I remember it well. I was young adult and Bush was in office. My friends and I all considered ourselves to to be liberal and totally opposed to the actions of the current administration. I remember many a conversation sitting around slamming Bush and his woefully ignorant supporters.
It blew our minds how the folks on the right, couldn't see that the need for revenge and retaliation after 9/11 was being used to strip away our rights. It was so obvious that bush didn't really care about protecting the average american. He cared about war profits and big oil. He cared about manipulating the emotions of the American people so that they would stand behind him and cheer, as he trampled the constitution and expanded the government.
I remember wanting to ram my head into a wall when a bush supporter would try to explain to me that the patriot act was necessary to keep us safe.
I do want to mention here that despite the holding of strong opinions, everybody had friends the landed on different parts of the map politically. Thinking that someone's beliefs or opinions were stupid or wrong didn't mean that the person was bad or evil. To believe that people who held different beliefs were horrible people would be overly emotional and crazy. And emotional arguments were something that the bush people subscribed to not us liberals.
So as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I was considered a liberal at this time. What made that so? Well, I didn't care if Gay people got married. I also didn't care if pot was legal. I supported personal freedoms and liberties. I supported free speech. Finally, although I don't personally believe in abortion, I don't think it should be made illegal either. To sum it all up. I believed that as long as you are not damaging another person or their property, you should be allowed to live according to the dictates of your own conscience. Also, that everyone has a right to their own opinions, and to share those opinions with whomever they choose.
Yup that's it. Nothing too crazy, just basic live and let live stuff.
I'm no longer considered a liberal.
My opinions haven't really changed.
So what happened?
Well I don't know if anyone else noticed, but a whole lot has changed over the last 15 years or so. Being on "the left" means something different than it meant back during the Bush years. People now days are like trained attack dogs. The media tells them what opinions they should have and that anyone who doesn't share their opinion is a horrible person. Free speech is no longer as important as not hurting feelings. Unless you fall on the wrong side of the victim paradigm by holding unpopular opinions, maybe you are a male, or white skinned, or believe that gender is biologically based and not emotionally determined. Well in that case you can be screamed at,called a racist bigot #$@@&!!!! , and have your jobs taken away in certain circumstances.
We are now being told that the emotional arguments are the only arguments worth hearing.
Truth only deserves a platform if it doesn't hurt feelings.
Victimhood is now praised and encouraged.
The government is our new surrogate parent who loves us and should be unquestionably trusted.
What?
Really?
Was there a mass gassing somewhere that I missed?
This is all insane, I thought we were all adults here. I thought we knew how to use logic and facts to develop solutions, and move forward to better conclusions.
So here I am standing in about the same spot politically that I was 15 years ago, but I am no longer considered a "liberal" or "on the left."
That train had charged on without me.
As far as I can tell the Obama administration surged forward to pick up where Bush left off. I can't be the only one who sees the slight of hand that has taken place. The same team is playing now but with blue jerseys instead of red ones.
Now I'm being told I'm more of a libertarian.
We shall see if that label stands the test of time.