Liberalism: Stop Getting So Offended

Over the years, I have often referred to the "Left" or to "Liberals" in posts and blogs I've written. When I do, I often get messages and replies complaining about me "labeling" people in such a manner. More often than not, those replies usually fall into one of two categories:

1) Either they consider themselves a Liberal but don't like being lumped into the kind of lunacy the Left often engages in, or...

2) They pretend they AREN'T a Liberal, but still believe in most of the Liberal ideology.

In either case, they REALLY don't like being labeled. I like to joke that nobody hates being called a Liberal more than a Liberal.

That being said, I want to clarify what I mean when I mention the "Left" or "Liberals."

First of all, let me be clear about a couple things:

1) I understand that referencing a particular group, good or bad, does not encompass the thoughts of every single person in that group. While that should go without saying, it is fascinating how quickly left-leaning thinkers will message me to point out that I shouldn't lump everybody in to one big group. I completely understand that many people can lean one way or the other and not espouse to believe every single tenet of a particular ideology. But boy, the left doesn't like that mentality at all. I don't get messages from Conservatives when I say something about conservative ideals, or thoughts, or behaviors. If I say something like, "Conservatives sure did love Ronald Reagan and his economic programs," I don't get nasty messages from Conservatives, screaming, "HEY, not ALL Conservatives loved Reagan!" But if I say, "Boy, Liberals sure do love Obama and his health care program," I get messages within minutes from my Liberal friends who say, "HEY, not ALL Liberals love Obama." It's really kinda fascinating.

2) "Progressive" is a made up term to make Liberals feel better about themselves. There is nothing at all progressive about Leftist ideology, especially in today's culture. Leftist ideology is as old and outdated as covered wagons. I mean, socialism (and it's failures) has been around much longer than democracy, so pretending that trending that direction is somehow progressive is nothing more than wishful-thinking. Somehow, they've conjured the idea that "Progressive" is a good thing and "Liberal" is bad. Don't fall for it. I refuse to refer to anything as "Progressive" that isn't.

3) I have absolutely no problem whatsoever being labeled a "Conservative." Lump me into that all you want. I believe in that ideology, will promote it unapologetically, and will stand by it until I die. I'm not the least bit bothered by "labels" -- so long as they're accurate. I'm a proud Conservative.

So with that said, let me get to the heart of the matter. When I mention the "Left" or "Liberals," or when I mention the "Right" or "Conservatives," I'm not talking about a person individually. I'm talking about an "ideology."

It's an important distinction. Because the idea of political "Left" or "Right" is just that: An idea. It's an ideology. It's a way of thinking that is driven by a certain set of beliefs on how things should generally operate, and how people should generally be governed. The lines between those ideas can get blurry at times, but they're still pretty defined. And that ideology gets defined further when they get applied to a political party. Because political parties usually arise and form as a group of like-minded individuals bound together to espouse a certain set of ideals. And they want people governing them who believe in those same set of ideals. You can look up the Democrat and the Republican platform on their websites, and it will outline their ideals pretty clearly. A set of belief guidelines that outlines the overall ideology of the Party.

Some time ago, I made a post on my social media account that stated the following:

"Biden’s supporters go out and riot and loot and burn down cities. They beat up and kill innocent bystanders. They ruin people’s lives. They tear down statues, and try to change history. Trump’s supporters go boating."

Now, notwithstanding the clear tongue-in-cheek vibe of the post which I would have hoped would have been obvious, you'll notice I did not specifically label Liberals or Conservatives. However, this post highlights my point. Within a few days, I had heard from several Liberal friends claiming to be offended who essentially said to me, "I support Biden, but I didn't go out and riot and loot," or, "I'm a Biden supporter, but I don't support the violence."

OK. I get that, but that doesn't make my statement any less true. When I said Biden supporters, obviously I don't mean ALL Biden supporters, as if that even needs to be said. But it is also true that those who are out rioting and looting and causing the violence in our city streets are most likely Joe Biden -- i.e., Liberal -- supporters. And while I understand they may not ALL be Biden supporters, they clearly ain't Trump supporters.

And even THEN, I understand that Trump supporters have been increasingly making their way into the streets to oppose the violence, and do themselves sometimes ending up engaging in violent activity, albeit in opposition to those who started the whole mess in the first place.

So while I clearly am not referencing ALL Biden supporters, my statement is true nevertheless, whether that offends you or not.

And that's the point. First and foremost, people need to stop getting butt-hurt so quickly. If you don't like being labeled a Liberal, stop supporting Liberal activity, or those who support Liberal activity. If you are that put out with the criminals who are currently burning our cities down, then why not switch sides? Otherwise, we have little left to believe other than you support those who engage in such activity. If you don't outright denounce it, what do you want me to believe? Regardless, I understand that not ALL Biden supporters ascribe to the type of lunacy we're seeing on TV every night.

Understand this: I know many people, and are friends with several, who identify as either a Liberal, or a Democrat, or both, and I know for a fact they don't support many of the actions of radical leftists. And while I still question why they continue to identify with such organizations, most of them know I'm not referencing them when I make a comment about Liberals, or Democrats, or even "Biden supporters."

More often than not, I'm referencing the Democrat leaders, in Washington, but also across the country. And make no mistake: I believe many of the Democrat leaders, especially in D.C., to be absolute evil snakes who will stop at nothing to destroy America for their own personal gain. While there might be some decent Dems in office, they are the ones who put the likes of Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler, etc., at the head of their table. They're the ones who refuse to denounce the violence. They're the ones who've propped up and supported the likes of the Squad and that wretched AOC. Joe Biden is worthless. Hillary was worse. And for most of those boneheads, Liberals and Democrats at large do hold a responsibility for voting them into, and keeping them in, office. But even I know it is unrealistic to believe that every voter agrees with every single tenet and principle put forth by a representative. I mean, c'mon, I've disagreed with many things Donald Trump has done.

So the moral of the story is this: Leftism is an ideology. Democrats mostly ascribe to an ideology. If you vote for a Democrat, you are essentially voting for leftist ideology. It's just that simple. But understand that when I make a reference to Liberals, or Democrats, I'm talking more about the ideology and less about the individual. If I think you're dumb, or misguided, or should be ashamed of supporting such things, I'll say so. But otherwise, you shouldn't feel as though it's some personal attack.

There are times, I think, when we should all just grow up a little bit and stop being so touchy.

I realize none of this, as an explanation, is going to appease some of those who get regularly offended by my posts. Not much I can do about that. That's their hangup, not mine. While I continue to try to be sure my message goes out in a way that is positive so it will be heard, I am not going to be silenced into speaking what I believe to be the truth just because some people can't figure out why they shouldn't be personally offended.

By the way, after the aforementioned post, I have not had one single Trump supporter message me and say, "I'm offended. I'm a Trump supporter and I don't like boating."