Letter to the Editor

Dear Clemson Forum,

I have considered myself a liberal (or “progressive,” whatever you’d like to call it) for as long as I can remember. When it comes to social issues, I believe the government has no right to infringe on personal issues. If my gay friends want to get married, let them. If my sister makes a mistake and feels an abortion is the right decision, so be it.

Economically, I tend to take the Democratic side and vote for higher taxes. I don’t listen to the Republicans who falsely tell me that taxes are bad and only go to help the “lazy, dumb people”. I understand that my money (in the future, as I’m a student now and quite poor) will go to pay for my kids’ teachers’ salaries, and for programs so that some of their less fortunate friends can stay after school instead of going home to empty houses. There’s a lot more that I believe and this doesn’t even begin to scrape the surface. I’ll save you from my complicated theories on what I think the tax system should be and what I really think about South Carolina education.

I’m not writing this to spout my ideas, rather to complain…as every good liberal should. As stated, I call myself a liberal, and, for most of the whole four years that I’ve understood the term, I’ve been proud of my label. Unfortunately, I entered college a few years ago and realized that the Republican party wasn’t the only political party with an idiot sect. In response to my horrifying realization that not all liberals were the trumpeteers of truth, I have recently been forced to put “liberal” in quotes when I write, and even use the nice hand signals when I’m speaking to others about my political afiliations to differentiate between the types.

There are liberals, and then there are “liberals.” I don’t call the noble, intelligent side of our race the “liberals.” I only refer to the failures as “liberals” Why? I’ll tell you. “Liberals” have given me a bad name. From their campaigns to legalize marijuana, to their endless hackey-sack playing and dreams of sitting around all day “contemplating” existence, “liberals” have made me look bad. I’ll agree that a lot of stereotypes are based on some kind of truth; however, I refuse to accept the liberal stereotype and demand that people begin referring to it as the “liberal” stereotype (using the appropriate hand gestures in social settings).

I refuse to participate in protests anymore for fear that I won’t be taken seriously. I’ve seen it around campus. A conservative group spreads their anti-abortion message in the form of gross pictures and uninformed rhetoric, and suddenly it’s a big deal that everyone’s talking about. People who agree with the message as well as those that don’t are all over the street arguing and adding to the hoopla.

On the other hand, I attend a peaceful anti-war rally and suddenly I see everyone chuckling at me as they walk to class, giving me the obligatory “you would do that” head cock.

And what about all this “anti-Bush” talk? I don’t want to be associated with uneducated hippies complaing how they hate Bush. I don’t hate Bush. I dislike some (alright, a lot) of the decisions that he and his administration have made. I will never hate the President of the United States because I believe in our system and the rights of the people (although, lately, the people have been letting me down a lot).

As for hating soldiers, I don’t do that either. I have the upmost respect for any individual who will risk their life for the good of their nation. I couldn’t, (and probably wouldn’t) do that myself. Protesting a decision made by the government is not mutually exclusive with hating those people who are forced to carry out that decision. I didn’t hate my highschool math teacher because she was forced to teach me derivates. Why would I hate the soldiers?

Case in point, today’s “liberals” have disappointed me. I congratulate conservatives on their ability to simultaneously have an idiot sect and to not be identified by that sect. And to all those “liberals”, I ask you to learn what it means to be a true liberal and to educate yourself on the actions and ideals of what you so proudly believe you represent.
Sincerely misunderstood,

Amanda Stetler
Student