The terms “liberal” and “conservative” are very polarizing concepts in our society today, a fact which was very evident in this past year being that it was an election year. We have apprehended the two words to represent political views of those on the left and the right in a very specific manner, however in reality the terms liberal and conservative are much more general in their respective original uses. Neither term is necessarily being used incorrectly, but I think many people forget that it has not and will not always represent the exact political views which it at present does.
Conservative is the best example of this metamorphosis of meaning. The word conservative, in the political sense of the word, really only describes those that have a desire to hold on to the values and traditions of the past and who generally resist change. In our society those views that are considered conservative are ones such as; being anti-abortion, or pro-guns, or even anti-big government. These are just generalized examples which do not even apply to all people who consider themselves conservative, but it shows the specific nature of the commonly held connotation of the word. The specifics that are associated with conservative views today are not the same as those held 100 years ago or even 50 years ago for that matter, and they will not be the same as those held 100 years in the future. Values and traditions will inevitably change as time goes on no matter how much people want to hold on to those of the past. As times change those that certain individuals feel are being lost and need to be preserved will be the ones deemed conservative not necessarily the ones we see now.
The term liberal is a bit of a different case. Liberal is commonly used to connote those holding more progressive political views contrary to the conservative holding on to the past. This term in its actual historical use has usually been used to talk about something being free as in liberal democracy or liberal capitalism. Instead of being just a narrower definition, today’s usage of the term is something different all together, again defining specific political views of those deemed to be on the “left.” I must admit ignorance as to how the term was apprehended for its modern definition but nonetheless it is something almost completely different.
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2 comments:
That my friend . . . is why I'm registered independent! It gets old being put into such a specific category when you may have multidimensional views and opinions. I think it's funny how those terns are evolved, too. Because I think that when America first began, they were switched. What they called 'liberal' back then, were Republicans. Go figure.
I hate politics, they make me so mad! But you're totally right, the world changes on a daily basis, and those term will completely change in the future just like that have from the past. My personal plan is to move to a deserted island somewhere, forget all political terms, battles and what not, and live out my days as King Jesse.
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