The word Liberal as an insult.

[bimble]

So someone called me a liberal here the other day, and they meant it as a term of abuse. It's bothering me now, not that whoever it was wanted to insult me but that that word is seen as a real nasty thing to call someone, a perjorative.
It was used like that by someone in the Class War club, does that explain everything? I don't think so. Still think it's kind of scary & sad.

 

[weltweit]

Someone I know said "your nothing but a bloody liberal!" to me recently. Compared to his almost Ukip stance on the subject we were discussing I didn't take it as the insult it was obviously intended.

 

[two sheds]

because illiberal has worked so well in the past

 

[weltweit]

The person who called me liberal meant I think, soft touch, soppy, weak willed and a pushover!

We were discussing the refugee crisis and Calais.

 

[tim]

Even Gentle Jesus despised wishy-washy wankers like you.

14And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

 

[DotCommunist]

liberal as an insult means very different things depending on the political hue of the insulter.

 

[butchersapron]

liberal as an insult means very different things depending on the political hue of the insulter.

There is a common theme though - when used as an insult they both mean the lack of rigour and of weak and sentimental beliefs' of the liberal. When used in political analysis it may be used differently by the left who see liberalism as the very opposite of weak and sentimental, they see it as historical mass murder ideology while the right see it as the destroyer of tradition and stability. All three of these positions are entirely correct.

 

[likesfish]

although the left and right managed plenty of mass murder without liberals so generally a pox on both their houses

 

[bimble]

So being called a liberal as an insult by someone (this instance) who thinks that event in shoreditch the other week, the one involving flaming torches and throwing coco-pops at hipsters etc) was an entirely good and pointful thing.. does that mean I am too left or too right for him? I'm still a bit confused.

 

[Pickman's model]

although the left and right managed plenty of mass murder without liberals so generally a pox on both their houses

lest we forget we had a liberal pm in the first world war. liberal with other people's blood.

 

[bimble]

what sort of Pm would you have preferred at the time mein Herr?

 

[tim]

Confusion goeswith the territory - stop whinging.

 

[Flavour]

So being called a liberal as an insult by someone (this instance) who thinks that event in shoreditch the other week, the one involving flaming torches and throwing coco-pops at hipsters etc) was an entirely good and pointful thing.. does that mean I am too left or too right for him? I'm still a bit confused.

you're too right wing. now leave it without embarrassing yourself any further.

 

[bimble]

ok. got it. If hanging people, bankers bakers whatever, is where the left is at then yes, I'd better shuffle along now cheers

 

[Santino]

you're too right wing. now leave it without embarrassing yourself any further.

I suppose you would've welcomed German rule.

 

[bimble]

The Germans knew what to do with liberals , rootless cosmopolitans and other degenerates.

 

[Santino]

Vote Liberal for relentless austerity with a heart.

 

[bimble]

I think my problem is that I'm stuck with some older meaning / usage of the word, not the economic one.

 

[tim]

what sort of Pm would you have preferred at the time mein Herr?

Kier Hardy woluld have been preferable to Asquith and Lloyd George

 

[J Ed]

It gets confusing when Americans use it as an insult. Hillary is a liberal, Bernie Sanders is an even worse liberal and look where his liberalism ends up - at extreme crazy liberalism like Stalin!

 

[bimble]

Liberal Insult Generator - Funny Random Insult Generator

 

[bimble]

Kier Hardy woluld have been preferable to Asquith and Lloyd George

His plan was a mass pacifist general strike as a way of passive resistance to the Germans, right? ok. Could've worked.

 

[J Ed]

It gets even weirder when UK liberals pose as the American definition of liberal in order to disguise the fact that they are what we would call right-wingers. See Sunny Hundall and his 'liberal conspiracy' website for example.

 

[peterkro]

Liberal: US some slightly left of centre politician,Oz slightly left of facist,UK,wishy washy.Liberal economically:capitalist,neo-liberal:with knobs on.All in all "liberal" =enemy.

 

[Belushi]

The Germans knew what to do with liberals , rootless cosmopolitans and other degenerates.

I think you're confusing the Germans with the Nazis.

 

[killer b]

All stripe of liberal have one thing in common: They're whining little fucks to a man.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Critiques of liberalism are all very well and necessary but there's no point calling somebody a liberal as an insult if people don't understand why you're doing it. They tend to just assume you're being irrationally tribal.

 

[8115]

Critiques of liberalism are all very well and necessary but there's no point calling somebody a liberal as an insult if people don't understand why you're doing it. They tend to just assume you're being irrationally tribal.

As opposed to rationally tribal?

 

[bimble]

All stripe of liberal have one thing in common: They're whining little fucks to a man.

Can you say bit more about what the word means to you please?

 

[killer b]

I dont think the purpose of insulting someone to have any lasting effect on the insulted. It's more about letting off steam on the part of the insulter.