Doc wrote:
Then by your understanding a lot of people calling themselves liberal are not liberal. Many people that claim to be liberals are indeed "racist", nationalist, supremacist, and imperialist. Usually not all of the above at the same time. But they hide it by claiming others are all of the above. Most particularly on "racism"
Look at the way for example they demand lifestyle wars like in Afghanistan. I am all in favor of little girls going to school learning and growing up to be something other than a wife and mother stuck in poverty. However it is not a thing to impose rather than encourage from with out as Hillary Clinton was proclaiming not that many years ago.
Doc,
Yes, I agree that it is quite possible for a person to call themselves liberal and not be liberal. Being liberal is very hard when push comes to shove.
Your point about regime change in other countries imposed by force is a good one. There is something of a moral dilemma here. If we hold 'liberal' values on a social issue it might be tempting to do something about it (such as the invasion of Iraq and so many previous Western imperialist involvements around the world). But, imposing values on a country that has a long history different from our own goes against the very 'liberal' values that we might be espousing. There is the dilemma.
Of course, a conservative does not have the dilemma. A conservative can say, and believe, 'My way or the highway' without cognitive dissonance. I think this may be one of the attractions of conservativism; it is simple, easy to understand and can be expressed in tight soundbites. Maybe that is why Islam has proved so popular in recent years?
I liked the Chinese response to American Neocons. Their ambassador simply said "We are Chinese". It's not easy to misunderstand that one.
Alex.