I am a liberal. I am an idealist. However, I also temper my idealism and liberal-ness with pragmatism and a basic understanding of reality.

Here is the first of a series of issues I have with how so many “liberals” and “social justice warriors” conduct themselves nowadays. I will then provide a corresponding tip to help you improve your conduct (if you are so inclined).

If you take issue with any of the points made in this series, please tell me. But remember, there is a difference between “actually wanting to inspire long-lasting change in this country and doing things that will actually make that happen versus arbitrarily taking the moral high ground and spewing your long-held resentment and rage out on those you see as beneath you.”

Liberal Mistake #1—Not Having Any Perspective

I was in a political science class the other day and our professor was talking about how people, when they live in constant fear for their lives and safety, are more likely to turn to religion for comfort. He then went on, saying “Americans generally drive nice cars and can go safely home every day.” People in my class lost their shit, saying things like “Um, that’s totally untrue,” “Poverty in the US is really bad,” “Not everyone has a safe home to go to.”

Are you serious?

Sure, you might go home to a dad who beats you routinely. That sucks.

You know what sucks even more? Living with dad who beats you every day and not being able to leave your home because there is a literal WAR happening outside. To not be able to go to school because you might die in a drone strike on your walk. To feel nothing when another one of your friends is killed in an IED explosion because most of your friends are dead already.

Sure, you might have had a guy cat-call you or even assault you. That sucks. You know what sucks even more? Living in a place where your odds of getting raped are around 1 in 2, and then after you are almost inevitably assaulted, being burned alive or doused in acid by your family because you have “dishonored” them. To have a justice system that doesn’t even acknowledge your existence as an independent human being.

Sure, you might have days every now and then where you go hungry or wonder where your next meal is coming from. That sucks. You know what sucks even more? Being one missed morsel away from STARVING to death. To live in a country where food pantries and government assistance do not exist. To walk outside and see some of the thousands of men, women, children, and babies who won’t wake up tomorrow because they haven’t eaten in weeks.

Sure, relative to Western Europe, America has a long way to go. And yes, people here do have struggles and terrible experiences to deal with, and we should not deny the legitimacy of those problems. But please get some global perspective, and stop equating the typical American experience to those of people who suffer through exponentially more terrifying and life-threatening situations every single day. There is a way to fight adamantly for the injustices we suffer from in the US while doing it within the context of our position relative to the rest of the world and the people in it.

Liberal Tip #1:

Whenever you debate an issue, do some quick internal analysis and frame it in a broader global or regional context. Although it might not be relevant to the specific discussion, I guarantee you that simple act of reflecting on a different perspective of the issue will improve the overall quality of your argument.