I'll get to the poll in a minute, but just to answer the question here too: neither, words are not scary, people are.
However, words can do more than most of us think...It's hard to take back a spoken word. Of course, this depends on what is said. If you would say you hate someone, I believe it has less meaning because we hear it all the time around us: "Oh, I hate this and this." When it rarely actually means hate...
However, there are certain things you can't take back once spoken.
I'd give a few examples, but people all have their own words they consider 'bad'.
Back to the words liberal and conservative. The words in itself aren't bad, however, the people who stand behind those words and not living their lives the way it's supposed to be, that is scary. There's nothing wrong with being a little bit conservative in certain things, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with being liberal with others. I am from the Netherlands, a country often called very liberal. However, nothing could be farther from the truth...
Thanks for such a thought filled comment. I completely agree with you that words can not be taken back once spoken. Words like "love" and "hate" are used for such a variety fo reasons, it is hard to tell their true meaning anymore.
I also agree that you can be liberal in some ways and conservative in others. I don't think you have to choose just one or the other.