At some point “liberal” became a dirty word. Anyone who claims to be liberal or has a liberal view is promptly ostracized for their perspective. The animosity displayed toward American liberals has, as of late, been equivalent to the treatment of the French (or as one of our readers so eloquently put it, the “F” word).

Being conservative seems trendy right now. It is the popular ideology, and as such, people are being pressured to fall in line. I, for one, refuse to follow the herd. I will maintain my anti-war stance, a position I take for reasons far beyond my political ideology.

But sadly, other people are following the herd. The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll shows that seven out of 10 Americans support the military strike in Iraq.

For those who are worse at math than I am (and I am pretty bad), that is 70 percent of Americans supporting war.

But here’s a little secret: 70 percent of Americans are not conservative. In 2000, the American National Election Studies found that only a little over 40 percent of Americans actually claimed to be on the right side of the political spectrum. (That is right as in direction, not as in correctness.)

Let’s be honest — if more of America were conservative, Dubya would have won by a much larger margin in the 2000 election or at least actually won the popular vote in the country.

Really, what these numbers actually say may shock the hell out of some people on the right: there are liberals who actually support war! That additional 30 percent may be predominantly moderates, but there is no doubt that multiple liberals litter that percentile as well. Granted, I am certainly not one of them.

Perhaps ideology is not the best explanation for who supports or opposes this war. Other factors weigh in, with race and gender topping the list.

Gallup recently found that support for the current war in Iraq has significantly lower support from black citizens than the Gulf War. Back then it was 59 percent, now it is only 29 percent — a 30 percent point difference. Support by white Americans dropped only five points.

Now, I’ll do my best to hypothesize why this may be, but given my label as “Alaskan ass white” it is likely that I am not the authority on race issues.

Blacks have often seen injustice when it comes to the military. Once the army started letting blacks in during the Civil War, African-Americans were put on the front lines. This is far and away the most dangerous spot in old-fashioned battle. Since then, a disproportionate number of black citizens have been involved in wars, likely due in some part to higher education exemptions made during draft periods.

This is certainly one of the reasons that Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, proposed a draft earlier this year that would not allow educational immunities — other than graduating from high school. He did not want the white and affluent to escape the tragedies that war imposes on those who are less economically sound, which tends to be minorities.

Females are also less supportive of war, albeit the difference is less severe than that of blacks. The Gallup poll finds a 12 percent difference between support levels of men and women for Operation Iraq Freedom. Still, females are generally quite supportive of this war, favoring it by 66 percent.

Despite the strong female support on the national level, I would attribute my lack of support to my gender rather than my slightly liberal views. Women are less aggressive in our species, unlike the female praying mantises who bite the heads off males after they mate.

Women, as a whole, are less likely to support anything involving troops.

Also, females attach a greater amount of emotion to death and destruction (as well as to everything else).

Take, for instance, the photograph that ran on the front page of the Daily March 31. In it, a young Iraqi girl, approximately three years old, was shown with a terrified look in her dark brown eyes, plumes of smoke rising behind her. The image is downright haunting. The fear in the girl’s eyes is unforgettable. Things like this get to me; they make me wonder if we really are doing the right thing by bombing Iraq.

Throw on top of that the loss of Iraqi civilians and American troops. I take these things to heart. Innocent people are dying. I want to cry when I run over a bunny, even the suicidal ones that dart under my car. Supporting the death of another human being is a burden I refuse to bear.

To simply pigeonhole anti-war sentiment as “damn liberal views” ignores the depth and complexity of how and why opinions are formed. The severity of the situation in Iraq demands discussion, one that shouldn’t be stifled by presumptive labels.