Who's really liberal?
I enjoy discussions like the one initiated by Bob Kollar in today's letters. He's using the dictionary to back up his view of the virtues of liberals and liberalism.
There's an important distinction between liberals and liberalism that shouldn't go unnoted. Liberalism, as cited in the American Heritage definition, is a political theory. But the definition for liberal lists personal, not political, characteristics.
Those characteristics, I submit, can apply as much or more to people who are politically conservative.
Take, for example, "generous" or "tending to give freely." Some people, maybe even Kollar, associate these traits with politicians who appropriate large amounts of public funds for various causes, perhaps especially those that benefit the poor. But in my view, you cannot be "generous" with, or even "give," what doesn't belong to you. Collecting and redistributing other people's money may be a function of public policy or a political strategy, but it isn't an act of generosity. That requires giving one's personal resources.
There's evidence that people who are considered conservative are more generous with their own money.
Some politicians are adept at portraying themselves as generous or compassionate when they really deserve no such credit. Take those who pass laws raising the minimum wage, for example. Unless they meet a payroll, it costs them nothing out of their own pockets. They're requiring other people to pay the cost of their policy. The business owner who already pays workers more than the minimum wage, and provides benefits, is more worthy of being called generous -- even though, politically, he or she may be a conservative.
Clearly, there's a big difference between giving from your own pocket to address needs around you and expecting government to do it. It's a matter of personal generosity.
Some of the other definitions for "liberal" similarly can apply to people of any political persuasion: broad-minded; free from bigotry; tolerant of the behavior of others.
People who are politically liberal are hardly immune from narrow-mindedness, bigotry and intolerance of people and ideas they don't like. The whole phenomenon of "speech codes" on liberal college campuses should embarrass anyone who contends that intolerance and narrow-mindedness are characterstics of the political right. Enforcing rules against the expression of ideas that might offend or hurt the feelings of certain people is not "liberal," it's oppressive and authoritarian.
It's also my observation that some people who consider themselves liberals display bigoted attitudes toward those they consider socially or culturally inferior, whether they're rural Southerners, middle Americans or religious conservatives.
Kollar is welcome to his view that liberalism is a worthy approach to political policy, but liberal personal traits can belong to anyone regardless of political beliefs.
Comments (4)
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That first link about conservatives being more "generous" makes a distinction between secular liberals and religious conservatives, it doesn't just compare liberals and conservatives. Adding those adjectives makes a difference. I'm also bothered that in these discussions of generosity it's only about money. From my experience volunteering and brief employment in the nonprofit sector it seems that liberals tend to be more generous with their time. It's also important to note differences of where liberals and conservatives tend to live. Right now I'm living in liberal Washington, DC. If I made $30,000 a year here I would barely get by and have almost no money free to give. If I were making the same back in conservative High Point, I would easily have money left over to give (I should note I'm single and childless, so I'd have no family to support on that money).
Posted on August 19, 2008 12:04 PM
However you want to interpret these studies, my main point is that "liberal" is a personal characteristic not necessarily associated with a person's political views or affiliations.
Posted on August 19, 2008 1:39 PM
There's evidence that people who are considered conservative are more generous with their own money* Doug
You got that right! Almost ever known criminal ie....Michael Vick share his generous income with others on a personal level........
Why is it that one cannot find any term for Liberal or Conservative in American political History for 190 years until the early 60's?
Labels in Politics is the simple way to define enemies of a Police State.
Posted on August 19, 2008 6:56 PM
Doug:
You are one of the few folks in the media who has discussed the fact that the empirical evidence suggests that conservatives are more giving of their money than are liberals, so my hat is off to you.
Another point that should be made is that, ironically, modern liberals have very little in common with classical liberals like Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, etc. who tended to be in favor of small government, individual responsibility, and open and honest debate. Indeed, it is modern conservatives who appear to be the philosophical heirs of folks like Smith, etc.
Posted on August 20, 2008 9:20 AM