What are you?!?!?

I know I know this si a horrible subject to talk about but I am currious. I’ve been wondering about political labels lately, such as “conservative”, “liberal”, or the seemingly non-committal middle of the road, aka “moderate”. In my personal cultural context, these are loaded terms, especially the first two. I guess the reason I am bothered is the upcoming campaign this year and the candidates that are currently representing each side. I am personally not a fan of the 2 party systems but this is the culture in which we live. I have noticed, especially through the news, that those who use the above labels to describe their political persuasion often do so with a badge of pride, and conversely use the opposite labels derogatorily. I’m curious what you think about a few things related to this topic:

• What, if any, political label do you use to describe yourself? I’m not thinking so much ‘Libertarian’, ‘Democrat’, or ‘Republican’, as I am ‘conservative’, ‘liberal’, etc.

• If you use one of these labels to describe yourself, what do you mean by it?

• When others use these terms, what do you think they mean by them?

• Do these same labels translate into your cultural context?

• Do you feel free to express your political views? Why or Why not?

Thank you in advance for your input!

~ by Jon Nelson on February 18, 2008.