It’s quite clear to me that almost no one in the US—or those “educated” by US politics on social media—has any fucking idea what a “liberal” fundamentally is and always has been. It’s going to become another one of those great terms ruined by a takeover of idiots—not that I’m directly calling your mom an idiot.
But ffs, when the French gifted that statue, it wasn’t because they were pro-capitalism, burning books, fucking off women’s rights, and bringing the legal system into every facet of society.
Mate Liberalism has always been pro-capitalism.
Always? The “classical” in your article does not mean what you think it does. Just like post-modernism doesn’t mean “the future”. Capitalism didn’t even exist in the era it’s referencing, rightfully referring to laissez faire instead—something capitalism would eventually arise from.
One of the strongest criticisms of capitalism by liberals is its failure to achieve a moral and equitable distribution of resources. The violation of social freedoms for sake of a market’s freedom. Markets obv play a vital role in driving economic growth but persistent issues such as corruption and institutional weaknesses prevent social justice.
Even Adam Smith criticised laissez faire in the end because, surprise surprise, it was yet another great idea on paper that was incompatanle with human nature. The result is the freedom of some encroaching on the freedom of others; i.e. fundamentally anti liberal.
A liberal will support freedom in a market but never support the exploitation or inequality of individual freedoms, such as the outcomes of pure capitalism. Someone that claims to be a liberal while their ideals strip people’s liberties is a fucking wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I, too, look across the pond and wonder what the Americans are fucking doing
