Just Call Me Frank: Our Endeavour at Being Frank: I’m A “Libtard”, Apparently

Friday, November 2, 2012

I’m A “Libtard”, Apparently - A Guest Blogger

Because we're feeling lazy as hell, and uninspired to talk about things going on in our life (Grandma has been in the Intensive Care Unit for a couple of days, and she actually asked for us...from the reports we hear she is getting better, we'll have to go visit her soon...but enough about that), we're featuring a guest blogger for today. He's not really a guest blogger so much as James, who many know as The Boyfriend. He wrote this awhile ago (about a month ago), but we really like what he had to say, even if we don't always agree on everything, nor him us, this was one of the things we are proud to stand next to him and agree with.

There has been a lot of name calling in this election among people on social media, some very...gentle and harmless...and in some cases cruel, ignorant and disturbing. We've witnessed it, other people have told us about it (like this woman, a follower on Twitter, who DM'd this link to us: http://alvariver.tumblr.com/post/34160524039/last-night). We think this crude name calling mostly has to do with being un-educated about what the people claim to be fighting about, and that's why they resort to such childish behaviours. It's easy to keep a level head, and keep from name calling (being an adult), for the most part, when armed with facts, and information based on actual reality, rather than speculation and talking points based on nothing but unresearched news organization propaganda like...well...much of what Fox News and it's syndicates, distribute, for example.

Thank goodness the whole [election] thing will be over in three (four) days and we can all go back to hating each other for more than just which side of the political fence the people in the opposing party leans on.

So, to James, and his passionate response to a Facebook communication he intercepted between us and a woman we know (who happens to be a pretty firm conservative). It should be noted that James is British. He's been living in the United States with us now for about nine months over the last year.

[To the person this was directed to, there are no hard feelings, you know we're tolerant, and you also know we discussed this amicably in private, please do not feel like this is a refreshed personal jab at you.]

I’M A “LIBTARD”, APPARENTLY

This actually stemmed from the response to one of Frankie’s Facebook statuses and was directed at them but since it applies to me too, I thought I’d take a stab at a response. In the end, I felt it was something I’d like to share with others, as I often do with my opinions. So here then, unedited, is my Facebook response:

“Libtard”? If you mean belief in the freedom and liberty of people then yes, I’m a “libtard”. If you mean belief of freedom of speech and religion (including freedom not to be religious), free trade (of goods and ideas and in turn, opposed to any restrictions), elections and democracy then yes, I’m a “libtard”. If you mean the belief that all people should be free and to have equal rights (you’ll find a perfect example of such left wing “libtard nonsense” in your beloved “Declaration of Independence”, I suggest you read it) then yes, I’m a “libtard”. If you mean a belief that the “gubnant” should not restrict or take away the rights of its people then yes, I’m a “libtard”. If you mean a belief that personal freedoms shouldn’t restrict the people’s freedom (you (Americans) even went to war with each other over that one) then yes, I’m a “libtard”.
But I also have socialistic beliefs (beyond all of the above, what with being British and all). I believe that the government (as the people’s elected governors) should be responsible for providing social services e.g. health care and education and in any other respect, doing what it can to help those are less well off (not through any fault of their own, you know, like single parents who find themselves out of work and struggle to find new employment, as one example of many). If you think those are left wing liberal beliefs then yes, I’m a “libtard” (or are you, like many of your ignorant peers, now going to accuse me of being a communist too?). And I must be a “libtard” because I believe that the government, in its duties to its people and its country, needs funding in order to do these things (or in your case, so that it can send its people to fucking war with a country it has no right to or reason to be involved with) and as such can look to its people in the form of taxes. I further believe that the wealthier minority of a country, those that because of its government, its country and its people have allowed them to become so wealthy, should reward that by paying a higher percentage of taxes (though I’d happily settle for equal percentage at this point).
In summary then yes, I must, according to you, be a “libtard” and if this is what makes me a “libtard” then I’d wear that badge with fucking honour.
Your fucking ignorance is astounding, but far from surprising.
[Additional] There will always be those that through either ignorance or arrogance that will insist on a label and insist on bastardising and distort the meanings behind those labels. There are those that believe socialism means communism or that one be-gets the other. There will always be those that will cherry pick the founding ideals of socialism and liberalism in order to either shrug off the hypocrisy of their own beliefs and / or to attack other people. Today, certainly from I’ve seen so far in America, people’s ideas / beliefs of what it means to be a socialist or liberal are too distorted to allow me to place such a label on myself without the need to then describe at great length why or what those those labels mean to me.
I am a liberal if all that I’ve said above makes me one. I’m also a Socialist if all that I’ve said above makes me one. For what it’s worth, I do believe in everything I said above; I do believe that people should have equality and freedom and liberties but I also believe that we need a selected group of people, a government, to ensure that we continue to enjoy such equality, freedoms and liberties and to protect us from those that attempt to take them away from us. I believe that we, the people, have certain rights but I believe an individuals right should not be to the detriment of another person’s or of the peoples. In order to achieve this balance, we, as individuals have to accept that there are restrictions on our actions to protect the freedoms of others.
I know what I am, politically and socially speaking and I know what others label me as. For the most part, whilst they might mean to insult and belittle me, I accept some of those labels because I’m educated and open minded enough to know what those labels truly mean, at least what they used to mean when people first described those terms. To many Americans I am a socialist. I’ll accept that one. To many Americans I’m therefore a communist but that one I will argue I am not whilst I shake my head at their ignorance. And now it seems if [this] person is typical of many (right wing) American people, I’m also a “libtard”.
Call me what you like, my eyes and my mind are open and for as long as they remain so, I’ll continue to believe in everything I’ve said here.
Shame on you. Shame on you.

Originally posted on October 3, 2012 at http://iamfranksbitch.tumblr.com/

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