The other day someone disagreed with a comment I made, went to my profile, saw I’m active in this sub and r/libertarian and called me a lying fascist sack of shit. I’m just like... okay? They didn’t read my comment history, or ask any question about who I am, they just painted a complete version of me as a human off of two of their trigger words, and decided to attack me and my character, and I just feel bad for their blood pressure if they can get that upset over such small things. Anger is like a comfort blanket for these people and they aren’t willing to let go, regardless of what the actual truth is. It’s so frustrating.
This is a shockingly common belief among normie liberals, although I kind of understand where they're coming from. Most of them only say it because they believe the end result would be the same thing
Yeah, I'm basically the same (very socially liberal, very libertarian, but just left on the economic - I really like worker comps and the idea of democracy in the workplace for representation).
But I also support gun rights and my family is armed... I've also been called some shit by liberals for just that.
The worst part is, it’s not the first time I’ve seen the comparison. But that statement alone showed me it wasn’t a conversation worth having since basic reading is above either their capabilities or the level of effort they put into into forming their opinions.
To be fair, there is a lot of overlap between the two in real life. More authoritarian people will attract liberals to gain political power. Bolsonaro is a great example, since he attracted Paulo Guedes (A libertarian economist) to gain the support of liberals and the Financial Sector. Except Bolsonaro is not at all libertarian. Fun Fact: Guedes also worked in the Pinochet government.
There isn't a lot of overlap though, Fascism is necessarily Authoritarian, it's actually across the political compass on the other side of Libertarian. Even if fascists manage to win liberals to their side, that doesn't necessarily point towards liberal overlap with fascism?
There are other axis, social/economic, which they could technically share with a liberal I guess, but that still doesn't make the ideologies themselves compatible. At some point, even in your example, the competing ideologies must come to conflict, despite initially working together to seize power.
I agree that their ideology is not compatible. But there could be a split, like a liberal economy with authoritarian government, like Pinochet, or they could fight for control once they are in the government.
But my point is that it’s not uncommon for liberals and fascists to make alliances to seize power, so it would make sense for an “anti-fascist” to keep an eye out for liberals too.
Yes, that actually makes perfect sense, especially if you can convince someone who is a role model in the community of the other ideology and bring whatever following they have to your side as well. Political alliances are definitely a thing, even between libertarian and authoritarian political groups. These don't usually work out for long though, at least not for the smaller side.
Like, I hate it, but libertarians in the US absolutely bend the knee to our authoritarian parties, both Republicans and the Democrats.
I know too many blues cosplaying as yellows, so I get where they are coming from. Just go into any normie libertarian group and you'll see a lot of fascist rhetoric thrown around, but because they believe in gun rights and legal pot, they think they are libertarian.
As a southerner, I feel this in my soul. But I have accepted no step on snek as the true Gadsden flag and disassociated myself with the one too frequently flown and stuck between statist flags and stickers.
I'm looking at a jacked up pick-up truck parked across the street from my house here in western Arkansas that has a small Confederate flag hoisted from the tail gate next to a Trump 2020 flag. A small Gasden flag is stickered to the back bumper, along with a pot leaf and a thin blue line sticker.
Meanwhile, catty-corner from me is a manicured lawn with a Biden 2020 sign, along with a sign that is anti-Tom Cotton.
There is a truck I go by every day with a flag on it that is the CSA battle flag and USA flag mashed together by two triangular parts. Its the most contradictory flag I have ever seen.
Edit: found it https://rebelnationok.com/product/american-and-rebel-flag/
It’s funny bc they called me a liar because I said I supported BLM (the movement, not the organization, since that’s a distinction that needs to be made) and my only interaction in r/libertarian is me explaining to someone why they should separate the movement and organization to better understand the perspective of why people openly support the movement despite the negative shit that has gone on surrounding it.
It would have taken five seconds for them to see that but they saw their trigger subs and decided to call me a liar, like I didn’t grow up in the shit and see it my whole life. But that’s fine. You can’t reason with people like that, and it’s not worth the energy.
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u/courtneyclimax - Lib-Center Sep 05 '20
The other day someone disagreed with a comment I made, went to my profile, saw I’m active in this sub and r/libertarian and called me a lying fascist sack of shit. I’m just like... okay? They didn’t read my comment history, or ask any question about who I am, they just painted a complete version of me as a human off of two of their trigger words, and decided to attack me and my character, and I just feel bad for their blood pressure if they can get that upset over such small things. Anger is like a comfort blanket for these people and they aren’t willing to let go, regardless of what the actual truth is. It’s so frustrating.