"Excellent post, Stower." Thanks, Lizzie.

"So, if you feel that something in the New Age of Liberalism is terribly wrong, you are not supposed to mention it anymore?" No, that's not what I'm saying at all. The New Age of Liberalism is just another one of the labels one could add to my list above. We need to know what the 'New Age of Liberalism' is in your mind, otherwise it's just another label to run to the barricdes with, as is calling someone a liberal as a term of abuse. What I'm saying is: these shorthand labels tell us nothing useful, engage with the issues instead. Otherwise we're just joining the ranks of those who called Obama another Hitler. Was that label helpful is bringing understanding and helping the two sides engage in the issues of the debate? I think not. It's just a missile.   

"For instance, I feel the sexualisation of our children is deeply worrying. I feel the way some women now behave is degrading. I feel alcohol abuse is out of control and affecting society for the bad..." Well, there's some issues we can debate and engage with, it seems to me.

"If I state my feelings on that, I'm seen as reactionary, because 'anything goes' these days..." And if someone calls you a reactionary and then says *no more* on ther topic, as if 'reactionary' answers all possible questions, then they are failing to engage in the issues you wish to discuss.

"However, if I choose to be liberal thinking myself, and home educate, believing that 'school' has had it's day and is one of the most reactionary and against so many forms of liberalism, I am STILL called 'reactionary'" Which just goes to show that the labels 'liberal' and 'reactionary' are meaningless and ways of shutting down clear thinking.

"Pardon me for being thick, but er...I don't quite get it." If I am a child in a school yard, I might call you all sorts of names to show that you are not part of 'my crowd'. I won't have put much thought into it, the label is simply there to show I like my crowd and I don't like yours. This name calling is just about as shallow as it can get. If I were a good adult, I would tell these children to stop name calling and begin to talk to each other, learn about each other, engage with and try to understand each other. Name calling prevents all of that.

I am saying that reactionary, communist, liberal, radical, terrorist, political correctness, are so often just adult versions of that childish behaviour. When has anyone ever become engaged with, had their understanding deepened, by being given one of these labels? When has anyone ever become engaged with, had their understanding deepened, by giving someone else one of these labels?