From: C558172@mizzou1.missouri.edu
Subject: Liberals, Conservatives and PC
Organization: University of Missouri
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 19:34:16 CST

After following the thread about so-called liberals tearing down posters that
started with someone claiming that conservatives are the true defenders of
first amendment rights; I decided to post my opinions on this subject. I
would hesistate to call myself liberal due to the misunderstanding of the
word as well as due to the actions of some of the morons who claim to be
liberal.
liberal is defined as willingness to accept new ideas, ie open-minded
conservative is defined as a resistance to change or new ideas
Don't believe me? Look it up.
Unfortunately many who call themselves liberal have know willingness
to look at other ideas -- even older ones -- they should really be
called "leftist conservatives". A good example are the hard-line communists
of present day Russia. They are conservative by the definition but are
the polar opposites of Western conservatives. (or is it really a circle?)
It is also hard to call people like Supreme Court justices Anthony Scalia
and William Reinquest "conservative" when they are commited to changing
the status quo. I guess that is part of the unwritten definitions of liberal
and conservative that I agree with -- in practice conservative generally go
for maintaining the status quo and liberals for changing it. The definitions
don't really have to mean that -- but in practice they do.
About PC
Many people have posted about liberals "inventing" PC. What bullshit. Social
pressure (==PC) has existed as long as societies. Indeed, it is probably the
biggest tool that conservatives use for maintaining the status quo. PC, the
term, was invented by conservatives who were too wimpy to stand up for their
beliefs in the face of social pressure. They are blind to their own attempts
to control what people believe and just want to whine about their failure
to roll-back American society to the 1950s.
Don't get me wrong -- I am a true liberal who believes ideas should be heard.
There is a line where arguements, pressure etc become coersion.
If me and everybody else on the net says your (or visa versa) ideas are
bullshit -- that is OK.
If I try to get your net access removed because I don't like what you say --
that is unconstitutional and therefore unAmerican (an certainly NOT liberal).
I feel that liberals are often misuderstood by conservatives -- consider
G. Bush who has spent plenty of time harping about PC. Remember in 88 when
he was attacking Dukakis for being a "card-carrying member of the ACLU"?
Gee, this is the same ACLU that has _consistantly_ stood up for freedom of
speach every since their inception. The ACLU is currently involved in defending
Nazis against "hate-speech" laws. Yes that is the ACLU that has the *guts*
that conservatives lack -- to stand up to their own constituency and defend
peoples rights -- no matter how scummy those people are.
How many conservatives have that kind of tolerance and conviction?
--Shannon    "Show Me" is the best motto of any state -- think about it.
(Yes, some politions here were trying to change it to "you have a friend in
Missouri" -- already used in Penn?)
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