A liberal in general is someone who wants the govenrment to enforce social equality
Actually, that's the opposite of the position of most liberals. Liberals tend to consider that the system is well rounded or, when they notice that its not (because leftists and researchers pushes their butts), they will change the system, but will refuse to create an ADAPTATIVE system.
There is a reason why we do denounce the pink washing, its a liberal way of using progressive ideas.
In short, they will applicate what I explained here:
- Universalism: This one is great on paper. Its based on the belief that all humans are born equal and should have equal rights. Again, on paper, its amazing. But how is it applicated on the fields : Well, if people are born equal, then they should have equal access to anything, right ? Seems logical... Until you start looking at the social reality of the lives of people. In reality we are not born equal, there are differences everywhere in term of colours of skins, economical capital, social capital, cultural capital etc. In reality two people with the same access to educations, culture and social services and rights, one living in one wealthy family and the other in the ghettos will have completely different lives and most likely great inequalities in term of living hoods. The reality is that universalism negates the sociological differences and negates the research on the matter. Its an idealistic system and belief system that look at us with blindfolded eyes. And this is the most prevalant when we talk about racism. Universalism is literally at the starting point of what we call "colorblindness". Its the negations of different forms of oppressions on the belief that they can't exist since we are all treated "equally".
When a liberal understand that universalism is a fraud and that when must make very specific social politics. It will usually radicalize toward the left and notice that this must be applied to all sorts of domains. With the end of the belief in universalism usually come the end of the belief in color blindness AND meritocracy and the education in human sciences..
So it would be completely dumb for a person without those beliefs to keep thinking that capitalism but be maintain or reenforced. If such a person exist, they won't stay long a liberal or they will have to live with a LOT of contradictions (which is possible)
They tend to seek change gradually(politicians only when it's to their benefit).
Those are the social democrats. Liberal want to keep the status co or (for the most radicals) reeforce it.
Social democrats are socialist who understand the importance of applying social changes but don't believe in a radical change of system.
That's why I don't call myself a social democrats but a radical leftist. I'm still reformist, but I want actual radical change, different than those of the current social democrats in the US or in Europe.
The important word here is STATUS CO.
Liberals do not want to change the system, they want to adapt progressism to said system. That's we have the illusion that democrates are pushing a progressive agenda. They are not. They are trying to adapt progressism and social progress to the system.
And any leftist knows that you can't have progress without changing the system first the the way the economy works.
Conservative / Libertarian / Fascist and far rightist want to go backward.
Liberals want to stay put
Leftists want to go forward.
Its really as simple as that.