Historically it used to be used like: “I’m socially liberal but a fiscal conservative”
The reality is that translated to: “I want to fund everything I want but never give money or resources to people that aren’t like me”… good old institutional racism and bigotry with a nice facade
Free market Capitalists dislike the population being able to make/recognize the distinction. Because there’s a certain kind of “Liberal” who are only Liberals when Liberalism economically benefits them, but become Conservatives (and even radically right wing Conservatives) when Socially Democratic policies, or talk of taxing wealth becomes popular.
Donald Trump, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and others have all worn the mask of a “Liberalism” that refuses to to make this distinction (between social and economic liberalism).
A Liberal who is an economic liberal but doesn’t seek progressive improvements to society, isn’t a liberal at all. They’re a conservative in waiting for the moment things progress too far.
Thus leftists are served by keeping this distinction in mind. Learn it. Recognize who will kick up a fuss and change teams, and remember that they have a limited use, and will eventually go no further (or worse, become a major hindrance). You need an exit strategy for those people.
Otherwise progress gets maligned in the name of maintaining the ‘status quo’.
Why do we separate the two? Who does that serve?
Historically it used to be used like: “I’m socially liberal but a fiscal conservative”
The reality is that translated to: “I want to fund everything I want but never give money or resources to people that aren’t like me”… good old institutional racism and bigotry with a nice facade
Conservativism as an ideological definition is a branch of liberalism.
Free market Capitalists dislike the population being able to make/recognize the distinction. Because there’s a certain kind of “Liberal” who are only Liberals when Liberalism economically benefits them, but become Conservatives (and even radically right wing Conservatives) when Socially Democratic policies, or talk of taxing wealth becomes popular.
Donald Trump, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and others have all worn the mask of a “Liberalism” that refuses to to make this distinction (between social and economic liberalism).
A Liberal who is an economic liberal but doesn’t seek progressive improvements to society, isn’t a liberal at all. They’re a conservative in waiting for the moment things progress too far.
Thus leftists are served by keeping this distinction in mind. Learn it. Recognize who will kick up a fuss and change teams, and remember that they have a limited use, and will eventually go no further (or worse, become a major hindrance). You need an exit strategy for those people.
Otherwise progress gets maligned in the name of maintaining the ‘status quo’.