The Liberal as Pejorative

 

December 1, 2018

 

Being labeled a liberal in the pejorative sense has become a rather frequent occurrence.  And reading my own essays, I’m continually curious as to why I’m viewed as liberal.  I’m a fiscal conservative, and a Southern, church-going Christian. I believe in limiting government spending where possible, free trade, a strong defense, and a calculated and effective foreign policy.  That said, I also support social and cultural tolerance, gay marriage, and a woman’s right to choose.  I support active unwanted pregnancy prevention, education, and women’s health programs that are empirically shown to reduce abortion – that’s a good thing for everyone.  But none of that matters when someone comes to the conversation maligning “libs” from the “Democrat Party”.  That’s more than just a shot across the bow.

Seeds of disunity have been sown for decades in our country, and I have had a particularly well-sited vantage point from which to witness it take root and grow.  As a Southerner living north of the Potomac, away from my hometown for many years, I have about an equal number of rural, mostly Republican friends and family on social media, and urban and mostly Democratic-leaning.  This has been the case for about a decade, and comprises what is generally accepted as a statistical sample size.  My experience with the two groups has grown dramatically different over that time.

For the last two years I’ve taken issue with the tone and comportment of this administration, as well as its policies which are the antithesis of conservatism: ballooning debt, increased tariffs (and thus taxes), erosion of critical allied foreign relations… this has never been us.  To that, I and those of similar viewpoint have received the following from far too many of my Republican friends: “You’re an idiot.  You’re a loser.  You’re a snowflake, a libtard. The pledge offends you. The flag offends you.  You’re an enemy of the state.  You hate America.  F(expletive) your feelings.  You’re not a patriot, and you’re not a real American.”

I simply haven’t seen the sort of sustained, intensive vitriol from my more centrist and progressive friends. And that’s no surprise… they’re the touchy-feely, “let’s all hug-and-talk-it-out” types who have no quarrel if one marries one’s cat.  They want to wring their hands over every issue, study it eight different ways.  It doesn’t really make sense that as a cohort they would fall in line, swear fealty, and cast out those who don’t conform… because they are by definition non-conformists (it’s appropriate to cite the Karl Popper paradox here).

So, I’m not saying we won’t find examples of what one might consider “leftist intolerance”.  Sure, it’s out there.  But when you are friends with these people, and they’re your family, and you live amongst them, read academic publications and don’t eschew traditional media outlets, you don’t witness the sort of things you hear about on Fox News, or InfoWars, or Breitbart, etc.  I am constantly amazed at what I learn about my community in the city from the good folks back in my rural home, who watch these shows and read these articles, and become so much better acquainted (even than me) with my surroundings and my neighbors and our thoughts, our motivations, and our actions.  Because it isn’t reflective of what I see and hear.

How much more civility might we manage if we all enjoyed the spectrum of friendships I’m fortunate enough to have?  Knew the folks I know?  Listen to the conversations I hear? Live next door to them, go to church with them, attend July 4th parades with them – like I do?  Those of us in dots of blue throughout this nation are not the monsters nor enemies of the state we’re made out to be.

Too few of us acknowledge that we all need to be more civil, open, and to recognize that regardless of our policy positions, we are all seeking to do what is right for ourselves and our fellow countrymen, and working to make our nation that we love the place of promise & prosperity it has been for so many generations.  Like our rural families and friends, we here in the cities are patriots and love our country.  And while our red rural brethren confuse the living hell out of us these days, we do not hate them. Because they, too, are our friends and family.