Why are leftists called “progressives”? Does that automatically imply that conservatives are regressive? Where did this terminology originate?

[Anonymous]

[WindAtMyBack]

It doesn't imply that conservatives are regressive.

Liberals are called progressive because they are. There are different definitions for liberal. Progressive is basically a synonym for liberal. That's actually how I learned it in school. The idea of liberal being specific beliefs on certain issues is momentary and changes over time. The things people think of as liberal issues is really more of a snapshot of the current state of things.

Conservative on the other hand is more related to other usages of the word. A conservative estimate. A conservative approach. Conservative investing. A conservative helping of food. These all imply cautious or safe. Politically conservative does not mean regressive. It is not even opposed to changes. It is the more cautious approach instead of diving right in. This is also how I learned it in school.

Like liberal, the issues that are considered conservative are a snapshot in time. Both liberal and conservative issues today are very different than they were 50 years ago. They have both moved considerably to the "left" but liberal has moved to the left a lot more than conservative. Which is in line with the progressive vs cautious definitions.

[Anonymous]

The term "progressive" originates from how a turd progresses down the toilet when it gets flushed, and ultimately ends up in the sewer. That is viewed as "progress" by some people, and because they live in the US they are free to call themselves what they want.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Leftists are radicals and have extreme view points and philosophies.

A progressive is one that has a philosophy of moving forward and to improve a system or ways of doing things.

A conservative is just a moron that is stuck in the past and doesn't care about improving nothing even if it's outdated and broken so by nature they are regressive.

[Anonymous]

One is about moving forward, while the other is about going backward and staying there.