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[–] 3 points 11 hours ago (5 children)

Its the difference between classical liberalism and modern liberalism. Classic liberals believe in laissez-fare policies and the free market, while modern liberals still believe in a market economy but support more social policy and government involvement in things like infrastructure, health, education etc.

In most places "liberal" refers to classical liberal, whereas a modern liberals would more likely be termed progressives or the centre left. In the US liberal tends to refer to modern liberals while classical liberals are referred to as conservatives.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 hour ago* (2 children)

    The example of the US Democrats (and pretty much every single western mainstream party which is supposedly left-of-center) doesn't show a Modern Liberalism that matches what you claim is the modern one.

    I think you're confusing Left-wing Liberalism with "Modern".

    Left-wing Liberalism is basically Social Democracy - trying for Equality of Opportunity rather than trying for Equality of Outcomes like Socialism, totally accepting of private ownership and favoring mechanisms like Public Education and Progressive Taxation rather than more Autoritarian ones to try and make for a more equal world.

    Right-wing Liberalism is Neoliberalism - basically "the Power Of Money should be above the Power Of The State", only it's all wrapped up as "the State should not own anything and should not interfere in the Free Market". A nation where Money sits above the State in the power hierarchy can't a Democracy even with a vote and elected representatives since what those elected representatives control - the State - sits below what Money controls, and such power structure is actually known as an Oligarchy.

    (If I remember correctly there is actually an MIT study for the US that shows that it is in fact and Oligarchy and has been so for more than a decade)

    In the modern days Right-wing Liberalism has been dominant in the West, something you can see even in Scandinavia which were maybe some of the last western nations were social-democracy was still dominant (until maybe a decade ago).

    All this to say that in practice the present day (hence, "modern") Liberalism in pretty much all of the West is the right-wing take on Liberalism - Free Market Liberalism, aka Neoliberalism.

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  • [–] 0 points 42 minutes ago (1 child)

    The meme and Wikipedia both disagree with you

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  • [–] 1 point 35 minutes ago*

    Please tell me where the Right To Private Property in the Wikipedia definition ends and the Freedom one starts.

    Specifically, were do the rights of Land Ownership stop and the Freedom of all human beings to access and use the very surface of the planet they live in starts.

    Because without that contradition in the very definition of Liberalism in Wikipedia solved, you don't actually have a concrete workable political ideology with actual policies.

    I think that if you honestly look at it with a logical and analytical eye you'll find that the various different modern political ideologies which claim to be liberal differ mainly in how they chose to handle the conflict between Right To Private Property and Freedom.

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  • [–] 9 points 10 hours ago (1 child)

    The ‘modern liberals’ in the US government have been resisting social policies like single-payer healthcare and ~50% of OPs image though. Aside from like 4 people who’ve been outnumbered or just paying lip-service. Is what I meant in my comment.

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