Define Liberalism Meaning

Liberalism
An ideology that has a preference for self-government in personal matters and central decision-making on economics. They want government to serve the disadvantaged in the name of fairness. Leftists tolerate social diversity, but work for economic equality.

Publicly funded education, progressive income taxes, and women's voting rights all orgiginated from the ideas of liberalism.
By Yoshi
Liberalism
Something that people like Ann Coulter and other neoconservatives misrepresent. The Green and Libertarian parties both embrace the philosophy of liberalism.

Liberalism has nothing to do with economy. It is completely independent of capitalism or any other economic system. Liberalism is a strictly social philosophy.

It is the opposite of authoritarianism.
It is also NOT the opposite of conservatism.

Under liberalism, the government has little role in regulating social affairs. Under liberalism, the government exists to protect liberties, not take them away.

"Liberalism is a political current embracing several historical and present-day ideologies that claim defense of individual liberty as the purpose of government. It typically favors the right to dissent from orthodox tenets or established authorities in political or religious matters. In this respect, it is sometimes held in contrast to conservatism. Since liberalism also focuses on the ability of individuals to structure a society, it is almost always opposed to totalitarianism, and often to collectivist ideologies, particularly communism." - Wikipedia.com

The Bill of Rights is a product of liberalism.
By Letizia
Liberalism
Part I: Definition

Liberalism literally means 'to be liberal' and liberal means 'to be loose'. THIS MEANS that liberals do not want laws. That is vaguely true, and maybe if you can find a conservative anarchist I'll be wrong. Liberalism is the establishment of liberals in politics. They usually vote for and represent democrats, John McCain = exception. Liberals advocate personal freedoms and peace, as well as recognize problems worldwide, and not the ones that only threaten us (Iraq, Afghanistan, but the first one was a hoax to help Halliburton the oil company).

Part II: Bashing
To the peopl who said Liberals are semi-retarded: type into Google 2004 election by IQ. You'll be surprised. It may not be believable at first, but the inability to find a site supporting you will lead to the stomach-turning conclusion.
To the person who said we kill babies 'for no reason': Umm, maybe you forgot that children, while a bundle of joy, cost about 225000 dollars for education, food, the works. this includes tax write-offs. And to the people who said we whine, next time listen to what we whine about. If it isnt about the 13-digit deficit our economy is suffering, which wasnt as bad as the clinton era, its about the Free trade agreement Bush signed which entitles landowners to rule their workers like serfs in the fifteenth century.

Liberalism = reflecting on the world's problems and using judgement to create a future like we've never seen
Conservatism = reflecting on America's problems and using past experiences our country has endured to create a future that can show repetitiveness and therefore we (or 'theye')can make it better this time.
By Elva
Liberalism
the mantra of the post-Bill Clinton democratic party

Judge Jeanine Pirro will agree with me that liberalism can be defined as morally bankrupt, socially deviant, historically inaccurate, genetically unpatriotic, psychologically manipulative, psychiatrically hypocritical, culturally perverted , mentally unpredictable, professionally dysfunctional, religiously sinful, pathologically conniving, financially insolvent, legally criminal and sexually amoral
By Moselle
Liberalism
the mantra of the post-Bill Clinton democratic party

Judge Jeanine Pirro will agree with me that liberalism can be defined as morally bankrupt, socially deviant, historically inaccurate, genetically unpatriotic, psychologically manipulative, psychiatrically hypocritical, culturally perverted , mentally unpredictable, professionally dysfunctional, religiously sinful, pathologically conniving, financially insolvent, legally criminal and sexually amoral
By Guinna
Liberitis
Similar to vaginitis. Typical pussy liberal retard that is offended common sense.

Roger: Dude, what's Ron's problem? He's acting like he has sand in his vag.

Daryle: That's just his liberitis acting up..... I called Tyrone a black person..... The politically correct term is African American.
By Shirleen
Liberal
If used in a non-political sense, "liberal" simply means "a lot."

I'd like a large popcorn with a liberal amount of butter, please.
By Lyda
Liber

That was a great party at Liber last night!
By Fleurette
Liberalism
An ideology based on beliefs of economic and personal freedom, and the fact that social inequalities are a part of nature. (Also libertarianism to the American readers.)

A definition later to be distorted by Americans, who mainly associate "liberalism" with being left-wing on the political scale, disregarding the original and correct sense of the word.

Each man is the architect of his own fortune.
By Lenka
Liberating

The Red Army was liberating Jew's from concentration camps
By Christyna