kavbojka

America people, liberal and progressive are the same thing, right? People seem to use them interchangeably, so I think so...
But lemme know if there is some actual difference.

NYC mayor Bill DeBlasio uses the word "progressive" like a trillion times every time he talks and I always just want to be like, "It's not 1985 anymore, just say 'liberal', man." But maybe I'm wrong?

Aug 5, 2020 at 6:12amFedilab
Show thread[UNC] Alpha PandaAug 5, 2020
@kavbojka progressive is ~supposed~ to refer to like, the social democratic bernie wing of the democrats in the american context but people really misuse it
Show threadinmysocks (version: awoo)Aug 5, 2020

@kavbojka in the US the two terms are splitting. liberal is the main Democratic Party, which has decided that neoliberal fascism is ok as long as gay people are allowed in and the racism is slightly less overt than the current US administration, but anything better than that is too much.

Progressives are generally for things like defunding police, abolishing student debt, nationalised healthcare, decriminalising drug addiction and making rich people actually pay taxes, which the liberals, or at least the ones represented by the Democratic Party, generally consider dangerously radical ideas.

Things are changing quickly, but that is the general split.

Show threadEarthling of the RhineAug 5, 2020
@kavbojka I agree with this definition. "Progressives" are kinda like FDR-style state socialists in my mind (or like Bernie before he found out he loved getting respect from other party members more than challenging them). But yeah people are conflating liberal and progressive, intentionally or not (I say if it's a rich person or politician misusing a word, one should assume it's CIA-domestic-propoganda-level intentional).
Show threadmeejahAug 5, 2020
@kavbojka I don't know that any of the labels in US politics have any meaning beyond determining "are you The Other??".
Even from a now-warped Canadian perspective the fact that anyone thinks the democrats are "left" of anything (except I guess "the republicans"?) is ... sad-funny.