What has become of the word “liberal”? Today it is used with such venom, as if liberals were a disgusting, contagious disease invading our country and threatening the well-being of our citizens. No longer is it a word used to describe a political ideology. “Liberal” has become a remark of demonizing proportions. It has become synonymous with negativity, comparable to a classification of malevolence. John Kerry is too “liberal.” John Edwards is too “liberal.” The University of Wisconsin is too “liberal.” These are said as if being “liberal” is bad, which is just as ridiculous as if being “conservative” is bad. People should vote for John Kerry and John Edwards because they are liberal, just like people should vote for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney because they are conservative. These are words we use to describe political philosophies and principles, and in no way should “liberal” be damned. In fact, history has proven liberals to be heroic revolutionaries of our country.

Every large step our country has made, whether it has been a push for greater equality and freedom or less oppression, has been the result of leftist thinkers who got together and stood up against the mainstream conservatives who were, and still are, terrified of change. A democracy is characterized by how loud the voices of the people are, and whether their wishes are fulfilled by those in power. Unfortunately, such transformations within a society are often met with strong resistance; they can only be achieved through drastic action and unpopular thought — the basis of the liberal ideology.

What if slaves had not rebelled, and there had not been white revolutionaries to aid them and pressure the government to condemn the idea of slavery? What if, in order to protest our poorly represented government of the 19th century, the farmers of Shay’s Rebellion had not helped catapult the meeting of our founding fathers and the birth of our Constitution? What if, during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, liberal protesters hadn’t demanded desegregation, demanded the persecution of any perpetrators of hate crimes and demanded justice and equality for African Americans? What if women hadn’t refused to stay in the home, publicly demanding the right to vote and the same opportunities as men? What if none of these people had thought differently, outside the mainstream? What if they hadn’t stood up and said, “Our country can do better”? All these disobedient cravers of free will were liberals of their times, chastised, rejected, and even put to death by society for their beliefs. Nevertheless, today we celebrate these people and the movements that they inspired.

We still do not have the gender and racial equality today that a democratic society of such wealth and power should, but we are far closer today than we were decades and centuries ago. If certain conservatives throughout history had gotten their way and the liberal flame had been snuffed out, we would have lived in a dark, cold society, where only white men could hold the right to a free and prosperous life. We would still be living in a hostile world of hatred, fear, inequality and injustice. However, because freethinking heroes of dissention have forced the nation to listen to their cries, we live in a nation not of strict limitations, but of infinite possibilities.

A pluralistic democracy is a catalyst to move society forward. We require a difference of opinions, not only to promote freedom, but also to promote change. America has come very far in only a few centuries, and it has been the clash of opinions and the differences in beliefs that have spurred so much change. A society’s survival depends upon its ability to adapt. So much of what stains our country’s past was considered popular at the time, and it was the liberal who risked expulsion to stand up for the morality and compassion of mankind. Are we in danger of losing those who demonstrated such courage, those revolutionary leaders whose lives we celebrate today? Are we in danger of losing the Rosa Parks, the Martin Luther Kings, the JFKs, and the FDRs? Think of the world we would live in had these voices been silenced. Unless we want this country to forever be run on a fundamental base of disparity and prejudice, a country run only by old, rich, powerful white men whose principles differ very little, we must keep the liberal voice loud and recognized for what it is: a political ideology, not a dirty word.

Adam Lichtenheld ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in political science and international studies.