Oftentimes you may hear a conservative scornfully refer to bleeding heart liberals. But does anyone ever consider the phrase as an actual statement rather than a label? What does it really imply> For instance, if some people are against 'bleeding hearts', then what does that mean that these people are for? What is the opposite of a bleeding heart? If you hate bleeding hearts, what kind of heart is it that you claim to have for yourself? Are you the owner of a ''dried-up heart''? Do you possess a heart of stone? Does that make you proud? Or do you consider yourself heartless? Do you actively try to pass these values on to your children?
And for someone in the Christian right to denounce ''bleeding heart'' liberals is particularly strange. Is not the ''bleeding heart'' an icon of Christianity? Isn't the bleeding heart generally depicted as Jesus' heart? Why would any Christian be against such a sentiment? Perhaps a Christian who is, in reality, more interested in the writings of the right wing media and the teachings of the Fox News Channel than they are in the teachings of Christianity would use this label instead of considering what side of an issue the 'bleeding heart' of Jesus might lead them to be on.
Catch phrases are handy short hand sometimes, but sometimes the use of them indicates more about the speaker than those spoken of...