• AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Wait, no, that’s bullshit. You can’t say “he’s literally a liberal” and then just say “because I know one when I see one.” You’re proving my point: you only think he’s a liberal because he’s said things against Trump.

    On average, the members of our military are way more conservative than the average American, and that’s even more true for their leadership. But Trump has consistently alienated them, and it’s no surprise that many of them are disgusted with him. That does not make them liberal.

    • HelluvaKick@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Liberalism isn’t the same as being liberal as in liberal or conservative. Liberalism is based on the ideals of 18th century political philosophers that governments should protect individual rights and liberties and so on. Our whole government sttucture is rooted in this philosophy, and most people who believe in good faith democracy would fall into this category.

      • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That’s not how it was used in the context of this discussion. I said the right thinks Milley is a liberal. He said Milley is liberal, then said based on people who know what liberalism is. We’re pretty clearly talking about the US political left and right.

    • DragonTypeWyvern
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      1 year ago

      Do you also get mad when people know that aspens are aspens because of the way that they are?

      Google it.

      • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I don’t need to Google it, and I can define the concepts just fine. I was asking you to define it because there are different norms and criteria use to determine what constitutes a liberal or a conservative. Most of the time it boils down to their views on government priorities, personal freedoms, taxation, and other topics. I can tell you what it means to me, but you use the word without even knowing what you mean.

      • maporita@unilem.org
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        1 year ago

        Liberalism is the founding basis of modern Western democracy. So not quite the same as an obscure fact about a species of tree.

        • DragonTypeWyvern
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          1 year ago

          “Obscure fact” is a weird way to say “literally the defining characteristics.”

          But you’re right, it’s far, far more embarrassing for an American to not be able to define liberal, or at least vaguely recognize its meaning in this context.

          • Muddybulldog@mylemmy.win
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            1 year ago

            Liberal, in US English, is almost solely used to describe left of center politics. For the definition of liberal that you’re referring to the common term is Libertarian.

            • hydrospanner@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              The trouble I have with a definition like that is that it raises another question: what’s ‘center’?

              And if you define that by a point between hard right and hard left, then as the right goes even farther into their own reactionary bubble, diving even farther right, the “center” skews to the right to account for it.

              • Muddybulldog@mylemmy.win
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                1 year ago

                There really hasn’t been much change in the hard right and hard left in the United States through its history. We’ve just fluctuated back and forth on what parts you dare say out loud.

            • DragonTypeWyvern
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              1 year ago

              Leaving aside for the moment that the most common “libertarian” identifies as a “classical liberal” how do you people keep having dumber takes?

              • JigglySackles@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                You aren’t exactly a novel contributor to the broader discussion either. All you are doing is claiming shit, not backing anything up, and telling others to Google it while being a snide and condescending prick.

                • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  Just ignore him. He is the type of dude that thinks arguing about the prescriptive versus descriptive use of the word “literally” is a personality.