Posted by
Andrews on Saturday, April 12, 2008 1:31:38 AM
I was posting a
comment when I ran across an interesting post. It demonstrated something I have noticed before, but this time, for some reason, it really struck a chord, and I decided to write about it.
The post in question, after a bit of introductions read "I do not consider myself a liberal at all." It then proceeded to suggest pretty much every liberal position and advance every liberal argument imaginable, even down to arguing the US should adopt some socialist practices to ensure we meet the needs of all our citizens. It sounded almost like a parody of liberalism, it was so doctrinaire.
Which is what always amazes me, that liberals so often do not describe themselves as liberal. Conservatives have no problem identifying themselves as conservative, some even claim the title who don't exactly fit that description, but it seems no one considers themselves liberal any more.
Of course, some of this is a tactical move. Many liberals have noticed that even moderates find liberalism a bit of a dirty word. Thanks to the excesses of the PC thought police, the idiocies of the bleeding hearts and the obvious failure of the welfare state, even those who have no love for conservatives still find liberals objects of scorn. And so some liberals have decided it is to their advantage to find a new "brand", and are calling themselves "progressives" or even moderates, in order to distance themselves from the negative popular impression of liberals.
But that only explains some of the liberals. Many others really do not see themselves as liberals. In their minds Joe Lieberman is a dangerous reactionary and Lincoln Chafee and Olympia Snowe are conservatives. These are the people who call Gore a moderate, think Michael Moore is a mainstream film maker, and will only admit Denis Kucinich is a little bit left of center.
I think this is easy to explain if one looks at the American left and realizes that they live in something of a bubble. As shown by the infamous quote "no one I know voted for Nixon", a lot of liberals may live in areas where the only people they meet are other liberals. Even those who live in locales where the full political spectrum is represented manage to remain out of touch. Perhaps they simply do not talk to people who aren't politically liberal. Or perhaps they do talk to them, they just do not discuss politics with them. Just as college speech codes serve to keep political discussion solidly left of center, I think their choice to limit political discourse to a circle of like-minded friends may serve to keep those on the left out of touch with the American mainstream.
I really can't imagine any other explanation for such an unrealistic view of the political spectrum.