Current Events > At what point did the term "liberal" become an insult?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm not a Liberal, per se, but at the same time when I'm called one I never actually find it to be insulting....

But yet and still whomever calls me one seems to ride off into the sunset high-five-ing anyone along their path.

I guess I'm just out of date on this one.
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Because SJW's proved 'liberal' is synonymous with 'stupid.'
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Around the time trump became president and SJW's are considered the "standard liberal" these days...
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darkjedilink posted...

Because SJW's proved 'liberal' is synonymous with 'stupid.'

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Because conservatives are indoctrinated by religion and politics but somehow think we're the stupid ones
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There have always been pejoratives used by the opposite side. Decades ago it was hippie. Now it's liberal. Conservative is a pejorative in itself

Probably when the racist sect of the right wing realized Obama won.
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For the same reason that "conservative" can be used as an insult

They're both easy ways to judge an entire group of people negatively without having to actually use your brain and judge people as individuals
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Seneca_Wallace_ posted...

For the same reason that "conservative" can be used as an insult

They're both easy ways to judge an entire group of people negatively without having to actually use your brain and judge people as individuals

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Seneca_Wallace_ posted...

For the same reason that "conservative" can be used as an insult

They're both easy ways to judge an entire group of people negatively without having to actually use your brain and judge people as individuals

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since saying that you liked boobs made liberals shock and rage

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/09/15/clay-travis-used-his-first-amendment-and-boobs-line-long-before-he-shocked-cnn/
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Axiom posted...

There have always been pejoratives used by the opposite side. Decades ago it was hippie. Now it's liberal. Conservative is a pejorative in itself

Except Liberal is actually attached to our politics and such; you don't really go around asking about hippies in this day and age...
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Seneca_Wallace_ posted...

For the same reason that "conservative" can be used as an insult

They're both easy ways to judge an entire group of people negatively without having to actually use your brain and judge people as individuals

It's an insult if you feel insulted by it...why would conservative be considered an insult?
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_OujiDoza_ posted...

Seneca_Wallace_ posted...

For the same reason that "conservative" can be used as an insult

They're both easy ways to judge an entire group of people negatively without having to actually use your brain and judge people as individuals

It's an insult if you feel insulted by it...why would conservative be considered an insult?

So liberals are insulted by being called liberal is the horrific logic you're going for?
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When did it start referring to 'leftists' rather than 'classical liberals' in the US? Or was the latter always just the European definition? As a European (Brit), it kinda annoys me when used as the former.

You liberal Stalinist anarchist!
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I mean, it's not like liberals aren't liberal and conservatives aren't conservative; they are only insulted when someone else identifies them as such when said person isn't aligned with that group...doesn't make it an insult, right?

It's not like calling someone a dumbass because there are groups out there that are "dumbass-leaning," or some-such nonsense...
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During Nixon's presidency.
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I Like Toast posted...

_OujiDoza_ posted...

Seneca_Wallace_ posted...

For the same reason that "conservative" can be used as an insult

They're both easy ways to judge an entire group of people negatively without having to actually use your brain and judge people as individuals

It's an insult if you feel insulted by it...why would conservative be considered an insult?

So liberals are insulted by being called liberal is the horrific logic you're going for?

NO.....

It's hard to explain properly (at least for me, anyway).

So if I go "toast, you're such a damn liberal" would you consider that an insult? I mean, if you were in fact a liberal before, some ass-wipe using it in that tone shouldn't really move the needle for you all of a sudden now, should it?
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luigi13579 posted...

When did it start referring to 'leftists' rather than 'classical liberals' in the US? Or was the latter always just the European definition? As a European (Brit), it kinda annoys me when used as the former.

It's become a general term for people with views on the left by people on the net (Sometimes it's just used to refer to people that don't like Trump despite the fact the right wing hates him too). Honestly it's a meaningless "insult" that shouldn't even bother people being called it

For me TC, it's the fact that I would have proudly declared I am a liberal 5 years ago.

But now the loudest voice liberals have are the far left. So declaring I am a liberal makes me look insane.

I am still technically a liberal, but I cannot support a lot of the far left rhetoric.
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When gender pronouns became an issue.
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_OujiDoza_ posted...

So if I go "toast, you're such a damn liberal" would you consider that an insult

Nope, I find it funny when ce labels me either way because it shows that they can't defend their argument outside of a black and white view point that never holds up in reality

Insults aren't insulting based on the impact, they are based on the intent.
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When those who claimed to be liberals chained it to the SJW doctrine of destroying freedom and a bunch of self important tools thought that they were so much smarter than everybody else started to call themselves liberal in a feeble attempt to make themselves look better.
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First time I was aware of it was early 90s as Rush Limbaugh was getting really popular
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Dustin1280 posted...

For me TC, it's the fact that I would have proudly declared I am a liberal 5 years ago.

But now the loudest voice liberals have are the far left. So declaring I am a liberal makes me look insane.

I am still technically a liberal, but I cannot support a lot of the far left rhetoric.

that seems pretty reasonable

same reason people wouldn't like to be identified as a conservative if when people say it they refer to greed elites who are racist
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The right wing media has done a very effective job of making liberal a dirty word.
Dustin1280 posted...

I am still technically a liberal, but I cannot support a lot of the far left rhetoric.

This is the definition of liberalism
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darkphoenix181 posted...

Dustin1280 posted...

For me TC, it's the fact that I would have proudly declared I am a liberal 5 years ago.

But now the loudest voice liberals have are the far left. So declaring I am a liberal makes me look insane.

I am still technically a liberal, but I cannot support a lot of the far left rhetoric.

that seems pretty reasonable

same reason people wouldn't like to be identified as a conservative if when people say it they refer to greed elites who are racist

Yeah it really is the same issue on both sides.

Since liberals are now all far left and conservatives are all racist nazi's...

It's obviously bullshit, but that is how the sides are being grouped these days in the public eye...
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