The Failure of Libertarianism

By Francis Marion of Highcountryblog.com

I wrote this piece back in 2003. 

I’d change a lot of it now if I were writing it again but the core idea, that libertarianism, by and large, lacks a degree of common sense, remains intact. Today I am less optimistic (as in: have completely given up) in regards to converting anyone on the left as the liberal movement itself has moved even further to the other end of the political spectrum. Truthfully, I am convinced, now more than ever, that we cannot save the forest that is western civilization from the raging inferno that lies ahead.

I still hold the same principles near and dear; free markets, freedom of association and speech etc but have realized that we are a corrupted species living in an imperfect world and as such libertarianism is of little use beyond a few policy objectives politically. It will never be a successful movement because it believes too deeply in utopianism and has gone so far down the academic theory hole that, other than as a catalog of some of its core philosophical beliefs, it has little practical use to the world.

At any rate, although this piece is almost 15 years old and a lot has changed for me since I will let it stand on its own. Let the shit flinging commence.

         As the crowd milled about the log hall I slipped quietly out the side door to catch a breath of fresh air. A close friend and I had made the long journey that day from the BC Peace River district to the busy streets of Edmonton to hear a handful of men speak on the importance of the fourth of July to Canadians. All the right names were there. Ezra Lavant, Vyn Suprynowicz, and others. My friend and I sat through the series of speeches and listened closely to what everyone had to say.
          Of course, they said all the right things about liberty. What it is, why we don’t have it and why we should get it back. The crowd applauded, the speakers took their bow and other important people were thanked for coming to the event. Even my name was mentioned. I was very flattered. Such things are good feed for the human ego. At last, I was important.
 
          So I milled about but didn’t really talk to anyone. I listened, bought one of Vyn’s books, shook his hand and promptly left.
 
          The truth is – for one reason or another – I was terribly uncomfortable in that building with this set of conservative and libertarian who’s who. I felt odd and out of place. Over on the balcony were the gun organization gurus. They talked, I suppose, about guns and bill C-68. Inside were the political movers and shakers. Many of them were younger than me and still in university. They seemed to have little trouble mingling with one another and getting close to the folks in more important political positions.
 
          Yep… you might say I was a big old fish out of water in that hall that night. And it wasn’t because the conversation was over my head or that the principles being discussed were too off the wall. Heck, I’m a borderline anarchist myself but for some reason, I was really put off. In fact, this is the first time I have sat down to write since that event. Which is unusual for me because I am, by nature, an argumentative, loudmouth type.
 
          But I digress.
 
          I guess the truth is I came to understand, for the first time that night, why Libertarians – not necessarily the philosophy itself – are such failures in the political world.
 
          That’s right folks, you heard it here first. The libertarian movement is dead and will remain that way for all time to come for one simple but profound reason: It has no soul.
 
         Before I go any further I want to say there has never been nor will there ever be any doubt in my mind that libertarian/anarcho-capitalist political principles are the only rational and correct way for the human race to govern itself. That being said, political systems and social life (non-political organization and the spreading of ideas) are really two different things. And therein lies my concern. While libertarians (objectivists especially) in general seem to have their political and economic theory well in order many of them have no concept of what it means to be a decent human being. In short, their social skills suck.
 
          And before you start writing letters to me about the evils of “social obligations” and other nasty collectivist stuff, stop, take a deep breath and think a bit. There is – nor should there be – a law telling us to be nice, kind or compassionate towards one another. Our financial and social interactions can and should be governed by self-interest if that is what we choose. I call that the curmudgeon factor. The freedom of any society is measured – as the great Vyn himself once said – by how the curmudgeons among us are treated.                    But I would add that a society that does not teach its children to understand these principles while simultaneously acting with compassion, grace, and consideration towards others is a society quickly headed for the gutter. We may be living in this socialist hell because people with good intentions have a bad habit of dragging us all down to the lowest common denominator, but if we end up remaining there it is because those of us who understand the right way are unable to relate that path to our fellow human beings in a way that is neither degrading nor condescending.
 
          And I’m not saying that all libertarians suffer from this ailment either but as an example, I recall from that evening in Edmonton one swarthy little fellow who piped up during a conversation with Vyn about how evil the NDP are. His comments were nothing but pure vitriol. And another young man – whom I respect – suggested that those protesting the summit near Calgary last year be beaten for their stupidity. Were they serious? Yes and no I would suppose. To a certain extent they were speaking to the moment but it was, in my mind, a clear demonstration of the lack of understanding of how to change our situation in this country and in the world around us.
 
          Indeed, short of going to war over the issue of our liberty, there is no other way to make change than to educate others. And educating others is not accomplished by merely standing on our soap boxes and calling those who disagree with us ignorant or stupid. The most important aspect of teaching is LEADING. We do this by being good examples. Thus educating others is a process that must involve building them up, not tearing them down. It means that we must be gracious, humble and examples to live by.
 
          Indeed, if charity, not coercion is truly the cornerstone of the libertarian social system then why do so many of us display such an obvious lack of understanding of the concept? Charity is, after all, not simply spreading a little money around from time to time to those less fortunate but rather it is a virtue that includes grace, respect, fellowship and of course leadership.
 
          Charity begins with proselytizing, respectfully, to those who have strayed from the path. It starts with a handshake, a smile and maybe a cup of coffee. It is followed by honest and friendly conversation and is sustained through patience, persuasion, and persistence. It is learned from us by others through living it and being it.
 
         Perhaps this is where my faith gets me in a little hot water amongst my libertarian peers. In the past, I have been content to keep the two things separate and tolerate the vitriol hurled about by various “intellectuals” towards people of a religious nature. Indeed, I never saw it as being relevant to the debate in general. 
 
         In the end, I guess as far as faith goes, I don’t have much left in the libertarian movement these days. But I do know one thing for sure. The first libertarian had it right. If you treat others with dignity and respect even when they’re clearly on a path to destruction (and taking us with them) then you’re ten times more likely to make this world a bit more tolerable than if you scorn those who display gross ignorance about the nature of human liberty. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I condone ignorance or even that I’m innocent of having a sharp tongue. I sometimes write with a bit of a poison pen too. But I think for me those days are over. Because in the end, His example should be one for us all.
 
          Myself included.
 

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BL
BL

Francis- Why are you so upset? You tell me that your society is separated by race, life is good (but a little on the expensive side) The “Queens Rule” dictates that everyone know their place and there is NO CHANCE that you will ever have niggahs shoved up your ass in the hood with section 8.

Don’t bother with the, “your situation could become ours” so I will write fatalist articles til the cows come home. Our forest can be saved, thank you very much. Maybe we just need a queen and the “Queen’s Rule” to straighten this shit out down here in the USA!USA!USA!.

BL
BL

What is your point Francis? And why do we have to embrace change for the unknown? Because you say so?

Are we supposed to be excited about communism, even you just admitted that is the endgame? Can’t the queen just send down an edict of non-communism for you Frances? Maybe there is an advantage to a monarchy…..hmmmm.

Ed
Ed

OK, Bea, quit trying to yank Frankie’s crank already. Wait, he said ‘chain’. Anyway….

BL
BL

Ed- I’m not yanking his chain, everything I said is what he relates to me and I am a little tired of these whiz kids telling me to roll over and accept the commie way of things. Besides, FM has taken a couple of low shots at me of late and well….anyway.

Ed
Ed

Oh, OK. I thought he meant you were trying to grab his hose or something. Anyway, what I got from the article is that there’s no place in politics for libertarians. I agree with that. Ron Paul has wasted about 35 years fucking around with electoral politics when he could have been practicing medicine and hanging with his family.

Look how his son turned out, with the old man tied up in DC while he was a young ‘tard. I mean, the fucker doesn’t even comb his damn hair, and he’s a GOP senator, too. If one of my kids turned out to be a senator, I’d just fucking shoot myself, probably.

BL
BL

Ed, tell me about it, and KY has to claim the guy as one of ours. Add McConnell to the mix and it is almost unbearable.

Ed
Ed

Oh lordy, Bea. I didn’t realize that you were from Kentucky. Y’all had to suffer through two years of that Ford octoroon and became the laughing stock of the South for awhile there.

BL
BL

Ed- Not FROM KY, I just live here . These tards keep voting for McConnell, God only knows why.

Mike Murray
Mike Murray

“Truthfully, I am convinced, now more than ever, that we cannot save the forest that is western civilization from the raging inferno that lies ahead”.
Me too.
There is too much virtue signaling, too much inertia, too much incentive, and too many fools “cashin’ that gubmint check” to save us from a catastrophe.
The captains of the western society ship of state have known for years there are icebergs ahead, and have chosen the motto “This time it will be different”. Government, academia, the RINO’s and DINO’s all buy into it.
It’s just like the optimist who jumps off the 20 story building and shouts to the people on the 10th floor balcony “Doing great so far”!

BL
BL

Mike, could you explain what you think we will find on the other side of the mountain after the “Raging Inferno”? Thanks

EL Coyote
EL Coyote

Mikey, I liked your analogy so much that I used it above.

Robert Gore

Francis,
100 percent spot on. It’s a one-mind-at-a-time-proposition, but you don’t persuade anyone by acting like an asshole and treating them like shit. There is a certain base line of consideration and respect that everyone is entitled to to, simply because they’re human beings. Go below that base line and you’re only hurting the cause you’re trying to advance. That’s been a lesson I’ve learned the hard way and still don’t always follow. If you’re having a hard time determing the base line, the Golden Rule is a pretty good guide. The “rightness” of one’s political views does not entitle the holder to treat everyone else like dirt.

BL
BL

Robert Gore- Could you define “The Cause”? Not in vague flowery terms but short and sweet and to the point.

Robert Gore

In my comment, I was using cause generically. If you want my cause, I am against our present form of government and support anything and everything that will make it smaller and restrict its power. My philosophy is libertarian, but I realize I’ll be lucky to see even incremental progress in that direction in my lifetime. My philosophy is based on extensive study of libertarianism and competing political systems, and extensive experience with the present system. My choice is also based on self-interest. I would do better than I have in a libertarian system, one where I could keep what I earned and decide how I wanted to spend, invest, or give it away. I think its dead wrong that people, including myself, can spend half of their working lives essentially working for various governments. That’s slavery.

BL
BL

Thank you Robert, at least you are clear about your cause. I am in agreement with the LP but realize they cannot compete with the ((club)). It is a waste of time to entertain that thought.

We must live in the real world where banks/central banks/CONgress and presidents are owned by the club for the benefit of the club.

Ed
Ed

That’s exactly what I hated about the LP when I was a member in the 80s and 90s. There was a hard core of fucking objectivists who insisted that it all started with Rand. The hallmark of objectivism is that the adherents are all insufferable assholes.

Condescension pisses me off, and I probably wasn’t the only one who was sick of their preening asses. Talking down to other people is a sure way to chase them out of whatever movement you’re hoping to lead.

i forget
i forget

Couple things. If, as seems to me, libertarianism is a pit stop on the way to anarcho-cap, a party, or movement, of individualists who want to be left alone seems exactly +/- oxymoron…so that the ones who do so assemble, who aren’t just passing thru the parse of it, are not really actually what they claim to be, & aren’t selling what they claim to be selling.

Talking down can’t be a\the problem: better, non-condescending, talkers than any of us have been at it for centuries & it hasn’t expanded the pool one bit. Nature intersect nurture production of INTJ’s is what it is. Efforts at ramping up production via “education” misunderstands the supply\demand of it. Ancaps are on their own. Out in the tail. Which will never wag the dog. Will never be the dog. Dogs chasing tails & tails chasing dogs can be disconcerting, or amusing. Amusing’s better.

i forget
i forget

I came to libertarianism, then left for anarcho-cap land. I don’t see it as utopian. But I’ve never been interested in proselytization or conversion of anyone. *That* desire may well be utopian. (I do like to argue, debate. For the exercise. It’s an end in itself, tho. It’s not about getting anyone to admit their pragmatic deceits. Proving it’s enough – they don’t have to confess.) Nature\nurture intersects where it intersects & that crossroads rarely moves.

I’d also say that politics, political action, is largely utopian. It is a secular religion. The political world is the failed world – but it keeps getting promoted to its as yet undiscovered level of incompetence. (But political buggery is a feature of the species, most of it, not a bug. There’s nothing to “fix.” It is what it is.)

I’m irreligious & non-utopianist. “Saving western civilization” also sounds utopian, or at the least grandiose. How does “save the planet” sound to you? Same thing. George Carlin did a fun job of shredding that particular conceit. “The planet’s fine. It’s people who are fucked.” Well, when have people not been fucked? & what has that got to do with me? Not a thing. The weather passes thru. My “soul” – whatever that’s conceived to be – remains intact: I have winter clothes, summer clothes, an umbrella, a roof, a woodstove, etc.

Ah, “social skills”\intelligence. Saw “Manchester by the Sea” recently. The nephew calls the uncle an asshole because he won’t, or can’t, engage in small-talk. I remarked aloud that from my perspective, small-talkers are assholes. Social noise grooming is devoid of content – when it’s not an attempted confidence scam. Social skillers are, in the main, actors. Scripts & ritual. Reflex. Autopiloted words & noises. Fake. Faked is fukd. Ancient feature, not bug.

“Relating that path” won’t move the crossroads, whether it’s degrading, condescending, or just patronizing “nudge,” if you recall that chimera, “paternal libertarianism.”

Education? That one’s really utopian. Because it disregards educability. Which is to say it assumes, equality-style, educability. Huge error. Galileo didn’t teach anyone anything. He helped them find what was already there. But it had to be there to begin with. Tabula rasa could have been dreamed up by a Rastafarian after spleefing all night.

“Charity” that doesn’t include boundaries & limits & quid pro quo requirements is subsidy – not charity. Charity must be earned, just like any other good. When it’s not earned, it’s usually ruinous to all parties involved. You want a Herman Miller Aeron chair•ity? Somebody’s gotta’ pay for it, & it oughta’ be the wallet sitting in it that pays &\or pays back. lunches, chairs, all the same. TANSTAAFL.

CCRider
CCRider

I certainly agree that establishing a libertarian government is not possible. Furthermore, if we had one it would quickly morph into a monster like the one we have now. To me the critical path to individual freedom is decentralization. To the extent that we can diffuse power, freedom will thereby grow. And there might be some light in that tunnel. The two things we and the various statists groups should be able to agree upon is that the status quo is unacceptable and that we have no use for each other’s remedies. Fine. Let’s get a divorce and go our separate ways to pursue our separate agendas. We are seeing hopeful signs of secession recently: Texas, California, Vermont. Once the inevitable financial calamity has run it’s course then maybe something like this may be possible. After which I believe a stateless society like Hans H Hoppe’s contractual society might emerge.

This just in (Drudge):
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2017/05/04/despite-secession-talk-breaking-up-is-hard-to-do

Fleabaggs
Fleabaggs

The liberals pulled off a big silent Heist when they debased our Spiritual currency by switching Faith, Hope and Charity to Faith, Hope and Love.
The word love is just too easy to redefine into a bunch of Huggy Touchy Feely Goody BS.

BB

Francis Marion ,thank you for your story today on Hard Farmer post . I’m not going anywhere.I just get frustrated at times.
I can say Conservatives conserved nothing . I’m done with them .Most Democrats are leftist Progressives / Culture Marxist so I want nothing to do with them either. I’m not an anarchist so what is left ? The Alt-right ? Trump is not going to save us.So what do we do ?

rhs jr
rhs jr

When GW Bush dropped Blow Job Bill’s DADT policy for “all Homos are welcome aboard” in Spring 2001, I quit the Republican Party. The Libertarians were intelligent but their anything goes with sex and drugs was wrong. The Homos would have swiftly forced LGBT and pedophilia on everyone by protests, law suits and Court Orders, business practices, the Media, and by Legislation (just as was done anyway by the Democrats and Republicans obeying NWO policies from Brussels). To prevent TPTB from enacting FORCED compliance with Homosex and Pedophilia on all of America (and becoming the US of San Francisco), we need a reset like Russia’s Anti-Gay Law of June 2013 (or Muslims will do it for US).

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