Liberal Radicalism guised as Liberalism

Now that I am over the initial shock, of liberal radicalism – Let me write about it. The college student demographic (especially is large institutions) has always held a more ‘liberal’ and more progressive outlook. They are generally known to be a little more flexible in their views, a little more receptive to new ideas and communities and respectful of the differences which make college communities extremely diverse. However, recently I have encountered liberal radicalism, which prides itself on being extremely anti-conservative, being floated as liberalism. Liberal radicals nurture the notion that sneering at other opinions and values make for the foundation of progressive thinking."The essence of the Liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment." -Bertrand RussellBeing pro-anything doesn’t make you a liberal unless you also acknowledge another persons’ right to be anti it. It doesn’t make you a liberal unless you are willing to listen to the other views and conside the posibility of being persuaded in a different direction. A liberal has opinions but holds them with delicacy, constantly evaluating its merits and acknowledging its faults. Being a radical liberal is not being liberal at all. It is a dangerous kind of illusion to entertain and it breeds a false sense of intellectual superiority and complacency which in turn decreases tolerance and nips learning in the bud. Tolerance and Learning, being the cornerstones of progressive thought.Also, this thing about choosing sides – are you pro-choice or pro-life? Are you tolerant or are you a racist? Are you pro-affirmative action or not? Why is there the need to either love everything about one opinion while completely disregarding the merits or all others. Most decisions are not black and white and assuming that they should be, is a juvenile ideal. Afterall one can be pro-choice and not support female genocide in developing nations. Is it completely unreasonable to think that humans, the most intellectually developed animal, can’t see in greys? Isn’t that what makes us intellectually superior in the first place?The liberal radicalism has often labeled me ( a female non-Caucasian) a racist and a sexist. Something that is prepostrous and as the same time, dangerous. The ‘I have friends who are …” argument is not a reason that enables one to laugh in the face of other opinions and still call oneself a liberal. Maybe, it is the nomenclature and the comfort that comes from labeling oneself as a liberal while acting as a radical. It’s basically dressing a wolf in sheep’s clothing and asking everyone to treat it as a sheep. A concept reminiscent of Hitler’s ‘progressive’ ideals that resulted in the genocide of 6 million people.While we, the constituents of Gen Y, have grown up in an influx of information driven by diversity in every form , it has only made it harder to form opinions without making harsh ill-informed judgements. As people, we are entitled to choose sides in any situation, but we are responsible for recognizing the merits and demerits of both sides while being open to new opinions coming along and shifting our preferences. That is really all one can ask of liberals, and of people.