What is a liberal and what is a conservative?

Question

like in politics?

Okay so i know this might be a really dumb question but im just a curious teen so please somebody tell me! thanx!

Answer 1

liberal

Supports

g*y rights, women's right to choose

ecology and conservatism

freedom of religion and the separation of church and state

Conservative

believes

g*y marriage is a threat

wants to over turn roe vs wade

for big business

supports giving tax breaks to oil companies the rich and taxing the middle class

usually highly Christian and religious and Christianity should be basically everywhere

conservatism-For the rich, big business, against g**s and.

(extreme -bible thumper, g**s an abomination)

Usually republican

Liberal-For the middle class, for the individual working man, for individual rights and liberties

(extreme pagan or atheist, hippie, tree hugger)

Usually Democrat, independant or green party

Answer 2

It's better ask and know instead of staying ignorant. Liberalism and conservatism are ideologies. and it depends of what country are you talking about

Liberalism is supposed to be about free expression, religious tolerance, private property, universal human rights, transparency of government...

Conservatism is about tradition, status quo, returning to the values of an earlier time...

The topic is huge. I suggest you to serach on Encarta or maybe Wikipedia.

Answer 3

my definitions, though i've try to remain impartial:

a liberal - someone who values social change, more willing to spend on programs to help others, generally more willing to accept the plurality of culture and society

a conservative - someone who values traditional values, wishes to remain thrifty and sees waste in government run programs, generally more apt to seek for the sameness in a one society sort of view

these are more how the democrat/republican split occurs.  some of the definitions just above mine are pretty clear and concise.

Answer 4

A liberal is a person who feels he has the right to dictate your  personal and public life, levi fines and penalties if you don't do what he suggest and make you pay the costs for services other people who are to lazy to work for and pay for themselves...  

A conservative doesn't want Big Brother involved in his life / he hates big government and believes that if you work hard and get rewarded for your efforts you should be able to do what you want to with those rewards, not have it taken away and used to support everybody with no ambition.

CONSERVATIVE...work hard keep what you got.

LIBERAL... hey you have more than me.. give me some...

Answer 5

A liberal thinks the government should be involved in everything. A conservative believes in self-sufficiency.

Answer 6

these are unfortunate labels that cheapen and distort the truth.

often:

Liberals are grouped with Democrats.  pro-choice, pro-g*y rights, promote social services such as parks, libraries, welfare, medicare, social security, they advocate taxing the excessively rich to bring that money back to the nation to maintain a healthy economy.

Conservatives are grouped with Republicans. pro-life, anti-g*y, pro-guns, top down economics- the theory is let the rich get richer because they have the businesses and therefore employ people, creating more jobs.  They are against taxes for the rich, they don't want the social services, they argue these services should be run by private companies.

but these are stereotypes, and really the lesson learned should be to do your own research.  

Answer 7

The Liberal knows how to manage the country while the conservative ruins the country.

Simple as that.

Answer 8

Liberal: Want to save the world-with other peoples money.

Conservative: s***w the world, let people take care of themselves.

Answer 9

this is what a Liberal believes in.  I will let a Conservative explain what they believe in although I have a feeling they will also give their own erronous version of what a Liberal is:

Freedom...

...of conscience

You have the right to think as you wish.

...of religion

You have the right to worship as you please. The government has no business either supporting or opposing religion in general or any specific religion.

...of speech

You have the right to express your views, whatever they may be. Only in the free marketplace of ideas can truth emerge.

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Civil rights

All people are equal under the law. Any type of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender is not only inconsistent with a free and civil society, but is immoral as well.

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Universal public education

Equality of opportunity requires all Americans to have access to a basic education consistent with maintaining informed citizenship and the ability to participate fully in society.

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Tolerance of Differences

Because we are all unique beings, with different skills, needs, and wants, we must respect the life choices of others as long as their life choices do not infringe on the rights enjoyed by other citizens.

--------------------------------------...

A Social Safety Net

Recognizing that circumstances beyond mortal control play a part in all our lives, a basic social safety net shall be avaliable to all who need it, not as a permanent lifestyle, but rather as a helping hand to get back on one's feet.

--------------------------------------...

Employees' Rights

We spend most of our lives working. Work is the foundation of our economy and a major part of the glue holding together communities. The employee is an equal business partner with the employer, and as such, has the right to collectively bargain for terms of employment.

--------------------------------------...

Environmental Protection

Contrary to some people's opinions, it is possible to both protect the environment and sustain economic growth. We support taking all reasonable and responsible steps to protect the environment and the species contained therein.

--------------------------------------...

Strong Families

The family is the primary social unit in America. It must be respected, and encouraged in all its forms. Government should make policy with this in mind.

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Responsibility

With rights come responsibilities. Exercising our rights means taking responsibility for our actions, and their effects on others.

--------------------------------------...

Free Enterprise

The capitalist economic system is the most efficient solution to providing for peoples' wants and needs. Government's role is that of a regulator, not a controller of industry, and any regulation must only be for the good of society as a whole, and not for the benefit of any one entity.

--------------------------------------...

Rule of Law

Law is the framework in which society operates. There can be no society without justice. Justice means that those who commit crimes must be made to answer for them, and that the criminal code is fair and wisely constructed. When criminal actions go unpunished, respect for the law weakens. The law applies to all, including all agents of the government.

--------------------------------------...

...most importantly, Progress

Answer 10

Simply, conservatives prefer lower taxes and less government (economically). Liberals prefer larger governments which have higher taxes but provide more services to it's citizens. So it becomes a trade off. Everyone wants all the services with none of the taxes.

Also this seems to be switched around for privacy matters, conservatives love government spying for defense, liberals love their privacy.

Answer 11

Liberals - Like killing children in the womb, hate the concept of religion and act like 9/11 never happened

Conservatives - Keep children alive to live full lives, believe in Jesus and understand war is sometimes necessary.

Answer 12

I am going to assume that you are trying to differentiate the terms in an American sense.  Before anymore is said, please understand that the terms liberal and conservative will have different connotations in different countries.  Also, please be aware that one's party affiliation does not automatically denote their ideological preferences.  There are liberal republicans (former mayor of NY Giuliani) and conservative democrats (NE Senator Ben Nelson).  POLITICAL PARTIES ARE DIFFERENT FROM POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES. Definitions sans bias:

Conservatism- A political ideology that favors tradition over all. The rule of law, fiscal conservatism, and social order are some of the main ideas that create the foundation of the ideology.  Conservatives are strict constitutionalists and believe that the government was created in order to protect the country (military) and uphold the right of property.  Also, conservatives would like to see a small central government and stronger state governments that handle most of the issues that face the government (marriage laws, drug laws).  Conservatives favor free markets or economic liberalism.  That being said, the paradox of American conservatism is the support of what can be described today as "social conservatism".  This means that conservatives usually believe that the government should regulate several moral issues, such as homosexuality and abortion.

Liberalism- A political ideology that favors the rights of an individual over all.  Here, the government is a vehicle which should protect equality in a society.  To a true liberal, a society could not flourish without a population that is well-educated, well-fed, and without the basic necessities of a human being.  Because liberals stress individual freedom, it is easy to see why they are in favor of such radical reforms dealing that require such a heavy governmental interference in the market (note: traditional liberals, in the purest sense of the word, would have scoffed at the American welfare state of today).  The issues of civil liberty and the right to freedom of speech, religion, and press reign supreme in the liberal ideology.  As with the conservative conundrum, American liberalism has paradoxes of its own, namely an aversion to government interference in the issues of morality.

Kudos to you for being interested in ideologies that drive American politics.  While I tried to give a brief description of the two, be aware that these are by no means complete.  If you are interested in further reading, I suggest reading some of the authors that pioneered the terms that are so frivolously thrown around today.  Wikipedia might be a good place to start too (not to mention easier).  Have fun!

Answer 13

liberal = believe that the government should take care of you and all your needs.

conservative = believe that individuals should have more freedoms, and government has a limited role.

but honestly? the entire government has become more liberal over time. no matter what they call themselves.

Answer 14

I see that I got to this question a little late.  I scanned through all of the answers.  Many are very good, concise, and accurate.  I will include my unique contribution to the question.  What is a liberal and what is a conservative?  Honestly, in my opinion and observation, the definition on many specific topics that are generally labeled as being conservative and liberal change meaning with every generation.  The more things change, the more they remain the same...and then they change again.  

Answer 15

Liberals believe that people are the governments responsibility.  Conservatives believe that people are their own responsibility and the government is just there to guide... i.e. govern

Answer 16

Government is the answer=liberalism

Free market is the answer= conservatism

Answer 17

I can't even answer this one without offending someone. I'd like to though.

Answer 18

A conservative is somebody who wants to conserve American values.

A liberal is somebody who crys all of the time.  And never are happy.  They want the government to give them every thing for free.

Answer 19

Liberals believe in using the government to help people, conservatives believe in using it to hurt people

Answer 20

Conservates are people that do not tax hard working Americans. Liberals are people who say they will not tax hard working americans, but they do. they tax americans that work hard for money and give it to others that do not deserve it (people working at per say mcdonalds, people on welfare)

Answer 21

Liberals consider individual liberty to be the most important political goal, or more so Liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity.supporting a number of values including extensive freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market or mixed economy, and a transparent system of government.

Conservatives favor tradition, where tradition refers to various religious, cultural, or nationally defined beliefs and customs.

Answer 22

McCain is not a true conservative and Obama is not a true liberal

Answer 23

Defining principles of conservatism:

   1. Belief in natural law

   2. Belief in established institutions

   3. Preference for liberty over equality

   4. Suspicion of power - and of human nature

   5. Belief in exceptionalism

   6. Belief in the individual

Defining principles of liberalism:

   1. Belief in positive law

   2. Faith in utopianism

   3. Preference for equality over liberty

   4. Belief in the benevolence of government and individuals

   5. Belief in the perfectibility of human beings

   6. Belief in the communal state

Answer 24

A conservative focuses on individual financial freedom and smaller government.  

I don't know what a liberal is.  Liberalism is supposed to be all about liberties and such but they seem to want to strip away any rights that they don't agree with.

Actually a better description is that Liberals want to depend on the government to provide and fix everything. Conservatives want the government to get the heck out of the way and let us fix it ourselves and live our own lives.

Answer 25

Liberal, conservative and moderate are ideologies found within all political parties. No political party is 100% liberal, conservative or moderate.  The definitions have been blurred in recent years and reduced to  the equivalent of sporting teams...them against us.  You will be well to look it up instead of asking on Y/A.

Most people fall into the moderate group..liberal on some issues and conservative on others.  

Add:

Go with the objective answers that you received.  Kaila, Truth seeker and a couple of others.

Answer 26

http://tinyurl.com/usgov