Are you a liberal or a so-called liberal?

By David Wonpu

If you allot yourself a daily quota of ten jokes about Christianity, you periodically consider a move to Canada or you catch "The Daily Show" come hell or high water, then you follow the practices presently held by a fair number of people who fancy themselves as "liberals."

But what exactly is a liberal?

For those who have bought into the two-party system and believe that there is no better alternative, "liberal" is synonymous with Democrat. For others, a liberal is anyone who doesn't ride horses and speak with a Southern twang. But these definitions are simplistic and false. In fact, they demean true liberals: agents of change seeking to educate a perpetually ignorant world.

It comes as no surprise that some have transmogrified Liberalism into a mere fashion statement. We dress in our American Apparel clothing, eat organic tomatoes and somehow believe we're making the world a better place because we don't launch flaming Bibles at homosexuals. But it remains to be seen how many Republicans actually engage in that same activity.

I'm not defending the Republican Party in any way. I believe the GOP is arrogant, and has all but ensured the eventual fiscal collapse of our economy. But demonizing Republicans doesn't do any good. The more we call conservative views "dumbass hickshit," the more out of touch so-called Liberalism becomes. The fact is, their preferred candidate won the last two presidential elections.

Yet, there is clearly a benefit in reducing those who disagree with you to extremist stereotypes. The farther right you think they are, the less left you have to be. Forget actually trying to raise the liberal consciousness in this country. If the other side (as if there are only two sides) are illiterate cavemen with no intrinsic value whatsoever, all you have to do to further the liberal cause is watch "Borat."

So-called liberals are also developing an arbitrary relationship between the religious right and all religion. A prime example is the assumption that Christianity, as an ideology, is inherently homophobic. Many homophobic people identify themselves as Christian. But anyone who claims to be a Christian, but uses the Scriptures to justify oppression of any kind isn't much of a Christian at all.

Imagine the political milieu of a world in which more religious people actually adhered to the beliefs of their religion instead of letting political, cultural and personal bias disfigure those beliefs -- beliefs usually centered on peace, love and understanding.

Many so-called liberals proclaim secularism as the sole solution to an ideological power struggle. They see a war supposedly between Christians and Muslims, and wonder how anyone could possibly believe in any religion.

Let's be clear. The Iraq War is about paranoia-driven fanaticism against primitive, militant fundamentalism. It's an insult to people of faith everywhere to say that Pat Robertson and Osama Bin Laden are vanguards of the religions they claim to represent.

Denigrating people who try to live up to a belief system simply because of a hierarchical power structure is pathetic, as is assuming that they are mindless automatons. If you think you don't subscribe to a belief system, then the continual practice of equivocating that decision becomes your system.

The audacity of some people who identify themselves as liberals both frightens and sickens me. "Liberal" is not just your political view publicized on Facebook. Liberalism is action. It is an intense need to change the world because you see something wrong with it. This means you must understand those who are subjected to the injustices of our broken system.

If you think you aren't racist simply because you have one black friend, you are not a liberal. If you're against the Iraq War, but worry whenever you're on an airplane with someone of Middle Eastern descent, you are not a liberal. If you claim to be for equal rights for homosexuals, but can't even stomach attending GALA's annual drag show because it's "just too icky," you are not a liberal. If you have never set foot inside the Multicultural Center, you are not a liberal.

You're just a so-called liberal.

David Wonpu is a senior English major.