Project Liberal vs. Conservative as words clouds is our attempt to find out what words we associate with the terms. We are aware of limitations of the tool, but as our goal is to get a few thousand sets of suggestions we think that we may end with a quite a good grasp. We hope to get some more conservative input – so please share with conservative friends.
In this post we have a second generation of the word clouds comparing what words are associated with being liberal vs. being conservative. This version is based on 139 sets of words submitted by readers. The majority were liberals and it shows, we hope to get more input from all over the political spectrum. You too, can change those clouds, using your own words – just FILL IN THE FORM.
Words associated with liberalism.
If you want to add your own words – just FILL IN THE FORM.
Words associated with conservativism.
We will be updating the clouds every few days, so - just FILL IN THE FORM, and revisit after a couple of days.
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Here is how our 139 respondents described their worldview:
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Is this project supposed to be nothing more than Liberals smugly congratulating each other on their vast superiority as Human Beings? If one were to judge from the words already on the board, since there is nothing remotely akin to balance and only the barest stab at open-mindedness, it seems logical to assume that this project, regardless of the intentions of its creator(s), is precisely that, Liberals indulging in a non-objective, self-congratulatory orgasm of “Gee ain’t we great”s. If this project is to have any validity or meaning, it must be more stringently structured.
The description states, “Project Liberal vs. Conservative as words clouds is our attempt to find out what words we associate with the terms.” The first order of business is to define “we” and “our”. If “we” are Liberals only, then the project should NOT try to skew the views of Liberals by tainting them with the opinions of Conservatives. If “we” are both Liberals and Conservatives, then perhaps Liberals should only be allowed to express their opinions of Conservatives and vice versa. That way, Ls can see how THEY are viewed by Cs and Cs can see how Ls view THEM.
Alternatively, the words could be restricted to those which are not “loaded”, ie, those with neutral connotations. I am certain there are other ways this project could be structured to provide some useful information, but as Jesse so aptly put it, right now, “this [project] can’t be taken seriously… it’s just a bunch of my fellow dems … painting a very closed-minded picture…” If you doubt his words, just look at the “word clouds” themselves. The “liberal” words, almost exclusively, apply only to those Liberals who aspire to the very highest moral standards, NOT to the average Liberal while the “conservative” words, almost exclusively, apply only to those who epitomize the most despicable elements of a bastardized pseudo-conservative philosophy, not to those who believe in and abide by the highest ethical precepts.
BTW, if this fb page were “Being Conservative” and it had this same project, I seriously doubt that the “word clouds” would be any less offensive to Liberals of conscience than the actual “word clouds” are to open-minded Conservatives.
This makes me sad. We’ve become so polarized. We can’t hear each other over the name calling. I know I do this myself.
This would have looked just as ugly, but reversed, if done from a conservative perspective. Where’s the civil part in our civil discourse? We have a lot to learn. Here’s a great vid on how:
http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_lesser_take_the_other_to_lunch.html