Do any of them know what the word “liberal” actually means?

  • thedirtyknapkin@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    ok, so among English speaking countries, how is it more often used? we’ve got multiple people in this thread aggressively telling him he’s wrong, but no other definitions.

    • saltesc@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      how is it more often used?

      Look up liberalism for liberals.

      I wasn’t aware Americans made up their own meaning. Now I understand why upvoted comments mentioning “liberal values” receive a flurry of downvotes while I’m asleep, Americans have lost the meaning of another word, probably due to their media.

      Though, just checking, the American dictionaries seem entirely correct still. Are you all confused?

      • postmateDumbass@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Its the way the wealthy wamt the poor and middle class - undereducated and bombarded by agenda driven media.

        The US propaganda machine is pretty damn effective domestically.

        • saltesc@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          I think you’re right. It’s not like anything’s changed, so people are obviously buying someone’s bullshit from somewhere and it’s working exactly as the seller intends.

          Going to have start signalling when talking about the two different concepts, like…

          Today I’d like to discuss liberalism.

          vs

          Today I’d like to discuss 🛻🇺🇸LIBeralism™🎸🦅

          Since they’re almost entirely opposing concepts sharing the same word.

      • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        https://www.dictionary.com/browse/liberal

        liberal 1

        [ lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl ]

        Phonetic (Standard) IPA adjective

        1. favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs. Synonyms: progressive

        Antonyms: reactionary

        1. (often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform. of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism, especially the freedom of the individual and governmental guarantees of individual rights and liberties.
    • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.social
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      6 months ago

      Like I said, it’s fine assuming your own definition if that’s the one most familiar to you, but that doesn’t mean you have to stubbornly double down on semantics when confronted with a competing definition. When used derisively from the left it is almost certainly being used in the original sense of the word as per John Locke

    • jaspersgroove@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      The definition I see most often used here on Lemmy is: Liberal - literally anybody who doesn’t have Xi Jinping’s and/or Vladimir Putin’s cock alllllllll the way down their throat