"Freedom" Co-opted

Great Debates
1

Does it seem to anyone but me that right-of-center republicans have begun using, and subtly attempting to shift the definition of the word ‘freedom’ to mean something other than, well, freedom?

It seems to me that conservatives use ‘freedom’ to mean any number of things:

To form a phoney, feel-good link between US patriotism and an object - e.g.:, Freedom Fries, Freedom Fuel, FreedomCAR, etc…

Ostensibly used to contrast the ignorant and/or unenlightened with noble, near-saintly American ideals, while the reality is a synonym for US barbarism and its imperialistic tendencies - e.g.:, “The Islamists hate Americans because of our Freedom”

Used as a means to attempt to shut out debate and dissent - e.g.:, “You don’t want freedom for the Iraqis if you don’t agree with the president’s plan.”

Used to dismiss or minimize the impact of, and responsibility for, one or a number of failures - e.g.:, when George Tenet was praised for his “service to freedom”

Used as justification, in and of itself, for the continued war on the Iraqis, the distruction of Iraqs infrastructure, the continued decimation of Iraqi families and communities, and the ongoing deaths of both Americans and Iraqis on a daily basis - e.g.:, “We’ve given freedom to the Iraqis”

Used in the assertion that only by adoption of American ideology can the world truly know peace, justice, love, etc… - e.g.:, “The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.”

Used as a threat to convey that the loss of our lifestyles, privacy, house, car, boat, dog, cat, turtle, whatever, is nigh (unless, of course, we give GWB the right to take them) - e.g.:, “Make no mistake, Muslim extremists want to take away your freedom.”

In fact, the word ‘freedom’ is bandied about so often by conservatives these days it’s truly a wonder that they rarely accept it in its literal definition. If they’re all about freedom, how about giving all women the freedom to have complete control over their own biology? That’d be a nice start, wouldn’t it? How about ensuring women will always have freedom from persecution and prosecution if they choose not to bear a child they’re emotionally or financially unprepared to raise? How 'bout that?

If conservatives are all about freedom why not give the Islamic world freedom from the US butting into their business and attempting to control them or make them over into something that looks, smells, acts, and generally resembles America? Why not give Iraqis freedom from American militarism? It’s obvious to all but the willfully ignorant that we’re making things worse over there and have for some time. I think the Iraqis have had about as much freedom as they can stand at this point, so why not pull our soldiers out now? Huh?

If conservatives are truly all about freedom why aren’t the elderly in America given the freedom to enjoy the best healthcare in the world unfettered by a necessity to deplete their and their children’s savings in their final years? We’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars on this ridiculous and, in my opinion, illegal war. If we were able to scrape together that kind of scratch for the unmittigated debacle Bush has gotten the world into, surely we can provide free healthcare to every senior citizen in America, or perhaps every citizen. No?

I guess my frustration is the meanings words like ‘freedom’, ‘liberty’, and ‘justice’ seem to have morphed into a clarion call for the promotion of everything hateful about America lately. Whenever I read the words in the news, or hear it on the radio or on TV, I’m never surprised to find some conservative hack spouting it, usually in conjunction with either derision of others, the inappropriate exhaultation of a proposal for an administration-backed boondoggle, or to excuse an act already executed by the administration for which the legality is questionable.

Sigh…I need a drink

(Note to mods - discussions (rants?) like this one usually end up in GD, so I placed it here first. Please move to a more appropriate location if you like.)

2

Equivocation was around long before Bush43. Or the Republican Party.

Or the United States.

3

Paint with a broad brush often?

4

This is more than equivocation, in my opinion, Bryan. The word ‘freedom’ doesn’t have such a fluid, ambiguous definition that it’s synonymous with just about everything.

Freedom doesn’t equal American, or Americanism, yet if you replace the word ‘freedom’ with ‘Americanism’ or ‘US patriotism’ in many of the ways conservatives employ it you wouldn’t have to change anything else for the sentence to retain its original meaning.

No, this seems to me to be more an attempt to take ownership of the word, to redefine it to meld with a specific ideology, or at least a blurring, or conflating of the definition with other words to inculcate those who hear it (like a bloody mantra every five minutes) with a specific perspective, e.g.:, People who like freedom are good. American’s like freedom. People who don’t like Americans don’t like freedom, and are bad.

I’d be interested in reading the results of a poll after the Bush administration sunsets, that asks “With what do you most closely associate the word ‘freedom’” from a multiple-choice list with one of the choices being George Bush.

5

I find myself strangely unmoved by that attempt at clarification, since it’s absolutely nothing that hadn’t been done for decades (if not centuries) before GW Bush was born.

6

Well, Bryan, you’ll remain (not so) strangely unmoved no matter what I say, so I’ll cease in my attempts. I do have a couple of questions though… Twice you’ve alluded to methods being employed in the past. Getting beyond the fact that you’ve provided no proof, is it your contention that past use negates the impact of current use? Is order of magnitude not important in your opinion?

7

What about the freedom of the people in charge (in the government, in business, those with lots of money) to go about their affairs without having to put up with annoying nuisances such as kibbitzing from the likes of you? Is anyone worrying about that? Besides the President, I mean.

:wink:

8

Here, have some Liberty Cabbage and calm down.

Negates? No. Puts in perspective? Sure.

I don’t see how this is worse, let alone an order of magnitude worse than, say, the internment of Japanese citizens, and Alien and Sedition Act, suspensions of Habeas Corpus and other abuses.

9

I think it’s a subtle two-level strategy. The government tells everyone “terrorists want to kill you because of your freedom!”* The first level response is to give the government whatever power it says it needs to combat terrorists. But the message also spreads the meme that freedom is dangerous and can get you killed. So the second level response is to accept the loss of your freedom and feel okay when the government takes control of your life.

*Which isn’t true incidentally - terrorists want to kill us because of the government’s foreign policy.

10

Heh :stuck_out_tongue:

How? Seriously?

Kapweeng! I’m talking words, you’re talking acts. Of course the things you mentioned are terrible. If we’re to talk apples to apples here, which takes me completely out of my topic, other than the Japanese internment, I’d say, yes, the commission of war on another country under false pretenses is orders of magnitude worse than the other two offenses you mentioned.

11

I think you mean ‘kvetching’. You kibbitz ***with ** * someone :slight_smile:

12

“F*S=k” – Larry Niven

13

The Pubbies under Rove have been shifting the goal posts, redefining the playing field, working the refs and generally doing everything they can to make what used to be moderate positions look like Soviet Communism run amok. The “freedom” redefinition is just part of the game.

“If we don’t do whatever the President says, the terrorists will have won!”

14

Of course conservatives misuse the word “freedom.” So do liberals. You did it in your OP:

Universal health care would impose a variety of restrictions on an individual’s freedom as well as increase taxes, another imposition on freedom.

So, yes, you are right about conservatives. But you are just as bad as they are, using the word “freedom” to mean whatever you want.

15

“Freedom” has been (to steal from Star Trek) a “worship word” in the US for my entire life. The association of America/democracy/freedom is a traditional rallying point, regardless of how accurate or complete that association may be. It’s part of our national identity at a conceptual and emotional level. Politicians will habitually try to attach the notion of freedom to whatever idea they’re pushing, because the general public loves the idea of freedom. (A lot of folks don’t necessarily love freedom, but they do love the idea of it – that’s a different tangent, though.) If you can make a connection in people’s minds between your cause and freedom, no matter how convoluted or untrue that connection may be, it will gain you support. The waters have been muddied for so long that it has become difficult to really talk about freedom in a meaningful way, short of a long, involved, thoughtful discussion – which is not the level at which most political persuasion takes place.

16

Freedom is slavery.

17

When you’re right, you’re right, Renob. Access to universal health care has nothing to do with freedom (what can I say? I was on a roll), so my attribution there was incorrect, although I stand by the other two as appropriate applications of freedom.

18

Thank you.