Do you feel there's a difference between Liberalism and Leftism?

[Col. Roosevelt]

In terms of American politics, do you feel there's a difference between Liberalism and Leftism?

I consider myself a Liberal economically and a center-rightist culturally. I'd argue Liberalism is along the same lines, whereas, to me, American Leftism is basically the Bernie Sanders people, SJW's, radical feminists and cultural censorship-supporters.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Yes, as liberalism is a right-wing philosophy (European)

[All Along The Watchtower]

Well Leftism is a non-starter in American politics, so...

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Liberalism is focused on making people's lives better, albeit via flawed methods that often do more harm than good. Leftism is rooted in hurting people.

[dead0man]

Yes, very much so.  Certain conservatives in the US (Rush Limbaugh(?) specifically) turned "liberal" into a bad word in the 80s.  I'd like to take the word back.

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There is a long list of sh**t that "leftists" want or defend that is not founded on the ideas of liberty and equality.  Leftists care more about "fair" and "leveling the playing field", those things often, and especially the dumb ways they often chose to go about them, go directly against liberty and equality.  That's not to say they don't want liberty and equality, they just want to limit them more than a liberal would.


(nor is it to say conservatives/righties don't have the exact same problems with liberty and equality, they clearly do, which is exactly why the word liberal needs to be saved)

[Phony Moderate]

I consider myself a Liberal economically and a center-rightist culturally. I'd argue Liberalism is along the same lines, whereas, to me, American Leftism is basically the Bernie Sanders people, SJW's, radical feminists and cultural censorship-supporters.

So 'Liberalism' in America in your view is the polar opposite of what it is outside of America - to be a liberal in Europe for instance is to be culturally and economically liberal (as in pro-free market).

[Figueira]

It's hard to say what "liberal" in the US really means. Sometimes it's used to mean anyone who is left-wing, but sometimes it means anyone who is on the left side of the US spectrum but still supports capitalism. And of course "the left" is also hard to define.

[hopper]

I thought about this before in term of leftism(i.e.. Progressivism) vs Liberalism. For example I think NYC mayor Bill DeBlasio is a Progressive but I don't think he is a liberal. He doesn't want to NYC's city government bigger he just supports a higher minimum wage and more pre-k schooling. People say he is anti-police I mean the guy did hire Bill Bratton who was NYC's police chief under Guliani for a couple years. Yeah I know I am sort of sticking up for DeBlasio....

[ElectionsGuy]

In the United States, no.

[Phony Moderate]

In the United States, no.

Nah, it would be ridiculous to describe (for example) the Socialist Worker's Party as 'liberal'. I think Al once said that liberalism in the USA means 'whatever happens to be supported by the Democratic Party'. I tend to agree with that.

[bagelman]

When I hear the word liberal, I think of American liberals, while when I hear "leftist" I think of socialists, social democrats, and even commies from all around the world. However "classical liberal" or "neoliberal" refers to the old and more academic meaning of "liberal" which sides with non-establishment Republicans purely on economic issues.

[Leinad]

Outside the US, obviously.

In the US, I think so. Leftists, by US definition, are a more all-encompassing group left of center, while "liberal" seems to mean "center-left" generally speaking.

Then again, sometimes I hear the words "liberal" and "conservative" being used (erroneously) as synonyms for "left" and "right"--such as calling Bernie Sanders "very liberal," when he's a bit to the left of most US "liberals."

Really, "liberal" can mean a bunch of things in various contexts. I bet it's our fault--Americans like to confuse terminology.

[ElectionsGuy]

In the United States, no.

Nah, it would be ridiculous to describe (for example) the Socialist Worker's Party as 'liberal'. I think Al once said that liberalism in the USA means 'whatever happens to be supported by the Democratic Party'. I tend to agree with that.

Well yeah. I was thinking in the narrow mindset of the two 'main' sides. Of course, we would also agree that something like the prohibition party is more reactionary than conservative.

[SWE]

Yes. The two are incompatible.

Then again, sometimes I hear the words "liberal" and "conservative" being used (erroneously) as synonyms for "left" and "right"--such as calling Bernie Sanders "very liberal," when he's a bit to the left of most US "liberals."

Not particularly

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Like how we refer the market capitalists as "libertarians"?

[Torie]

Slinging around labels should be made a hate crime.

[Blair]

people need to google classical liberalism

[All Along The Watchtower]

people need to google classical liberalism

....which is kind of a meaningless term, since 1) no one called it that at the time, and 2) it's usually used  by right-wing libertarians market-capitalist fanatics to criticize liberalism from straying from its "authentic" or "original" roots (which is absurd, since liberalism has always accommodated a wide variety of viewpoints on policy issues).  

[DeenThomas]

No, they mean completely the same. Also progressivism.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Nobody except Atlas people and neckbeards uses the term "classical liberals".

[dead0man]

Nobody except Atlas people and neckbeards uses the term "classical liberals".

hyperbole much?

[ingemann]

Classical liberalism is widely used, but it have little to do with original liberalism, it was a ideology which created as a counter to social liberalism, which was dominating at the time, and it was crearted by proto-libertarian neckbeards, who wanted to take patent on the liberal ideology and being the true heirs to Adam Smith.