What does "liberal" really mean?

What gripes me the most these days are all the critics, on both sides of the aisle. There is such a divide, you can feel it everytime you are watching tv, listening to the radio, talking at work, or studying at school. It bugs me so much because the political divide is so invasive and irrational at times.

What is really "funny" is that people from different walks of life, different races, different tax brackets and different places in the country, can listen to the same conversation and come to totally different conclusions. Case in point, Bill O'Reilly (of the O'Reilly Factor) has been called both a liberal and a conservative, all from stating the same comments to folks from both the liberal left and the conservative right. How in the world can someone be both a liberal and a conservative? I don't get it.

Oh, but I think I do. You see there is the huge misunderstanding about what a liberal is and what a conservative is. And you don't have to be Leftist to be a liberal or a Rightist to be a conservative. There are in fact different parts to the political view of the world. First there is the "social" constructs and then there are the "economic" constructs of the world. Socially, we mean of "values", specifically moral values. Economically, we mean how we look at money and the global world and being fiscally sound.

I myself would classify myself as an Independent traditionalist, a social conservative, and a liberal economist. I don't fit the full description of either a conservative righty or liberal lefty. I believe in more strict codes to the moral side of life, but a rather generous view on the economy and globalization. And that fits mostly because I am a traditional Roman Catholic with a touch of independence.

But still all these labels baffle me and piss off many others. I have found that labelling people creates division and a lot of stress. And then comes the personal attacks on others who your label dislikes or downright hates. That is just insane to me. And my religious tradition teaches to love your enemies as well as your friends. That does not include yelling insulting remarks and attacking people's reputations and so forth.

It's downright disgusting the crap I have heard spewed from the left and the right at each other. And honestly, the media shows more of the left's hatred for the right, more than the reverse. And after a while you start to think ALL the lefties are looney and "unhinged" (a popular word now in the Conservative camp).

I don't think all the Democrats are looney or unhinged, maybe a small percent. But who really cares? What is important is the end of the huge divide. I think we're headed for a kind of civil war. And it will uglier and uglier as time goes on.

My best suggestion is to talk to your friends who have different political views (if you are still talking to any of them, that is), and see what you might have in common. Afterall, not every Democrat is Pro Choice, and not all Republicans are homophobic. Whenever you think you have the stereotype down, think again, because views you have a liberals and conservatives is probably wrong.