The word Liberal as an insult.

[Calamity1971]

What apparel would he have to have worn to look like a Tory?

 

[umop apisdn]

A Tory? I'm not a Tory.

 

[Calamity1971]

Jeeeezus. I never called you a tory! My whole point is, you can't say someone looks liberal by what they are fucking well wearing.

 

[JimW]

Jeeeezus. I never called you a tory! My whole point is, you can't say someone looks liberal by what they are fucking well wearing.

Not even socks with sandals?

 

[umop apisdn]

What apparel would he have to have worn to look like a Tory?

I wear a suit to work. I liked the blue/orange combo. I'm thinking about recreating the look. There's nothing sinister about it.

 

[eoin_k]

 

[Calamity1971]

Not even socks with sandals?

Comedy socks or plain white? Or god forbid sports socks.

 

[JimW]

Comedy socks or plain white?

None of it any good, surely.

 

[Calamity1971]

None of it any good, surely.

Or the sandals.

 

[classicdish]

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.

Google always takes me straight to the New International Version
link: Bible Gateway passage: Revelation 3 - New International Version
my bold
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To the Church in Laodicea
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Footnotes:

Revelation 3:1 Or messenger; also in verses 7 and 14
Revelation 3:1 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

[bimble]

I have learnt many things since that post - thanks everyone, especially the fridgemagnet
Some of things I’ve learnt:

-Liberal has been used for so many different purposes by now that it might even count as one of those words that are called an auto antonym. Which I like a lot, like cleave.

-People with references to killing in their monikers are the ones least likely to be bothered by any such ambiguities & just use the L word to mean gutless handwringing weakling type thing (and I’m clear now that’s all that was meant when I was called one in the first place).

-Jesus was much more hardcore than me and if he was here today he’d probably have joined in the fuck parade 3, and not worn sandals

 

[tim]

Jeeeezus. I never called you a tory! My whole point is, you can't say someone looks liberal by what they are fucking well wearing.

Really? Corbyn dresses like a traditional grass roots 1970's Liberal Party activist, and in reality that's what he is.

 

[bimble]

The thing to avoid is elbow patches, dead giveaway.

 

[smokedout]

I have learnt many things since that post - thanks everyone, especially the fridgemagnet
Some of things I’ve learnt:

-Liberal has been used for so many different purposes by now that it might even count as one of those words that are called an auto antonym. Which I like a lot, like cleave.

-People with references to killing in their monikers are the ones least likely to be bothered by any such ambiguities & just use the L word to mean gutless handwringing weakling type thing (and I’m clear now that’s all that was meant when I was called one in the first place).

-Jesus was much more hardcore than me and if he was here today he’d probably have joined in the fuck parade 3, and not worn sandals

 

[ViolentPanda]

Not even socks with sandals?

Surely, according to Blair (E), that's a socialist?

 

[Idris2002]

Surely, according to Blair (E), that's a socialist?

You need a huge wobbly arse to complete the look, mind.

 

[ViolentPanda]

You need a huge wobbly arse to complete the look, mind.

I have the arse, but not the politics, the vegetarianism or the sandals.

 

[bimble]

Wounded. I'm not Ned I'm Selma.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

I'm proud as fuck to be a liberal.

 

[butchersapron]

Game over.

 

[sim667]

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.

I get this all the time on an American forum, they seem to think its the equivalent of calling a right winger a Nazi.....

My response promptly got me a week ban

 

[butchersapron]

I get this all the time on an American forum, they seem to think its the equivalent of calling a right winger a Nazi.....

My response promptly got me a week ban

You know exactly what they mean though.

 

[bimble]

I think Game Over was wise.
But.. Why it’s cool(er) to be liberal again

 

[butchersapron]

You know you've really made it over there when you get called a hollywood liberal. Which covers Mat Damon's 'teachers are quite important and should be treated well' to the Woody Harelson 'the US did 911/skunk is really great' approach.

 

[Citizen66]

Is this a call out thread?

 

[Mation]

Complimenting someone is an act of weakness in this forum?

 

[danny la rouge]

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.

If I call you a liberal, I mean it in a specific sense. Not to mean that you belong to a capital L political party, nor, as those the American right do, to mean that you are somewhere to the left of wherever the speaker stands, nor do I mean that you are generous in some way.

Rather, I use it to mean that your position ignores the structural issues in the problem being discussed. I use it to mean that you are seeing the problem in terms of individual behaviour rather than social construction. I use it to mean you are missing some important systemic formation, such as class. Usually class.

For example, if you are complaining of media bias but are seeing that bias in terms of the individual behaviour of individual journalists, then your approach is liberal. Here, Ed Herman explains why he and Chomsky believe a structural explanation is the one that’s needed.

The liberal limits ideas to individual behaviour. The liberal thinks that in order to free the media from bias, all that is needed is for individuals to behave better, more morally, more fairly. While these aims may in themselves be laudable, they will have limited effect, as the structures will not have been tackled. The liberal’s ideas therefore lack rigour. If I call you liberal, I am saying your analysis lacks rigour.

This limiting lack of rigour defines the liberal response to the ills of capitalism for a reason. Liberalism became a political expression of the capitalist class. It offers a lack of rigour because it doesn’t want to overturn the privilege of the elite. It limits the debate to a discussion of individual morality, because that way change itself is limited. Liberalism offers individual guilt that change has not come fast enough, but it does not offer real change.

If I call you a liberal, I don’t mean it as a compliment.

 

[mather]

If I call you a liberal, I mean it in a specific sense. Not to mean that you belong to a capital L political party, nor, as those the American right do, to mean that you are somewhere to the left of wherever the speaker stands, nor do I mean that you are generous in some way.

Rather, I use it to mean that your position ignores the structural issues in the problem being discussed. I use it to mean that you are seeing the problem in terms of individual behaviour rather than social construction. I use it to mean you are missing some important systemic formation, such as class. Usually class.

For example, if you are complaining of media bias but are seeing that bias in terms of the individual behaviour of individual journalists, then your approach is liberal. Here, Ed Herman explains why he and Chomsky believe a structural explanation is the one that’s needed.

The liberal limits ideas to individual behaviour. The liberal thinks that in order to free the media from bias, all that is needed is for individuals to behave better, more morally, more fairly. While these aims may in themselves be laudable, they will have limited effect, as the structures will not have been tackled. The liberal’s ideas therefore lack rigour. If I call you liberal, I am saying your analysis lacks rigour.

This limiting lack of rigour defines the liberal response to the ills of capitalism for a reason. Liberalism became a political expression of the capitalist class. It offers a lack of rigour because it doesn’t want to overturn the privilege of the elite. It limits the debate to a discussion of individual morality, because that way change itself is limited. Liberalism offers individual guilt that change has not come fast enough, but it does not offer real change.

If I call you a liberal, I don’t mean it as a compliment.

A great post, it really does sum up my own criticisms of liberalism.

 

[mather]

I would also like to add that liberalism is the hegemonic ideology of advanced capitalist societies so if we on the left hurl insults at adherents of other ruling class ideologies such as conservatives, why should we make any exception for liberals?

One of my criticisms of some parts of the left is that they all too often tail liberals and liberal thinking so anything that can put some distance between the left and liberalism is to be welcomed.

 

[FunkyUK]

Its a Young Ones quote, I've been using it as a term of abuse for years, despite being liberalish myself.

1 min 19 seconds in. I'm sure I used to be able to paste videos in with a start time?