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Ratso · 07-01-2003, 04:53 PM

Well, basically, without the polysci BS, liberal = left wing, conservative = right wing.

As far as your own beliefs, I think you're taking the term a bit too, erm, liberally.

Being a liberal means you generally believe in reform. You like to move forward, or challenge the status quo. Being a liberal in general means you're more open to change, and see the benefits and the advantages of a changing society. It can also mean that you're more of a free-thinker, etc.. but that's really stretching the boundaries of the word in a political sense.

Being a conservative means you believe in keeping things the way they are. Don't fix what isn't broken. A belief in the idea that we're better off believing in the actions we've taken as a society in the past, and there's no sense in taking risks. "Stay the course."

Now, on both ends of the spectrum you have what are called Radicals and Reactionaries. Radicals are far-far left wing liberals, and they believe in RADICAL change, often times no matter the cost. A radical may seek to abolish all government for instance. Reactionaries are, yes, far-far right wing conservatives, and they believe in actually returning to the values of the past. A reactionary may want to reinstitute slavery.

That's obviously a very broad-based approach, but hopefully it gave you the outline you were looking for.

07-01-2003, 04:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
Ratso Upright Location: Michigan.	Careful.. Well, basically, without the polysci BS, liberal = left wing, conservative = right wing. As far as your own beliefs, I think you're taking the term a bit too, erm, liberally. Being a liberal means you generally believe in reform. You like to move forward, or challenge the status quo. Being a liberal in general means you're more open to change, and see the benefits and the advantages of a changing society. It can also mean that you're more of a free-thinker, etc.. but that's really stretching the boundaries of the word in a political sense. Being a conservative means you believe in keeping things the way they are. Don't fix what isn't broken. A belief in the idea that we're better off believing in the actions we've taken as a society in the past, and there's no sense in taking risks. "Stay the course." Now, on both ends of the spectrum you have what are called Radicals and Reactionaries. Radicals are far-far left wing liberals, and they believe in RADICAL change, often times no matter the cost. A radical may seek to abolish all government for instance. Reactionaries are, yes, far-far right wing conservatives, and they believe in actually returning to the values of the past. A reactionary may want to reinstitute slavery. That's obviously a very broad-based approach, but hopefully it gave you the outline you were looking for.