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Best definition of libertarianism

From the Slate comments today.

Never got over the fact they weren’t the illegitimate children of Robert Heinlein and Ayn Rand; currently punishing the rest of us for it. Unusually smug for a political philosophy that’s never gotten anyone elected for anything above the local water board. All for legalized drugs and prostitution, but probably wouldn’t want their kids blowing strangers for crack; all for slashing taxes for nearly every social service, but don’t seem to understand why most people aren’t at all keen to trade in even the minimal safety net the U.S. provides for 55-gallon barrels of beans and rice, a crossbow and a first-aid kit in the basement. Blissfully clueless that Libertarianism is just great as long as it doesn’t actually involve real live humans.

Libertarians blog with a frequency that makes one wonder if they’re actually employed somewhere or if they have loved ones who miss them. Libertarian blogs even more snide than conservative blogs, if that’s possible. Socially slow — will assume other people actually want to talk about legalizing hemp and the benefits of a polyamorous ethos when all these other folks really want is to drink beer and play Grand Theft Auto. Libertarianism the official political system of science fiction authors, which explains why science fiction is in such a rut these days. Libertarians often polyamorous (and hope you are too) but also somewhat out of shape, which takes a lot of the fun out of it.

Easily offended; Libertarians are most likely to respond to this column. The author will attempt to engage subtle wit but will actually come across as a geeky whiner. Libertarians secretly worried that ultimately someone will figure out the whole of their political philosophy boils down to “Get Off My Property.” News flash: This is not really a big secret to the rest of us.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
Here is my own definition. It's from a socialist perspective because it was myself in conversation with Kalli before she left. It was about how much (or not) libertarians get it.

Libertarians are halfway there but a mile away. They get that the state has a coercive influence and their analysis of crony capitalism would kind of work if anyone could find any capitalism which didn't have cronies.

Their solutions and model society would devolve into either Mad Max or Robocop. Their idyll of small business capitalism is ridiculously a-historical anyway given capital's tendency towards monopolies.

I'm a cynic about their motives too. A lot of the ones I've met are committed rightist cultural warriors. It's the contrarian hipster right. They want to smoke weed but don't want their taxes to go to black people. They want their cake and to eat it. The benefits of having cash whilst also being anti-establishment. A lot of them end up going semi-fash when economic Darwinism crosses over to racial Darwinism.

TLDR:

It's the contrarian hipster right.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
@SatanBurger It's like SW but a real-life version.
monte3 · 70-79, M
🤣🤣🤣😊 now that is an accurate statement. @Burnley123
SatanBurger · 36-40, FVIP
@Burnley123 OMG that's a good point lol.
Elessar · 26-30, M
Unregulated capitalism, small government with no interference on their business, unregulated guns for "self defense", no taxes..

why don't these people just move to mafia-controlled suburbs in south Italy? 🤷🏻‍♂️
LordShadowfire · 46-50, M
@Elessar I remember when these guys took over the whole micronation movement. I was kind of sad to see it co-opted, but happy with the idea that they were going to be getting out of my country. Then the micronations kind of failed. Turns out running a country isn't that easy, after all.
Elessar · 26-30, M
@LordShadowfire Remember the house cat analogy. They think they can be independent, but the moment they realize they can't survive without commodities they take for granted, they turn back.
dancingtongue · 80-89, M
The interesting thing about the Libertarian Party is that their candidates in the last Presidential election were two former Republican Governors of Blue states, who not only managed to get elected but re-elected because they were pragmatic governors who ran their states pretty well. But they were dragged down by the Libertarian label, and the inability to get any traction in the media or invites to the debates. Meanwhile you have Republicans like Rand Paul unabashedly espousing Libertarian positions while wearing MAGA caps, but able to get elected because they officially are labeled Republican.
SW-User
Who can forget this moment, Gary doesn't read the news apparently:

[media=https://youtu.be/fOT_BoGpCn4]

@dancingtongue
CountScrofula · 41-45, M
I'm still annoyed that libertarianism was a left-wing term until it was deliberately, and successfully stolen by Murray Rothbard.

"One gratifying aspect of our rise to some prominence is that, for the first time in my memory, we, 'our side,' had captured a crucial word from the enemy. 'Libertarians' had long been simply a polite word for left-wing anarchists, that is for anti-private property anarchists, either of the communist or syndicalist variety. But now we had taken it over."
There were two things which impressed me about it, but not because I researched it, and both of these were long ago, now:

1) The notion that one's personal rights extend right to just shy where they touch the next person's.

I think that this is a useful way of looking at them, at least in some instances. It was presented, at the time, as a Libertarian conception.

2) The Libertarian candidate for President, many cycles ago (late 1980s/early 1990s) spoke at a Cleveland City Club forum broadcast on public radio. He had a long list of government policies where the government would fund both sides of an issue, and his refrain was sthg like, "There's a word for this, it's 'crazy'!"

One example was labelling on cigarettes & smoking cessation monies v. money to support tobacco farmers...
Changeisgonnacome · 61-69, F
It's a fake political stance.
Once it was about liberty

those days are gone
This clip sums up Libertarianism.

[media=https://youtu.be/ZITP93pqtdQ]
SW-User
Libertarianism is just an adolescent fantasy

It's embarrassing to see anyone retain it as a plausible worldview beyond adolescence
@SW-User I would love to see a reality show where people live in a libertarian paradise. By the end of the first season, everyone would have food poisoning because there's no FDA.
SW-User
@BohemianBabe It could go a little like this (poor bears):

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/21534416/free-state-project-new-hampshire-libertarians-matthew-hongoltz-hetling
@SW-User OMG, I'm totes reading this. In fact, I'll read any article that contains the words "foiled by bears."
monte3 · 70-79, M
I like this guy. 😊
Fukfacewillie · 56-60, M
[image/video deleted]
LordShadowfire · 46-50, M
And now we wait.

 
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