A recent Vox article basically said out loud what so many people have been thinking lately. The (largely right-wing) self-styled enemies of liberalism have indeed been having some serious second thoughts after seeing first-hand and up close exactly what happens when the key pillars of liberalism are dismantled piece by piece. In fact, liberalism itself can best be defined by its three key pillars:
- Individual rights
- Democracy (particularly with universal suffrage)
- Rule of law
That is the very essence of liberalism, that some might call the True Spirit of America. Like a three-legged stool, if even ONE of those three pillars are taken out, the whole edifice collapses. And all three are currently under attack by the Trump regime, as until now we took them for granted.
(Ironically, we actually already got the "free trial" of illiberalism during the pandemic, when you think about it.)
Winter is coming, basically. And, like the song says, we only miss the sun when it starts to snow.....
Of course, this is NOT to be confused with neoliberalism, which is best defined as "capitalism on steroids". That is a completely amoral ideology, to the point of being practically a secular religion of sorts, one which serves literally no real purpose at all except to rob from the poor, give to the rich, and torpedo what is left of the shrinking middle class.
Yes, in case you were wondering, economic progressivism, social democracy, organized labor, and a robust social welfare state are all perfectly compatible with genuine liberalism defined by its three key pillars above, unlike neoliberalism, which loathes all of the above and seeks to dismantle them. Don't let anyone tell you differently!
And for the love of all that is good, stop using the word "liberal" as a slur. It does NOT mean weak, spineless, milquetoast, squishy centrist, nor does it mean one who is hopelessly addicted to identity politics and ideological purity tests to the exclusion of all else. Seriously!
(Mic drop)
