- 22 Nov 2014 20:30
#14489942
It seems to me that there are two kinds of liberals - economic and social - and they are polar opposites.
American "liberals" realize that we live in two worlds - one is social and the other is economic.
In the social world we are liberal - in the economic world we are not (opposite of laissez-faire).
In the social world we are liberal because...
we realize that "we are all in this boat together" - where hierarchy is not so important since we all work together.
We tend to be highly suspicious of hierarchical institutions like - the military, religious orthodoxy, and corporations. We believe in representative democracy, which is intrinsically messy. We don't mind messiness because we realize that humans are changeable, but at the same time we acknowledge that there has to be a balance of power.
We remember that what was once accepted as obvious and necessary is now unacceptable in a civilized society - in other words - the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice.
In the economic world we are not liberal because...
we realize that the economic world (capitalism/laissez-faire) is "dog eat dog" "every man for himself" which really has no social conscious or real love of Democracy. (see: Libertarianism)
We realize that there is no equality in capitalism - it's a world of "bosses" and "the bossed".
We realize that capitalism can undermine democracy and eventually control the democratic process, therefore we would put limits on capitalism.
We see government as a check and balance to the power of 'economic aristocrats' who would run rough-shod over the powerless.
American "liberals" realize that we live in two worlds - one is social and the other is economic.
In the social world we are liberal - in the economic world we are not (opposite of laissez-faire).
In the social world we are liberal because...
we realize that "we are all in this boat together" - where hierarchy is not so important since we all work together.
We tend to be highly suspicious of hierarchical institutions like - the military, religious orthodoxy, and corporations. We believe in representative democracy, which is intrinsically messy. We don't mind messiness because we realize that humans are changeable, but at the same time we acknowledge that there has to be a balance of power.
We remember that what was once accepted as obvious and necessary is now unacceptable in a civilized society - in other words - the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice.
In the economic world we are not liberal because...
we realize that the economic world (capitalism/laissez-faire) is "dog eat dog" "every man for himself" which really has no social conscious or real love of Democracy. (see: Libertarianism)
We realize that there is no equality in capitalism - it's a world of "bosses" and "the bossed".
We realize that capitalism can undermine democracy and eventually control the democratic process, therefore we would put limits on capitalism.
We see government as a check and balance to the power of 'economic aristocrats' who would run rough-shod over the powerless.
“Poverty is therefore a most necessary and indispensable ingredient in society…It is the source of wealth, since without poverty, there could be no labour” - Patrick Colquhoun, 1745 – 1820