Liberal And Proud

[poliphilo]

I remember a time when "liberal" wasn't a bad word.

And I've never understood how we got to this present situation where politicians of both left and right use it to smear their opponents.

Here's how my Pocket Oxford Dictionary defines it.

Open-handed, generous, not sparing (of), abundant, (of persons, conduct, provision made etc); open-minded, unprejudiced, free from pedantry; (Pol.) advocating democratic reforms......

So what's not to like? I'm seeing a bowl full of scrumptious rosy apples- and you're telling me they're rotten?

I think there's some sort of mean trick being played on us here.

I'm a liberal. Or try to be- it's a high ideal. And I want to live in a liberal society.

Comments

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I work with students - law students in particular, but I have contact with the undergrads. And I am surprised at how complacent and conservative they are. I took a Writing and Rhetoric class a few years ago and got into a BIG argument with one of the students (he was at the time a sophomore, I believe) Came from serious MONEY. He was talking about how he thought the internet should be censored. That made the hackles on the back of my neck stand up.
"When I get old and get married - you know, about 40 or so..." (I was around 48-49 at the time) "I don't want my four or five year old to be surfing the internet and come across pictures of naked women."
I lost my temper..."What is your four or five year old doing sitting at the computer BY HIMSELF?" Blank look.
I often got into arguments with him in class...him and 98 percent of the other students. They were so willing to let the world pass them by. They thought Bill Clinton was a horrible President because of what happened with Monica L. One of them - Josh - went to the NAFTA conference and demonstrated (got three of his teeth knocked out too) and lived in one of the cardboard boxes on campus for awhile to illustrate what some people had to live like. I admired Josh. He was most certainly a liberal.

As for the other student? Well, he said something about the cardboard houses on campus, and how they looked 'icky' and should be taken down, because 'what will our parents think when they are visiting the campus?"

That was it. I lost my temper big time, slammed my fist on the desk and said "Maybe that you are learning something about real life, you REPUBLICAN." It was the worst insult I could think of at the time.

It still is, I'm sorry to say.

BTW, I got an A+ in that class.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

When I was a student we didn't care what our parents thought.

"Mothers and fathers throughout the land
Don't criticise what you can't understand-
Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command.
Your old road is rapidly agein'.
Get out of the new one if you can't lend a hand
For the times they are a-changin'"

So much for that, I guess.

Congratulations on the A+!

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I"ll tell you, going to college in 'middle age' is a whole lot different from going to college in your 20s. Your perspective is different.

And you know...the profs are usually inordinately grateful to see *old people* in their classes.

I love Dylan, and I love that song you quoted.

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

Liberal parents tend to breed conservative children, for some reason. I don't know why this is so, but it seems to happen a lot.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I guess its just the contrariness of youth.

Whatever mummy and daddy stand for- I'm against it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I was naive.

The whole student protest thing was naive.

But we were right to march against the Vietnam war.

Why aren't today's young marching against the war in Iraq?

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

A lot of people I know have that "America is always right" mentality. It's intoxicating.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I thought (naively) that the Vietnam experience had rooted that out.

Seems like it's grown back again

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

I've heard that each generations forgets...the good and the bad.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That seems to be the case.

Heigh-ho!

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I think they should be marching against it too. But there are a couple of things...

first the armed services are ALL volunteer now. So there's no such thing as being drafted.

second, the thing about Vietnam went all haywire. So many of the veterans felt they never had any support back here in this country, so many of them were called terrible names for doing what they were ordered to do, that it seems *we* are tiptoeing around the whole thing. It's difficult to be against the war and FOR the troops...or at least so says my veteran father (78!) and my mother who knew many soldiers that went off to the war and didn't return.

So...I wear my yellow ribbon and hope for their return. I speak against the President having put them there...and do the best that I can do.
And to anyone who might read this who has a son or daughter overseas...I do support our troops. I do not support them being sent there.