Some words are stomped while others are placed on a pedestal

The word ‘liberal’ has been pretty well trashed out of common usage in American lexicon. One might conclude that Ronald Reagan is the cause. I, however, do not think so. No one can accurately accuse Ronald of being an intellectual who had decided that the word was unfit for American ears.

Why are some words trashed and others placed on a pedestal? In fact, ‘liberal’ was once a hallowed word placed, by Americans, on a pedestal. I suspect this happens because it serves the interest of a powerful ideology within the country.

With that thought one might very well point out that it was to the advantage of the Republican Party to trash the word. Yes, obviously, it served the interest of the Republican Party for this marvelous word to be disposed of.

If, however, one takes a drive through the Southland of America one will quickly discover that Reagan was an opportunist rather than an intellectual, thank God. If you drive through the Southland you will find that if you turn your car radio on you cannot help but hear from a great number of preachers. Every one of those preachers considers that there is only one thing lower than a liberal and that is the devil himself.

The Republican Party wisely decided that the religious preachers had set up a marvelous opportunity for wounding the Democrat Party.

I see hints that the Republican Party has decided to do the reverse with the word ‘freedom’. Listen to Bush and you will hear the effort begin. The word ‘freedom’ is to become a word for the pedestal. It is to become the revered word that can be used to package the Iraq war in sentimentality.

Manipulating emotion through the distortion of words is a major means whereby ideology controls the behavior of Dick and Jane.

The word ‘liberal’ has been pretty well trashed out of common usage in American lexicon.In Europe it tends to mean two distinct things depending on the context: economically pro-free-trade or culturally tolerant. I'm not aware of it having negative associations though we Brits are well aware of how the word sounds to American ears. "The L word" as Reagan put it (or was it "The big L" or something?).
Every one of those preachers considers that there is only one thing lower than a liberal and that is the devil himself.heh. Most Christians here seem proud to consider themselves (culturally) liberal. And in practice I meet very few prejudiced Christians (though I know they exist in rural parts where the non-Christians are prejudiced too).

Blob

I wonder if prejudice is more prevelant in the US than in the UK. We have a big headstart with slavery. However, the UK does pretty well as a result of the colonizing.

I think the UK is doing well on these issues. I'm white British but have led an unusally multicultural life. I've never come across explicit racism when in a mixed-couple or group of friends (even in rural areas). By comparison, whenever I go to continental Europe I'm always struck how "everyone" in the street and on the telly seems to be white.

Somehow I imagine the US is more extreme. New York is surely one of the most enlightened places on earth, whereas I understand some parts of rural America are... not.

I suggest that rather than sniping from across the pond the two of you purchase an economy class air ticket and see for yourselves what race relations are like in the U.S. I daresay you will be surprised to find there is very little racism, either in big cities or in small towns. People are reacted to for who they are and how they act, not the color of their skin.

People are reacted to for who they are and how they act, not the color of their skin.

In the US it sure would be so if most of the people beyond 65 years old are in the grave, and the KKK has ceased to exist. There is a little of KKK in the minds of quite a few north americans nowadays. Many quietly still aprove racism, and some, like a very few members of this Forum, openly shout their racism.
And many whites will always feel a lot or a bit superior to other people with a different colour of skin. Blacks and browns are considered below whites, and only some of them are appointed in certain government possitions just for political gain.

.......see for yourselves what race relations are like in the U.S. I daresay you will be surprised to find there is very little racism, either in big cities or in small towns.

?!?!?!

I am truly amazed to hear a American make such a statement. I'd really like to observe what it's like were you live, because it must be like another planet compared to where (the rural South) I live.

People are reacted to for who they are and how they act, not the color of their skin.

For me, quite the opposite is the case. Here where I live, i'd say that at least 2/3 of the white, adult males that I know harbor --and do not bother to make any secret of it-- a distinct dislike of and disrespect for any person whose skin is black. Several times a week (virtually any time the subject is raised among a group of white males speaking privately in a bullshit session) I hear comments like --"Yeah, they oughta declare open season on them n*ggers" or "Yeah, they ought to send all these damned n*ggers back to Africa".

FT, methinks you need to get away. Move to a blue state, like Vermont or Massachusetts. Maybe even Canada.

You've mentioned these sort of people before, and I am shocked to find that you tolerate enough to live there.

I daresay you will be surprised to find there is very little racism, either in big cities or in small towns. People are reacted to for who they are and how they act, not the color of their skin.

I've lived in this country all my life, and I'm very surprised.

Rascism is alive and well in this country, it's just been pushed into hiding.

Another problem with the word ‘liberal’ is that the concepts applied to it, often date back to the 60’s. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the spirit of the word supposed to revolve around ideas like ‘cutting edge’, ‘modern’, ‘progressive’, ‘out of the box’, ‘new’, etc… Can ideas and ideals dating that far back, really have any bearing?

I have said it before and I will say it again: The prejudice color is green, if you don't have the green (money), you are a second class citizen anywhere.

Now, that said, I have lived mostly in the deep-south. Sure, racism is alive and well, on all sides, by some. No longer being only a black/white issue.