"Liberals are lazy, entitled, welfare-abusing, gun-hating individuals." Does this sound common to you? It seems that those words have become synonymous with being a liberal. Many people automatically assume that if you are a liberal, you want handouts or you abuse the welfare system among many other things. However, the actual definition of liberal is "open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values." The basis of being liberal is that when the old ways aren't working anymore, we look for new ways to fix the problem.

Are the words "lazy" or "entitled" mentioned anywhere in that definition? No. However, for some reason, conservatives and the like feel that this is what makes a liberal. Are there liberals who do abuse welfare or hate guns? Of course there are. Just like there are conservatives who are greedy and mean-spirited. These people fall on the extremes of both sides of the political spectrum. However, we can't generalize these groups of people by just the extremes. There are plenty of people who fall somewhere in the middle, like me. So I may be a liberal, but I am not:

1. Lazy

I may be liberal, but I am anything but lazy. I currently work two jobs, one of which I have been doing for three years, to pay for my college. I am paying for college by myself because my parents can't afford to help me out. Even though I work two jobs, I have still managed to keep a 4.0 GPA in college. Call me crazy, but I don't think balancing two jobs and college coursework is lazy.

2. Trying to get rid of guns

Do we need to keep guns out of the hands of unstable people? Of course. Does that mean taking away everyone's guns? Absolutely not. I enjoy hunting and target shooting as much as the next guy. Also, I believe guns can be extremely helpful in turns of safety and protection of your home. Do you need an AK-47 or another assault rifle? No.

3. Advocating for free higher education

I don't think that college should be free, but I do believe it is too expensive. Many conservatives make the argument that you should work while in school or choose a cheaper college. In high school, I searched and applied for over 200 scholarships. Even though I was a 4.0 student with an ACT score of 31, the college scholarship process is extremely hard. In high school, I worked not one, not two, but three different jobs to try to defray the cost of college. Every year, I am searching for scholarships to help with college, but I will still be paying off loans. College should not be free, but there should be more help for high-achieving students.

4. Against the police

Why would somebody be against the very people who are here to protect us? Are there cases of police brutality and unnecessary force in the United States? Of course there are. However, a majority of police officers are good people who care about the citizens they are protecting.

Something conservatives and other people get wrong about us liberals is that we're not all homogeneous -- we don't all think the same. Not all liberals want to increase government spending or are against guns. Everyone has different beliefs and that what makes our country great. We are free to disagree with others who have different opinions. However, when people start to belittle others for their political beliefs that is when we have a problem.

You don't like it when people diminish your beliefs, why do you think I like it when you do it to mine?