What is a Conservative and what is a Liberal

According to Wikipedia I'm a Liberal.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism

Thoughts ?

My first thought was that both entries were written by a liberal.

 

Awesome answer.

What's the definitions as we use them ?

I still think Liberals are people who support our constitutional rights and equality.

I think Conservatives tend to be more religious motivated and less inclusive. More resistant to change.

Does it only have to do with social spending and big government ?

There needs to be a third category.

The students and faculty at the colleges that limit free speech are NOT Liberals in my opinion.
Black Lives Matter is not Liberal in my opinion.

We throw the word Liberal around like it's a disease on this forum.

It's what this country was founded on.
In my opinion.

The Constitution was very Liberal in it's time and revolutionary.

I look at Rand Paul as the consummate modern Liberal.
 Abraham Lincoln.  Liberal.
Both Republicans.

"In order to make yourself feel better, you may react with rage or contempt and efforts to belittle the other person to make yourself appear better."

 Problem being; only you believe these actions make you look better

Dang MauiD
That's the perfect description of half your posts on this forum.
 You're a Liberal.   

To say being a Liberal is the equalvalent of NPD  is Gobbledy Gook

FDR was one of the biggest Liberals ever.
And he won 3 terms.
I don't know but I don't think he, or Lincoln, or Paul, or any other countless Liberals suffer from all the mumbo jumbo you spewed above.

What's the definition of Conservative ?
What's the definition of Liberal ?

I'm hoping for real answers of people's opinions.

Not necessarily religious, but definitely resistant to change.

I totally agree that many 2A supporters on this forum has fallen prey to using mainstream media definitions of liberalism as being somehow an evil thing.

More than a bit of truth here.  I am about as conservative about most things as you can get, and no one would call me a Bible thumper.  Resistant to change, yes, as the changes liberals are jamming down our throats are largely destroying our society, not improving it.  Having been a kid in the fifties, i see nothing about current society that is an improvement, only decay and derangement.

Changing the definitions of what is a liberal, most certainly.  A classic liberal would be horrified by what is thought of as one currently.   Current liberals are more totalitarians that  refuse to tolerate any but their viewpoint and ideology.  A classic liberal was just the opposite, if I understand them correctly.  No way would they embrace the current goals of trying to control the lives of all who do not agree with them.

It has been said John F Kennedy would classify as a moderate Republican in modern terminology.. 

I dunno, have enough trouble keeping my own thoughts on track with the country swirling the toilet bowl the last seven years.

There are, of course, exceptions to these, but in general .....

If a Conservative doesn't like something, they simply don't support it by not buying, watching, or reading it.
If a Liberal doesn't like something, it must be banned, and whoever supports it should be run out of business through lawsuits and boycotts.

Liberals support Gay Marriage, illegal immigrants obtaining citizenship and Syrian refugees coming to the US because they are "tolerant."
If you disagree with them, you are intolerant, bigoted, racist, homophobic and should be shamed, shunned and shouted down for disagreeing.
Only politically correct viewpoints will be tolerated by the tolerant Liberals.

If a Conservative disagrees with owning a gun, it's his choice to buy a gun or not, and he likes being offered the choice.
If a Liberal doesn't agree with the 2nd Amendment, all those who support it are "paranoid gun nuts" who are endangering the lives of everyone.  They want all guns banned except for military and police, and anyone who brings up a tyrannical government argument is delusional.

If a Conservative wants something, they find a way to afford it, and they buy it for themselves.
If a Liberal wants something (birth control), it's a right, and someone else needs to pay for it.

A Conservative believes judges should act as umpires, enforcing the rules fairly as written.  If the rules are unfair or ambiguous, they should be changed through the proper process.
A Liberal sees judges as a backdoor to changing laws they don't agree with by setting a precedent or interpreting a law to benefit their agenda.

Conservatives believe in the individual's rights, especially the right to defend one's own life.
Liberals believe your right to own a gun is trumped by their right to not be afraid of so many guns in the hands of the public.  They think banning all guns will make criminals less dangerous and suicides less common.

Conservatives believe in guaranteeing equal opportunity, but not equal outcome.  Everyone is given the same chance to succeed, but not everyone will.
Liberals think the only way Conservatives succeed is by taking advantage of others.  They cheated, and therefore have to surrender their piece of the pie to be distributed to those with less.

Conservatives believe government is too big as it is, and more government will only make things worse, not solve the problems politicians say it will.  They believe the more you let people keep of the money they earn, the better for everyone.
Liberals believe themselves to be more generous and loving than cold-hearted, greedy Conservatives.  They must confiscate wealth from them and give it to the people they feel deserve it more.  Liberals feel they owe a debt to their fellow man, which everyone else must kick in to repay.  They are extremely generous with other people's money.

Conservatives believe what you earn is yours, and you can do with it what you want.
Liberals will loudly proclaim that money Conservatives earned should have been spent better on X, Y, and Z, even though they are not willing to give their own money to X, Y, and Z.

Conservatives believe in taking full advantage of the tax code to pay as little tax as legally required.
Liberals proclaim we as a nation need to all pay "our fair share" while many of those speaking loudest are guilty of tax evasion.



Having posted those tidbits, let me say this is not how I feel.  I believe all labels are bad.  They are a form of stereotyping.  If someone is a Conservative, you form preconceived notions about them.  The same for Liberals.  Unfortunately, those notions are most often negative.

I don't label myself because I have views based on the individual issues and their worth/harm they add to society or the individual.  Not all Liberal ideas are insane, and not all Conservative ideas are stupid.

This entire thread is doing what we should not be doing ..... labeling people based on their religious, political, or other views.  I certainly don't agree with everything certain people post here (over and over and over), but that doesn't mean I don't like anything they post (with one or two obvious exceptions!  ).

Liberal and Conservative is not about issues, but about ideals.  They are the fundamental beliefs and perceptions which then guide them to form opinions on various issues.

I grew up with a very open mind.  As you live and travel, you meet others with all kinds of view and opinions.  Soon, you see what works, what doesn't work, and what really doesn't matter.  That's when your opinions change into facts, but many are only facts based on your own experiences. Others mileage may vary as they say.

I really don't think there is a formal label for the ideals I believe in, which is exactly how I like it.

take this test. you might be surprised at the answer.
http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/

take this test. you might be surprised at the answer.
http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/

I not surprised: "Steadfast Conservative"

Steadfast conservative

Steadfast conservative

"business conservative"

Took it twice the first time I didn't answer 3 questions resulted outcome business conservative the second time answering all questions yielded the same outcome

Haha. Young outsider.

And I'm not young.

This relatively young, largely independent group holds a mix of conservative and liberal views. And while more lean toward the Republican Party than the Democratic Party, Young Outsiders generally express unfavorable opinions of both major parties.

The important scale is not about liberal vs conservative but about more government control vs less government control.

If you look at it on this scale, we all have more in common from a 2a point of view.

took it 3x changing a single question but always returned as... Steadfast Conservative.

from Inside the Beltway
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/26/inside-the-beltway-441665150/?page=all

The news media often portray American voters as estranged from politics, confused and possibly neurotic. This is not always the case. Certain groups rule.

A triumvirate of distinct demographics have emerged who hold sway in elections, this according to yet another exhaustive Pew Research Center study of the political marketplace. Curious? The three categories that currently dominate politics are Steadfast Conservatives, described as socially conservative populists; Business Conservatives, which is the pro-Wall Street, pro-immigration crowd; and finally “Solid Liberals, which are simply liberal “across-the-board,” the research says.

“These three groups form the electoral base of the Democratic and Republican Parties, and their influence on American politics is strong. While Solid Liberals, Steadfast Conservatives and Business Conservatives collectively make up only 36 percent of the American public, they represent 43 percent of registered voters and fully 57 percent of the more politically engaged segment of the American public: those who regularly vote and routinely follow government and public affairs,” the study states.

Well, OK. There are five lesser groups, however. Curious? According to the Pew crew, they are: Young Outsiders (conservative on government, not social issues); Hard Pressed Skeptics (financially stressed and pessimistic); Next Generation Left (young, liberal on social issues); Faith and Family Left (racially diverse and religious), and finally, the Bystanders, who are young, diverse and remain on the sidelines.

There are no partisan designations yet for, say, bikers, pastry chefs, former B-52 pilots, dog lovers and maybe dogs themselves. But that’s likely in the works.

Haha. Young outsider.

And I'm not young.

This relatively young, largely independent group holds a mix of conservative and liberal views. And while more lean toward the Republican Party than the Democratic Party, Young Outsiders generally express unfavorable opinions of both major parties.

Surprise!

I'm business conservative but thought I'd be steadfast conservative.

What really irks my chain is when they use the right left paradigm, and say that fascism is on the 'far-right'.

Fascism is a form of national socialism with the state having direct control over all aspects of society. It is, therefore, a form of totalitarianism, which is on the upper scales of the left paradigm.

How fascism has any correlation to anarchism and/or personal, individual freedom is beyond me.


Anyway, 

What really irks my chain is when they use the right left paradigm, and say that fascism is on the 'far-right'.

Fascism is a form of national socialism with the state having direct control over all aspects of society. It is, therefore, a form of totalitarianism, which is on the upper scales of the left paradigm.

How fascism has any correlation to anarchism and/or personal, individual freedom is beyond me.


Anyway, 

When you control the narrative, you control the debate.

Redefining words to make yourself look better is one step in controlling the narrative.

Steadfast Conservative.  Not surprised by the result.  Lol