1041 American vs. European Liberty

The word “liberty” get bandied about a lot with different definitions: some cynical, many distorted, but most are confused, particularly the distinction between the American and European concepts of the word. American liberty differs from European liberty in four major repects: • First, American liberty defaults to the individual over the group, but European liberty is the needs of the group supersede the wants of the individual. • Second, in America, Rights are negative, meaning some things like Speech and guns, can’t be taken away, but with European liberty, Rights are positive, meaning people are owed: inclusiveness, welfare, “happiness.” • Thirdly, American liberty also includes the idea of personal responsibility: reap the rewards or suffer the consequences of your actions; while European liberty is egalitarian: from each according to their ability, to each according to their need. • Lastly, European liberty requires authoritarianism to ensure equality, but American liberty is anti-authoritarian. Unfortunately, American liberty is being lost because European liberty is what’s now taught in public schools.