[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
|
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
politics and politicians Title: Getting Butthurt in Debates Shouldn’t Prevent Libertarians From Working Together There’s already plenty of articles about how libertarians shouldn’t be as divided as we are and how the infighting will prevent us from making progress, but there’s a specific item that I wanted to address in regards to this division between different factions of libertarians. It has been highlighted to me most recently by the current dispute between some Anarchyball editor, and Jared Howe, and recent debates between anarchists and minarchists. These debates always seem to be end in hurt feelings, or plain ad hominem attacks. Open borders supporters call closed border supporters fascists, while the latter calls the former communists. Anarchists claim that minarchists need to open their eyes and stop being sheep, while minarchists claim that anarchists are idealists with no real answers. These are great topics for debate, but libertarians can’t let these differences in ideas stop them from the ultimate goal: liberty that consists of individualism, natural rights and property rights. So, allow me to ask some questions: Is society at the point yet where it matters if our ideologies lean towards some form of state, or none at all? Is the welfare state small enough where debating between open or closed borders is relevant? Are property rights even remotely existent in today’s society? By asking these questions, I am not saying that libertarians shouldn’t be having these debates, but it shouldn’t become a point of division. Discussions in the theoretical realm of each person’s perfect libertarian society can assist in bettering the ideals and maybe converting some to other factions within libertarianism, but the butthurt and shunning needs to cease. The goals of liberty lovers are so overlapping at this point, because of the massive, intrusive government currently in place, that we should be working together to strip away the power of the state in general. An anarchist society, minarchist society, or a constitutionalist society will not happen overnight. Libertarians need to think of the long-game, which currently should be about decreasing the amount of regulations, eliminating victimless crime laws, and chipping away at the statist mindset of the general population. So, let’s all fight to end silly regulations within our communities. Let’s fight to have marijuana legalized nationwide. Let’s fight to create or fund alternatives to government services to demonstrate the inefficiency of the state. Let us fight for these things and not fight with each other. Until the time comes when it truly matters to debate the amount of government society should have, we should unite. Thomas Jefferson once said, “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend,” and while I may sincerely disagree with anarchists, classical liberals and conservatarians, I still consider each of these liberty-minded individuals a companion and a comrade (and not in the Stalin sense). The end goal is liberty, and while everyone is going to have a different definition of it, the current predicament in the country should be enough for libertarians to put their differences aside to make some change. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 7. Getting Butthurt in Debates Shouldn’t Prevent Libertarians From Working TogetherThe author is of course speaking about libertarians working with other libertarians. However that should not be the primary concern for libertarians at this time. What is of the utmost most importance now is those who wish to call themselves in libertarians currently serving in Congress should stop being despicable temperamental assholes with an inflated view of their own talent trying to show their importance and begin working within the system. They need stop running in little circles like dogs chasing their tails….constantly going around and around while going nowhere. Working as a shadow party within a party is essentially a system that is unviable. The libertarian obstructionists in Congress who insist on their way or no way need to have a come to Jesus moment to face the truth of the matter with a sudden intuitive insight into the reality of reassessing priorities. Those acting like spoiled kids need to realize that are still ways to work within the system and handle the politics without constantly trying to upend a system that has on balance worked pretty well for over 200 years.
#2. To: Gatlin (#1) ...need to realize that are still ways to work within the system... Good grief! You really believe that shit? "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." This was originally written in 1996 - it's getting closer to the day when the only recourse left is to shoot (or hang) the bastards. The police state is becoming more entrenched by the day, and quislings like you cheer the tyranny.
#3. To: Deckard (#2) The police state is becoming more entrenched by the day, and quislings like you cheer the tyranny. Can you give us an example of how the government tyranized you personally? Do they stop you on your way to work? Do they randomly come to your house? Do they come and beat you up? Do they fuck your wife? Do they pick on your kids? What did they do to you personally?
#5. To: A K A Stone (#3) Do they come and beat you up? Didn't you get roughed up by the local cops once? Anyway, that was my recollection.
#7. To: Tooconservative, A K A Stone (#5) Have you ever been roughed up by the cops? Is there a reason why as of late you have joined Deckard’s inner sanctum on the hate cop threads? Oh, don’t you dare deny you have not …
Replies to Comment # 7. #23. To: Gatlin, A K A Stone, Deckard (#7) (Edited) Have you ever been roughed up by the cops? Of course not. But I seem to recall that Stone mentioned an incident where he was.
Is there a reason why as of late you have joined Deckard’s inner sanctum on the hate cop threads? Oh, don’t you dare deny you have not … I don't think I have, Granny Gatlin. I find his regular half-dozen-straight cop-hater threads as annoying as your regular half-dozen-straight liberty-hater threads in our sidebar. Talk about wallpapering a forum with your own fetish...
End Trace Mode for Comment # 7. Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest |
|
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
|