"freedom"

That word has been used a lot by conservatives (as has "liberty"). Bush Jr. deployed it frequently in his presidential speeches. Right now, the hard right (especially Hannity) speak of it all the time, claiming they are in favor of freedom, while Obama is not. But this "freedom" is never well defined. When used by the hard right, it has an almost mystical aura, unlike the more prosaic understanding of "no restrictions on everyone's action". Perhaps the best observation about the current use by conservatives of "freedom" can be found in a post over at Orcinus:

Those at the top of the heap enjoy the freedom that comes with never being held accountable by anyone. This exemption is implicit in conservative notions of "liberty," and is considered an inalienable (if not divine) right of fathers, bosses, religious leaders, politicians, and anyone else on the right who holds power over others. The privilege of controlling others' liberty, without enduring reciprocal constraints on your own, is at the heart of the true meaning of "freedom."

posted by Quiddity at 4/23/2009 08:00:00 PM