I identify as liberal. I don't identify with the modern left or the Democrat party.

That statement is contradictory. You ("you" in the general sense) cannot call yourself "Liberal" while also doing everything that is not now, or in the past, ever been seen as "Liberal." This is not me doubting you or anything; this is me saying that's how it works. You can't be a Feminist without believing in Patriarchy, you can't be a Capitalist without believing in the Free Market, and you can't be a Christian without believing in Jesus or God. I didn't invent what a modern-day "Liberal" is. The term has changed. The Swastika used to mean "the mark of well being" and a symbol of peace, but you're not going to get very far getting one tattooed on your head nowadays and trying to explain that to people.

If you said, "I lean more to the left and would be closer to being called a 'Classical Liberal'," that'd be one thing. But if you're part of the club, you don't get to change the rules. Not that I think most Liberals in the 2024 Western world would see you as a "Liberal," anyway. That's kinda the whole point here. You can still believe in capitalism, free speech, private property rights, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, etc, without having to pay the fees and join the membership of being a "Liberal." I certainly agree with those things. (Most modern Liberals would call those beliefs "Far-right, MAGA-hatter, Trump, January 6th" values, anyway; that's how far-gone they are.)

I get what you mean; I haven't changed since I was 19 and in the 2000s, up to 2015, considered myself a "Liberal," too. Then in 2017, thought I might have been a "Conservative." Then I figured out I'm just a (mostly) rational human being who doesn't want any of the bullshit membership dues and second-hand beliefs pushed into my head attached to what I call myself or how I choose to live my life. You might think it's semantics, but with how polarized and divisive people are nowadays, it's really not. Try calling yourself Conservative in southern California or super-blue New York City and see how popular you are.