A thought that has crossed my mind as I look through the forum; Given that words like "liberal" and "conservative" seem to be used in exactly the same way as the n-word (worn as a proud identity in some cases yet used as a vicious insults in others), shouldn't they be restricted here in the same manner? Would discussions be more constructive if comments, individuals and idea weren't routinely dismissed out of hand using these terms, spat out like swear words? Would there be less hatred, aggression and discrimination on the basis of single word labels blindly applied to entire groups of people? Consider, discuss or ignore as you please.
No. There is such a thing as going to far with this "I have a right to not be offended" nonsense. This is a case where the slippery slope is not a fallacy but a real thing. People are not so special that they can't be criticized or be disliked. And mutual respect and common courtesy are much more appreciated when they are not being regulated. Plus, how a person behaves when there's little to no regulation or rules reveals their true character, and I'd much rather have things be straightforward than everything watered down to avoid hurting people's feelings.
Political terminology changes, its a perception thing not something based on the actual word. If you look at the political ads Eisenhower used you will see that rarely did he ever mention the word republican or conservative. It was a political landmine to have those terms associated with you during that time. Instead he ran under the label of "Ike", and very successfully. Today the bad word really is liberal, conservative is not on the same level yet. Liberal has far more negative connotations associated with it and you will not find many politicians on the left calling themselves a "liberal". There is not that problem with conservative. [video=youtube;YmCDaXeDRI4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmCDaXeDRI4[/video]
It was a generalized statement. Some terms simply carry bigger connotations than others for many different reasons. There is no denying that many politicians on the right self-identify as conservative but you will be extremely hard pressed to find one on the left self-identifying as a liberal. Different baggage comes with each word whether accurate or not, it is the perception.
Liberal is more of a swear word than conservative by how it's used. Right-wing and Tea Party have become swear words.
The single most politically incorrect thing one can say is - " If I can do it, you can do it. I'm no better than you."