link to original reddit post by /u/B_Cincinnatus
Nowadays, especially on actual Libertarian subreddits, I hear many “true” libertarians complaining about people on the left co-opting the term and using variations of it like “left libertarian.” Obviously this is an abuse of the word and just an attempt to utilize word warfare to push statist or oppressive policies. What irks me a bit, however, is when the libertarians of this or other subs blame “liberals.” It is ironic that the hill to die on is the term libertarian, but not liberal. The word liberal is extremely misused in modern times, as is the term “conservative.” Nowadays it is supposedly synonymous with leftism, but on closer inspection of its etymology and origins, we see this fall apart. Such famous pioneers of liberalism like John Stewart Mill would have died before calling modern leftists “liberals.” I actually wrote a paper about the misuse of the terms liberal, conservative, and progressive recently. It essentially says that neither progressivism nor conservatism is inherently liberal or authoritarian, and that each side can be pro or anti government, depending on the issues. Conservatism seeks to conserve the status quo, which can either be oppressive or free, and progressivism seeks to progress, to a position which can be either oppressive or free. Throw in regressivism, which seeks to go back. But this is just a rant I felt I needed to share.