> _People who call themselves realists are often just dreamers who gottheir hearts broken somewhere along the way._
>
> -- [Ashley Stahl/TEDx talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRtBHF-WPpM)
>"People who call themselves realists are often just dreamers who gottheir hearts broken somewhere along the way."
This reminds me of another quote in a different context:
"Conservatives are liberals who've been mugged."
Usually said by conservatives who consider themselves to be realists.
@Pat Oooh, this wakes up so many thoughts. Very good shot there! Thanks!
I am sure this would instigate a "culture war", but I also truly believe that conservatism is primarily about fear.
Says somebody mostly voting for "center-right" in my geography 🙂
🇳🇱
@freemo Well, we can argue about nitty-gritty semantics here, but I think you;ve got the definition "liberal" wrong. Liberal, in my book has not much to do with right vs. left. It rather is about _freedom_.
_Conservative_, in my world, has the opposite in _progressive_. Which to me screams "embrace the change", or "do what _currently_ is the right the to do". In other words, _don't be afraid to step into the future!_
semantic arguments are boring. The definition of liberal you just gave I would call either classically liberal or libertarian. When I see liberal used on its own I see it as synonomous with the left and if a word is needed to be a bit more granular then liberal = neo-liberal.
That said semantics are stupid. Lets just replace the words I used with democrat and republican so there is no problem with quibbling over definitions.
The "mugged" quote originated in the US way back in the latter part of the 20th century.
Words are constantly changing their meanings over time. Political terms are especially susceptible because opponents will often intentionally try to redefine the meaning of terms associated with their rivals, or they coop terms that seem positive for their own use.
Liberal started off meaning classical liberalism (Locke, Hobbs, Jefferson), then, in the US, the left cooped the term to describe themselves, hoping to gain positive vibes for themselves, even though their political philosophy was quite different. Later, the conservatives ran the word "liberal" through the toilet describing every ill on Earth as "liberal", so then the left stopped using "liberal" and started using "progressive", even though their ideas have nothing to do car insurance.
@freemo @FailForward
>This is pretty much the same mechanics as the euphemism treadmill, and I agree.
Yep, very much. Words naturally change meaning over time because of gradual misunderstanding or whatever, but in politics, it's rapid and intentional.