Everything seems to be labelled with a term these days, especially when it relates to anything controversial. But if only there was a term for everyone's reactions towards the election–it would be quite a ludicrous one–just like the array of terms being thrown left and right to define the overall reactions and circumstances from the election. Every insult in the dictionary is being used, many times in a biased or incorrect way, towards anyone who has an opinion. While a lot of them are typical insults such as "idiot," "liar," and usually having lot of profanity, one of them in particular is being used as an almost-makeshift annoyance towards the oppressors, as the term 'liberals' is being turned into a common insult.
Before the election, the term 'liberal' was mostly used in terms of studies, occasional news source, and to describe what many call the 'liberal agenda.' Now, the term is most always paired with the word Trump, wrong, fake, or as a redundant adjective for someone person with a controversial viewpoint. All throughout the news, recent articles this year have come out titled "Why Liberals are Wrong," "Liberals Attack ___," or some other accusation about oppressors that are all automatically liberals. But it's quite nonsensical, as it aims to target anyone with a different opinion, more over those who care about the environment and well-being of everyone.
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The blatant perspective that anyone and everyone who defies the factors of today's society as liberal really defeats the purpose of the term itself. According to Google, Liberalism describes "a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality." Another way to describe a so-called 'liberal' today is people who are not so easily persuaded by popular opinion. It can also be described as people who adapt to new ways of thinking by taking in more knowledge. Recently, the term has come closer to that of an insult as it's been used as if to label 'liberals' as ignorant, uninformed people.
But as a matter of fact, it's very opposite. People that are liberal. even if they seem very harsh at times, are simply thinking outside the box. The people calling them "liberals" or even the presumptuous "libtards," as if to assume their utter ignorance, are ironically boasting ignorance themselves. A source from Pantagraph says that the term 'liberal' is actually one of respect, emphasizing that liberals work to establish freedom and equality, which makes the people using it as an insult that much more ridiculous. We didn't get to where we are today as a country being close-minded and never considering other viewpoints. As hard as it is to do, it does require some form of intelligence to be able to take in a view that opposes yours. Instead of calling people liberal automatically, try 1.)Forming a decent argument, 2.) At least consider their opinion, or 3.) Realize that 'liberals' are usually fighting for world peace.
If you think about it, it's kind of futile in this day and age to need to counteract a discrepancy with a term, instead of just saying oppressors, deniers, rebels, or anything else instead of labeling them all as one. They could be open-minded people, skeptical people, different thinkers...the list could go on. But using it against anyone that thinks slightly differently about a certain opinion, whether unpopular or popular, ruins the real meaning, and ridicules the importance of being unique and thinking differently.
The term, liberal was not coined to be an insult, nor was it coined to define everyone who thinks outside the box. Not all college kids consider themselves liberal, and not everyone who is is thinking poorly of the world. We often view a group of people who think differently from us, as one general mindset, forgetting that they all have different views on what they stand for, especially since we don't relate to their way of thinking at all. You could argue that the people making blunt statements which seem to interrogate the very term are bigoted. Realize, though, that calling so many people 'liberals,' as if every single person who opposes Donald Trump and conservative viewpoints has the same exact ideas. The fact that 'liberal' has sadly come to be an insult more than the philosophical concept it really is, says a lot about our society's ignorance right now. Moreover, it shows that we view those who have entirely different thoughts than we do as all the same. It may seem like there are two sides, but there are many differing views within each side, and many of us need to adapt to that before we lose sight of
