You make modern liberals sound as socially conservative as social conservatives.
Do I? For the most part, I think of myself as a liberal (of the modern sort), but it's somewhat tempered. I don't want big government, but I want government to be able to provide social assistance where needed. I am not anti-welfare, so much as I am government enabled "work for wages" sorts of programs, for those who are up to it. (In my home city of Toronto, there are signs in a multitude of parks that say "paths are not cleared of snow and ice in winter." We do this because these are cleaned only by unionized employees. My own tendency is to want to give that the finger, because there are undoubtedly a lot of people who'd love to earn money for that work -- and with the corollary benefit that lots more city folks could get some decent exercise in the dead of winter.)
I don't have any interest in how people want to live their private lives, nor in how they wish to worship, or not worship. I love other cultures, and my city has been recognized by the UN as the most multi-cultural and multi-linguistic city in the world -- and I love it. We celebrate every culture, and have one of the world's largest Pride celebrations, as well. Caribana, Festival of South Asia, Italian Corso, Hungarian and Polish streets festivals, Sikh and Hindu and Muslim festivals, Greek-inspired whole-weekend festival closing a major thoroughfare in July. And more, lots more. We have temples and mosques and churches and synagogues galore, and I've been to most of them. Love it all.
As long as people desire to live together peaceably and amicably and without disparaging others, I'm all for it.
But when anyone insists that I (or anyone else) must live by rules to which I or they do not adhere and are not interested in --then I get my back up.
One of the things I'm noticing more and more these days, which I think is unfortunate, is the effort in universities, both here and in the U.S., to stifle free speech -- especially if that speech is being made about matters of religion. This disturbs me. If there's anyplace in the world that free speech should be not only permitted but honoured -- indeed cherished -- it's in our places of learning. (In one of my university programs, I studied under a Catholic priest, and we got along very well. In fact, I walked out with a top mark, and the comment that my "exegesis is brilliant, and you're going to hell!" I thought it was funny, and I still cherish it.
I happen to believe in free market capitalism -- with just a slight caveat: business should also have rules to live by, just like the rest of us. I do not find that business is generally as constrained from doing harm to their communities as I would wish them to be. Look at the tailings ponds and environmental destruction of major mining and resource exploitation enterprises. If I left that kind of mess on the main street of Toronto, I'd be fined for it, at least. Justly so, in my view.
I dislike the idea of abortion used as birth control, but insist that (at least earlier in the pregnancy) a woman has the right to choose. I hope that choice is made with the help of the father, or of family, or even of church or social workers, but in the end, I insist it's hers. I support the right of the terminally ill to seek comfortable, dignified, physician-assisted death. It saddens me, but not nearly as much as watching somebody struggling to breathe, in desperate pain, and wondering why "God won't just take me now!" (And by the way, I deeply admire those others who, like Stephen Hawking, live with their pain. By their own choice, because who am I to decide for them?)
I want the laws of my land to permit me -- so long as I do no harm -- to live my own life as I choose to. And I want those same laws to allow you, Muhammed, Jaspreet, Ming Choi, and Yoshi to do the same. And the man and wife with 2 kids, and the husband and husband with none.
The "classical liberals" didn't like welfare at all, because they thought it encouraged indigence and reliance upon it. I think that to some extent, they were probably right. But I also know, beyond question of doubt, that there are those for whom there is no other way. Unfortunate, but I want my society to be there for them, too. (But as I said earlier, there are many who would not only benefit from "workfare," but would feel ennobled and empowered by it, as well -- and it would also add to their resume AND their sense of self-worth. What could possibly be wrong with that?
So, what am I? Liberal, conservative, idealistic, nuts?
