from Enron executives, which he turned around and spent on cocaine. He also drives a bright red SUV, and he once ran over an old lady who was a day shy of her 100th birthday. He didn't so much as apologize to the old lady. Then he turned around and sued the old lady's estate for damages to his SUV, and his best friend, Jimmy Judge, gave him $13,000 in damages. That ended up costing taxpayers $97 quadrillion in taxes. We just can't afford Bob Challenger. Plus, he smells like cow shit."

If that were shorter, I'd sig it.

If that were shorter, I'd sig it.

You can just sig the first line; that works pretty well. Maybe you can gather up some minions to sig the rest of it in increments. Yes, yes...gather up minions and do my bidding...**does evil thingy with fingertips** **no, not some perverted evil thingy, get your mind out of the gutter**

Then we liberals need to start playing dirty. We need to just start making shit up about conservatives.

"I'm Joe Senator and I approve this message. Bob Challenger screws drunken sheep and kicks puppies down elevator shafts. He bought hookers on the stock market, was personally responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, and took bribes from Enron executives, which he turned around and spent on cocaine. He also drives a bright red SUV, and he once ran over an old lady who was a day shy of her 100th birthday. He didn't so much as apologize to the old lady. Then he turned around and sued the old lady's estate for damages to his SUV, and his best friend, Jimmy Judge, gave him $13,000 in damages. That ended up costing taxpayers $97 quadrillion in taxes. We just can't afford Bob Challenger. Plus, he smells like cow shit."

I vote we try to figure out how many of those have actually been done by someone.

I'll be glad when the bloody election is over, the commercials are driving me nuts. Every third word is liberal. When did being liberal become an insult?

In the eighties when Reagan called it the "L word".

In the eighties when Reagan called it the "L word".

There you go again ...

I'll be glad when the bloody election is over, the commercials are driving me nuts. Every third word is liberal. When did being liberal become an insult?

When calling people "libertine" as an insult went out of style?

Meh. Liberals should start - and are - doing the same to conservatives, equalizing conservativism with stupidity. Although, it's only a lie in the case of what conservatives say about liberals.

I disagree entirely. I see plenty of stupidity on the parts of many people on both sides of that political divide. We seem to be a people both united and divided by a common lack of sense.

In the early 90's, as part of the Republican Contract On ... sorry, For America. Disgusting, isn't it? I make it a point to use it positively whenever I can. Perhaps I should say, I use it liberally. :p
Speaking of the Contract For America, I'm guessing a lot of people around NS General are too young to remember the 1994 press conference on the steps of the Capitol where all the Republican members of the House swore to end corruption and scandal in Washington. Many are probably too young, also, to remember the original TV Guide advertisement used to launch the Contract with America:

“If we break this contract, throw us out. We mean it.”

In this much, at least, I suggest we show the Republicans that they will be taken at their word. :D

Speaking of the Contract For America, I'm guessing a lot of people around NS General are too young to remember the 1994 press conference on the steps of the Capitol where all the Republican members of the House swore to end corruption and scandal in Washington. Many are probably too young, also, to remember the original TV Guide advertisement used to launch the Contract with America:

“If we break this contract, throw us out. We mean it.”

In this much, at least, I suggest we show the Republicans that they will be taken at their word. :D

I like it. :D

I am continually amazed how everyone running for office in Washington is an outsider who will clean the corruption and scandal out. If it's that bad there, why do you want to become one of them? And how can an outsider, mr. or Ms. I Have No Idea How I Got Elected, accomplish anythingin DC?

Conservative today, at least from my view, are more conservative on social issues rather than economic issues.

Like how all of a sudden the gay marriage admendment is mentioned again, after it was an unfulfilled promise by Bush in 2004.

Every time you hear the word "liberal" in a commercial, drink a shot!

When did being liberal become an insult?

"Liberal" became an insult for everyone left of center around the same time everyone right of center became a "neocon," which for some reason is also an insult. (I don't think as many as 10% of the people who use either word as an insult actually know what they mean.)

Meh to labels. I don't think either name is very insulting. It's like saying, "ooooh, you have straight hair."

When did being liberal become an insult?
I think Reagan actually started it. The irony is, many American "conservatives" are actually neo-liberals. People have lost all sight of the meaning of the word.

Every time you hear the word "liberal" in a commercial, drink a shot!

I can't afford that much booze.