Quote:
Originally Posted by icecube
CliffFletcher's whole spiel is just dogma of a different sort, repeated ad nauseam for the last how many years.
Nothing moderate or centrist about it, except in his own world where "classical liberal" somehow doesn't mean right wing conservative.
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My spiel would have been recognized as mainstream liberalism anytime in the 20th century. It's only in the last 15 years that the left was captured by identarian, cultural Marxism. That's why a great many people who were unabashed liberals in the 20th century look at the progressive left today and wonder what in #### is happening.
Liberalism differs fundamentally from right-wing conservatism.
Liberal: Treat people as individuals.
Right-wing conservative: Treat whites and people of colour differently under the law; treat men and women differently under the law.
Liberal: Ensure equality of opportunity through publicly funded education and merit-based entrance exams.
Right-wing conservative: The affluent deserve to pass on to their children all the advantages their money affords them.
Liberal: The private behaviour of individuals is no concern of the state, so long as they aren't causing problems for others.
Right-wing conservative: Society has a duty to uphold traditional morality and suppress immoral behaviour, whether it's private or not.
Liberal: Foster the widest possible public discourse to encourage new ideas, innovation, and free expression.
Right-wing conservative: Police speech to ensure conformity with established norms. We already know what is right and correct. New and unproven ideas are likely to be disruptive and harmful to society.
Several of the authoritarian values of right-wing conservatives are being mimicked by the left today. Which is why there's a growing chasm between liberals and the illiberal left.