What Came First?

October 05, 2005

Category: Observations

Have you ever been listening to NPR and noticed that most of the announcers, when referring to the “conservative right” sort of say it with a bit of a demeaning tone? Okay, maybe not “most,” but definitely some. I also observe that it goes the other way. When some “conservatives” speak of their arch enemies, the “liberal left,” they also use the same edge in their tone of voice.

So my question is this. Where did the terminology of “conservative” and “liberal” come from? Or even better, when did the use of such words gain the extra baggage of HOW they are said? I expect and assume that there’s always been people on both sides of the fence holding differing points of view.

But what came first? Did the “left” first start calling the “right” names by using the derogatory “conservative?” Or did the right originate the slander by first using “liberal” in a bad way?

Posted by pablohart on October 05, 2005 08:26 AM

Comments

this topic is on my mind all the time. as someone who has ideas which some consider to be wildly liberal and others consider to be strictly conservative, i'm often left shaking my head in confusion. simple dichotomies don't work me.

to answer your "what came first" question, i would suggest reading about Barry Goldwater. i know his losing bid to become president in 1964 was a pivotal time in american politics. it really helped form the (contrived) separation between what it means to be a republican and a democrat as we now know it.

in my personal opinion, i think people groups which are insecure need to self-identify by demonizing the "other". saying, "look how awful THAT person is" (i.e. a vocal sneer when saying 'right wing' or vice versa) can make one feel just a little less insecure about one's own views. i hear this especially when i listen to Rush Limbaugh and when i listen to Al Franken.

for me, the issues are SO MUCH more complex than an either/or paradigm allows. i'm a registered Independent and if someone must know if i'm a 'liberal democrat' or a 'conservative republican,' i say i'm a child of God :) and regarding the issue of this contrived dichotomy creeping into the american church, i would say that i refuse to be labeled or pidgeonholed into these crippling constructs. i say, i remain conservative to the radical nature of the gospel.

i know you asked about politics, and i brought up religion. but hey, what's the difference these days? :) ...i can recommend this book on that whole mess: Redeeming America: Piety and Politics in the New Christian Right. wanna borrow my copy?

Posted by Nathan Hart at October 5, 2005 2:13 PM

Good thoughts.
I've given up trying to explain to people that there really is no difference between the "right" and the "left." We've been conned into thinking that this is "the way it is" and that's that.
I love the scene in "Interesting Times" where "conservatives" and "liberals" are fighting for the "heart of the empire" and someone turns to a peasant in the field and asks him what he wants. The peasant thinks for a bit and says, "A longer rope?"

We need less "liberals" and "conservatives" fighting for their legislative agenda, and more longer ropes.

Posted by wezlo at October 5, 2005 6:33 PM

From what I know, the term "liberal" actually dates back to the early - mid 1700's when people like Edmund Burke, John Locke, and Adam Smith were on the scene. Back then, "liberal" meant someone who wanted to reduce government power and free up trade. That's why, today, we refer to the WTO as "liberalizing global markets".

Since the capitalists no longer were radicals in the U.S., the term shifted to people trying to introduce socialist/libertarian policies.

Posted by Derek (aka winjer) at October 7, 2005 6:42 PM

I think the actual "left" vs "right" comes from congressional seating arrangment, at least in the early days of the congress. Where people with one political view sat on one side of the room, people with the another sat on the other and over time "left" or "right" becamse shofthand for the views of the people's views sitting there.

Posted by Brian Woodard at October 19, 2005 8:44 AM

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