Whoa -- what a morass this is:
The confusion is because the definition of the word liberalism, and the political reality of liberalism, are two very different things.
If you take the text book definition of liberalize... it is to reduce control, and thus increase freedom.
In the United States of America, the political philosophy of liberalism, is the very opposite of the definition of liberalism.
That is absurd. You want a word to mean the opposite of itself. That's impossible.
I already pointed this out. Doublethink is a concept in a novel. You can't actually DO it.
This is why I will typically refer to those of that political ideology, not as "liberals" which is a contradiction, in favor of calling them "leftists", "left-wingers" and so on.
Now you've got it. Much better. Too many armchair wags here think "Liberal" is the same as "leftist". It ain't. There are Liberals on the left and there are Liberals on the right.
And the reason again, is that American Liberals, are the exact opposite of liberal.
And now you're right back to the paradox of a word being its own opposite.
I gotta wonder if summa y'all ever read what you just wrote. SMH.
LOL... I don't 'want' the word to mean the opposite of what it does.
The actions, policies and beliefs of self-proclaimed 'liberals' are in fact the opposite of what the word 'liberal' means. I'm not changing anything. I'm stating the facts. Self-proclaimed "liberals" in the America, are not "liberal" according to the definition of the word.
You are not a vegetarian because you say "I am a vegetarian". You are not one, because you got a shirt, hat, or drive a car with "vegetarian" written on it.
The only way that you are a vegetarian, is if you actually don't eat meat. Now you can go to court, and have your name changed to "Vegetarian". And we would have to call you Vegetarian, because that would be your legal name. But if you eat meat... you are not a Vegetarian, no matter what we call you.
There are no "liberals" who practice "liberalism" on the left. Haven't met one yet that wanted to eliminate controls on religion, controls on business, deregulate the banks, deregulate guns, health care, and so on.
But they are still called Liberals here in the US. I can't change that. I'm just pointing it out.
What left-winger, would you point to, that was actually "liberal" in the true meaning of the word?