Humpty Dumptyism - The protean meanings of political words

[MineralMan]

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather a scornful tone,"it means just what I choose it to mean --- neither more nor less."

Humpty Dumpty had a point. And when it's politics we're talking about, the point is even more clear, it seems to me. The words I've listed below all have to do with politics in one way or another, but have completely different meanings, depending who's writing them:

Democrat - Describes either a member of a specific political party in the US or something such members really aren't.

Progressive - If you describe yourself as this, someone will be along shortly to let you know why you are not.

Liberal - This is either a follower of laissez faire economic views or someone who considers the Democratic Party to be a right-wing organization. Take your pick.

Leftist - Karl Marx was a leftist. Lenin was a leftist. If you have an image either of these two political figures as your DU Avatar, you may consider yourself to be a leftist.

Centrist - Never a term of approval, this term describes those somewhat either to the left or the right of your position, depending on whether you are to the left or right of their position.

Republican - Depending on who you are, you may think of George W. Bush or President Obama when you read this word. It is a confusing word in some ways, but generally refers to members of the second major political party in the United States.

Conservative - According to some, this describes the bulk of Democrats. According to the bulk of Democrats, it describes the bulk of Republicans.

Right-Winger - This term can be applied to Tea Party members or to the majority of sitting Democrats in Congress, depending on who is using the word.

Libertarian - Nobody knows what this word means, really. You may be described as this if you support legalization of marijuana, or if you are a supporter of Ron Paul (FRP!) However, if you are a Linux consultant, it is very likely that you are a libertarian.

Moron - All devoted consumers of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh fit this description.

Disclaimer: This post may not reflect the views of any individual DUer, who may well assign different meanings to each of the above words.

For the humor-impaired: This post is intended as a non-serious exploration of word meanings, and does not require serious consideration.

[pansypoo53219]

1. libertarian=don't tax me bro!

nt

[MineralMan]

2. Well, there is that, too.

[Jamaal510]

3. conservative-this term originally refers to preserving

what we have, but the bulk of those with this political ideology want to adopt policies that were once used in the past.

[Odin2005]

4. Libertarian = Anarchist who wants police protection from his slaves.