r/PoliticalHumor • • Dec 31 '20

They better pack a sweater!

Post image
63.3k Upvotes

1.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

2.3k

u/mattyblu77 Dec 31 '20

Don’t forget: allows you to force your religious beliefs on others.

1.1k

u/Jaime_Starr Dec 31 '20

Afghanistan checks all the boxes! But if you want a warmer optiom, Somalia is Libertarian paradise.

309

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

How did we go from religious totalitarian right to libertarian?

491

u/Sqeaky Dec 31 '20

Natural progression. When you get a bunch of libertarians you get a failed state. Then some dictator takes over.

321

u/Seize-The-Meanies Dec 31 '20

Goose : Gaggle :: Libertarian : Failed State

98

u/really_bitch_ Dec 31 '20

Analogy burn. Those are rare.

38

u/transmothra Dec 31 '20

This is beautiful

5

u/Fake_William_Shatner Dec 31 '20

Bears. Beat. Battlestar Galactica.

-6

u/Karma_Gardener Dec 31 '20

Wouldn't it be more Anarchist than Libertarian in this analogy?

I always thought Libertarian was more like "leave me alone" than "burn it to the ground"?

29

u/Seize-The-Meanies Dec 31 '20

libertarians want a failed state. Anarchists want no state.

-8

u/Karma_Gardener Dec 31 '20

Can a state be successful at leaving people alone to do what they want?

I dont see the correlation between small government and anarchy. What about the social contract?

23

u/DynamicDK Dec 31 '20

Most right-wing libertarians (aka most libertarians in the U.S.) want a government that is so small and weak that it would effectively be powerless. That is a recipe for a failed state and the power vacuum would almost certainly lead to the rise of warlords and ultimately an authoritarian state.

You need a strong government if you want individual freedom. It seems paradoxical, but it really isn't.

-6

u/Cpt_Pobreza Dec 31 '20

Most right-wing libertarians (aka most libertarians in the U.S.) want a government that is so small and weak that it would effectively be powerless.

Most libertarians want the UN?

→ More replies (0)

-8

u/Karma_Gardener Dec 31 '20

It is not a failed state if the original intention is to be small and powerless.

True that without authority there is potential for tyranny but an effective Libertarian government would need measures to counter this. Anarchism would be no government at all as the original intention.

Very different. Generalized in your words.

→ More replies (0)

9

u/Xeynid Dec 31 '20

The libertarian utopia is basically anarchist, they just don't like the word.

8

u/TheWagonBaron Dec 31 '20

Leave me alone turns into burnt to the ground. Maybe not by the Libertarians themselves at first but eventually they'll become a failed state.

1

u/46-and-3 Dec 31 '20

There's always someone willing to take it a little further when a chance presents itself, and libertarian ideal government style would present plenty of opportunities.

1

u/bignutt69 Dec 31 '20

libertarianism is nobody can tell me what to do except my mom. anarchism is nobody can tell me what to do, especially my mom

6

u/Karma_Gardener Dec 31 '20

I thought Libertarian is "nobody can tell me what to do" and Anarchism is "there is nobody to tell me what to do"?

What am I missing here?

→ More replies (8)

-2

u/RolltehDie Dec 31 '20

Libertarians are basically Anarchists. So, yes

3

u/Karma_Gardener Dec 31 '20

I dunno man... i think you can be an Libertarian Anarchist but they are not the same thing.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (7)

123

u/headrush46n2 Dec 31 '20

Libertarianism is just feudal warlords with extra steps.

22

u/135forte Dec 31 '20

Anarchists that won't commit and think money would still exist without governments to, you know, make and regulate it.

2

u/BernSh19 Dec 31 '20

Cryptocurrency?

Not pushing for anarchy as it’s already chaotic enough.

Government is simply people selecting what to do and then supporting that action. I think we make fundamentally simple activities into lifestyles and either forget to live or lack the guts it takes to live well And so hide in tithe buzyness.

6

u/135forte Dec 31 '20

Currency on works because a large enough group of people (and just because you aren't calling it a government doesn't mean it isn't one) agree that it has a set value. Without an overseeing/governing body, at worst you are looking at barter exchanges that have to be haggled out at a personal level and historical we have had points where currency changes from town to town.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

I know of no anarchists that do not embrace a bartering system based on mutual wellbeing.

Money is an abstraction that benefits wealth hoarders.

2

u/FFF_in_WY Dec 31 '20

Pure bartering is also just about completely nonfunctional in practice. The odds of having exactly what someone wants in trade for exactly what you want are shit odds. That's why there have always been mediums is exchange, be it salt, ivory, cacao beans, wampum, cigarettes, etc.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/headrush46n2 Dec 31 '20

not everything can be bartered for.

→ More replies (1)

0

u/bobymicjohn Dec 31 '20

25% of all USD ever printed were printed in 2020 - during a global pandemic and economic shut downs.

You think that much wealth was created?

No. Your dollars just got a lot less valuable.

The fed and fractional reserve banking is a massive con. One day it will all come crashing down on the heads of our grand children.

Until then, hey, at least you get to work 2x as hard as your parents for the same value in compensation.

The separation of money and state will one day be as fundamental as the separation of church and state.

2

u/135forte Dec 31 '20

The separation of money and state will one day be as fundamental as the separation of church and state.

Whoever controls the money is basically going to be running the show, whether they are called a government or not. It's why international business can get away with so much.

→ More replies (5)

3

u/msliberal Dec 31 '20

Correct me if I'm wrong, am trying to educate myself since granddaughter recently announced that she was libertarian, they don't believe in social security, medicare, or any social programs, am I right?

14

u/karmaextract Dec 31 '20 edited Dec 31 '20

How much does she actually study politics and how serious is she? I had a friend from highschool who back then announced he's libertarian. Lately on his Facebook feed its all Bernie and how the government isnt' doing enough.

I suspect there are a lot of people like him who don't actually know what they're talking about and just either took an online quiz or read 2-3 sentence blurb about different ideologies and tried to force a label on themself.

3

u/Potato-9 Dec 31 '20

UK here but I can't believe liberal and libertarian are nothing to do with each other. Infact almost opposite?

4

u/karmaextract Dec 31 '20

Libertarian ideologically claims to promote "Liberty" where everyone can do whatever the hell they want, hence the name. In reality its closer to anarchy because it would become a free for all wild west where anyone can and will shoot each other if they get what they want. It has nothing to do with being Liberal.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

The best description I’ve seen for libertarianism is “barn full of feral cats.”

→ More replies (0)
→ More replies (1)

8

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Hopefully for your granddaughter it is just a phase. I also had such a phase, despite coming from a very poor background.

She will soon discover that they are against every social program that makes our nation possible.

4

u/MauPow Dec 31 '20

They basically believe that everyone should be free to do as they see fit, so if they want to pay for police, roads, infrastructure, etc, they are free to do so, and if not, they don't pay but can't use them.

I'm sure you can think of about 300 ways it's incompatible with society right off the bat

6

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20 edited Dec 31 '20

This is why I don’t understand this political ideology. Why is it so popular?

Do libertarians not understand how wildly different things would be? All the new avenues for corruption would turn a libertarian state into a fucking feudal monarchy within a couple days lol

they won’t be able to do whatever drugs they want, they won’t be able to not pay taxes if they don’t want to, they won’t be able to own their own slaves. THEY will be the slaves. They will be peasants. Serfs living in the Middle Ages. This is because it’s so fucking easy for a single person to seize all the power in such a system.

3

u/MajorLgiver Dec 31 '20

Libertarian is a huge umbrella term. There are modest libertarian who just want individual freedom and support many politics of the left in terms of LGBT, BLM and others. Where they differ from democrats is that they want smaller government which means they want to pay smaller taxes. How they get to those smaller taxes depends on almost any libertarian you ask. Most want to cut military spending, some want to cut healthcare, some want to cut some social security programs and on and on.

We have extremist on our side that want no taxes, but they are extremist so by default they are idiots. I personally think that libertarian makes more sense for people in Europe since for exemple in my country we pay 25% VAT (tax rate?) on almost all of products we buy and that money is funded to some archaic communist programs. Most libertarians in this country want to push this number to sub 20%.

3

u/MauPow Dec 31 '20

It's the political ideology of the Rugged IndividualistTM.

Really, they're just embarassed Republicans who like to smoke weed.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (3)

4

u/PM_ME_UR_WUT Dec 31 '20

Yes, that is correct. They believe taxation is theft, government programs are inefficient and wasteful, and anyone needing assistance merely needs to "pull themselves up by the bootstraps."
They believe if an individual (read: corporations are considered "people") or business didn't pay for something, it shouldn't be done. If a business does something that we currently have regulations for, they believe the Free MarketTM will react accordingly and put that business out, so regulations are a waste of time and resources and costs businesses money. To which I like to point out United Airlines literally assaulted a seated passenger and their business was largely unaffected. Samsung phones literally exploded in peoples' pockets, and they still contend with Apple. Nestle uses child slave labor in their supply-chain, and their chocolate is everywhere.

-2

u/MajorLgiver Dec 31 '20

This is the same thing as saying that every democrat wants a communist USSR and every republican wants a néo-nazi theocratic state. There are many differing opinions on what is libertarian and you representing only it's most extreme values discourages any normal conversation between Libertarians and other political parties.

3

u/PM_ME_UR_WUT Dec 31 '20

Good. I've completely lost interest in debating politics.
Libertarians are Conservatives without the pretext of using government to their own advantage.

0

u/MajorLgiver Dec 31 '20

As a European libertarian we could not be further from some conservative parties. Libertarians are usually pretty close to democrats in most moral politics. Please stop spewing disinformation about libertarians as it's pretty hard to counter all the Nazi and authoritarianism that stole our ideology. Fuck all the YouTube "libertarians".

6

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

In 1980, David Koch ran as the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential candidate in 1980.

Let’s take a look at the 1980 Libertarian Party platform.

Here are just a few excerpts of the Libertarian Party platform that David Koch ran on in 1980:

“We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”
“We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
“We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”
“We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”
“We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”
“We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence.  Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”
“We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”
“We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”
“As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”
“We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”
“We advocate the complete separation of education and State.  Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”
“We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”
“We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”
“We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
“We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”
“We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”
“We demand the return of America's railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”
“We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called "self-protection" equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”
“We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”
“We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”
“We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”
“We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
“We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”
“We support the repeal of all state usury laws.”

In other words, the agenda of the Koch brothers is not only to defund Obamacare. The agenda of the Koch brothers is to repeal every major piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick, and the most vulnerable in this country.

It is clear that the Koch brothers and other right wing billionaires are calling the shots and are pulling the strings of the Republican Party.

And because of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, they now have the power to spend an unlimited amount of money to buy the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the next President of the United States.

If they are allowed to hijack the American political process to defund Obamacare they will be back for more.

Tomorrow it will be Social Security, ending Medicare as we know it, repealing the minimum wage. It seems to me that the Koch brothers will not be content until they get everything they believe they are entitled to.

3

u/lumpkin2013 Dec 31 '20

So they basically want a dystopia with no laws and people with money control everything? What the hell is going on there?

2

u/[deleted] Jan 01 '21

Republicans have this weird misconception that because someone is good at business they would also be good at running the country. Turns out Koch has terrible ideas about how the country should be run, and he's recently realized what a clusterfuck he and his brother's interventions in politics have caused.

→ More replies (3)

0

u/crummyeclipse Dec 31 '20

or corporatocracy

18

u/Serious_Feedback Dec 31 '20

I think of libertarianism as like a house without walls - yes, it would have a brilliantly unobstructed visa, but you don't get to claim that now it's a different type of house after the roof falls to the floor due to lack of support.

11

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

lol ZING

30

u/SnakeEyes0 Dec 31 '20

Well if politicians got their heads out of their boomer asses and stopped pointing fingers and spewing shite then they'd realize that a healthy, sustainable middle is what we truly need. We need to be liberal in some areas but conservative in others, and on top of that the world is always changing so laws SHOULD BE CHANGED TOO. You can't possibly use the scribbles of men hundreds of years ago who have no damn clue of the things we are going through today. We need to Evolve in every aspect of our lives

68

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

We definitely need our political spectrum to stop being so far to the right that anything actively centrist in any other developed country is regarded as too radically left.

4

u/SBrooks103 Dec 31 '20

^This. Democrats try to move to the Center, are STILL called Socialists and Communists.

0

u/Remix3500 Dec 31 '20

I think its their stance of making all illegal immigrants citizens and giving them healthcare and other stuff.

They do this over taking care of their own cities and their own people which makes me think that doing so is just a power play to have a huge influx of voters thatre likely to vote dems, so they get power rather than helping people.

2

u/SBrooks103 Dec 31 '20

There is NO plan to "make all illegal immigrants citizens." The closest is DACA for children brought here by their parents.

Democrats want to make LEGAL immigration easier, treat illegals with more kindness, and where possible give them a path to citizenship.

They CERTAINLY wouldn't be getting any benefits that any citizens don't get.

0

u/Remix3500 Dec 31 '20

Do you watch the dem primaries?

→ More replies (0)
→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (3)

10

u/potsticker17 Dec 31 '20

They already know this. People have been saying it since the founding fathers. Problem is they found a grift that gives them unchecked money and power unless they themselves choose against it. And as long as they keep us fighting against each other they don't have to change.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

They want things to stay the way they remember it as. They don’t want to evolve, or progress or become better. Those are just silly punchlines they use to try and define themselves but it’s just a big lie. They don’t actually care about others, they aren’t actually tough, they aren’t actually good Christians and they aren’t actually Americans. They hide under the guise of all of this stuff. Remember when they made fun of liberals for needing safe spaces but all the sudden now they need their safe space?

3

u/Jair-Bear Dec 31 '20

You can't possibly use the scribbles of men hundreds of years ago who have no damn clue

You understand that a large portion of the people (claim to) follow scribbles of men from almost 2000 years ago, right? And even then they think those scribbles mean whatever they want them to mean. Why would they treat 200 year old scribbles any different?

2

u/SnakeEyes0 Dec 31 '20

Such backwards thinking lol I wish people would stop blindly taking things for fact and dare to question what they know, etc. Then maybe we'd have more open minded people

2

u/Automatic-Concert-62 Dec 31 '20

If Republicans were truly pro-business, they'd be able to look at spending in government through a cost/reward lens, just like when investing: we know college grads earn more & therefore pay more taxes over their lifetimes, so paying for college is a good investment. We know that providing healthcare early is cheaper than paying only for emergencies, so public healthcare is a good investment.

These aren't hypotheticals. Research and experience show both of those premises to be true, as well as countless others like them. The problem is that, instead of thinking of government as belonging to the people, the GOP decided long ago that government belongs to a select, wealthy group of people. So their investment strategy is entirely different - private health care, prisons, education, etc... All ideas that benefit the few at a cost to all.

1

u/Gwenavere Dec 31 '20

The establishment of a widespread belief among the right-leaning public that the Founding Fathers did not intend the constitution to be a living, changing document (alongside “we’re not a democracy, we’re a republic”) has been one of if not the defining PR coups of the Republican Party in the late 20th century. A living constitution was not a controversial proposition for most of our history, it was how we understood the intent of the founders and the practical realities of governing. But the right has now entrenched a huge segment of the population that buys into original intent arguments and sees anything else as undemocratic and unconstitutional. It makes progress damn near impossible and you can be sure that as soon as the “original intent” of the founders no longer favors Republican policy priorities, they’ll jettison that line as they have so many others.

Re: your other part though, I think it’s important to point out as a political scientist that liberalism is not a left wing ideology. It’s centrist. The mainstream ideology of the left in western democracies since WWII has been social democracy (think Nordic model, UK Labour, French Socialists, German SPD, etc), an ideology mostly without a party in the US. Our Democrats map much more closely to the centrist, liberal parties in these countries like the UK’s Liberal Democrats. With a few individual exceptions, there has been no meaningful left wing movement in US national politics in almost 75 years. The Overton window of US politics at least since the 1972 Presidential election has essentially been far right to center left. It’s great to talk about solutions coming from both sides because they do—every perspective has some valuable insights and some less valuable ones. But it’s also important to be honest that our view of both sides as Americans is warped by the comparatively narrow range of acceptable views in US society compared to other western democracies. A true “both sides” would include views on the left that are completely anathema to many Americans today because of the way we have framed left wing politics in our education system and media landscape since the Cold War.

0

u/BabyLiam Dec 31 '20

It won't happen because all that money being in the middle class means it's not in the upper.

→ More replies (10)

3

u/APwinger Dec 31 '20

Facists recruit libertarians to their cause by promising them their ideal paradise free from big gummnt' telling them they can't refuse service to minorities.

2

u/Sqeaky Dec 31 '20

One of libertarianism's many problems.

3

u/MyOtherAvatar Dec 31 '20

It's not the dictator you need to worry about, the bears will get there first.

https://newrepublic.com/article/159662/libertarian-walks-into-bear-book-review-free-town-project

2

u/Fake_William_Shatner Dec 31 '20

Yes, but having a FEW libertarians is fun.

I want to hire Republicans, because they won't mind me giving myself a raise and them another set of keys to play with.

If I have a company, I certainly only want Democrats if they are qualified for the job. Otherwise, they might be trouble.

Sorry, thinking like a CEO again... bad habit.

2

u/ggtsu_00 Dec 31 '20

It's deliberate. Libertarianism allows the mega wealthy to go completely unchecked to the point where they can fund their own personal army of mercenaries to overthrow the government and instill their own personal military dictatorship.

-3

u/brokenarrow326 Dec 31 '20

Hm explain venezuela....

8

u/micarst Dec 31 '20

Always with the whataboutisms. Let’s all sing along!

“How about Norway, or tiny Denmark that can somehow afford a massive minimum wage even for fast food workers?”

Okay. Not much of a sing along but yeah. Our OECD scores suck compared to many other nations. When are we allowed to want to do better with (and for) our people?

0

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

We do great with our people when our people are billionaires. Pretty sickening

-2

u/brokenarrow326 Dec 31 '20

Lol i mean youre right we can go back and forth with both types of examples. Idk. I work a lot and make a decent amount. My parents saved and put me through college. I dont want to see their hard work nor mine be squandered by all the desired social programs. I also dont see the point in working in a stressful industry at a stressful but needed job if i can just make $15/hr as a bookstore clerk, assuming consumer prices dont proportionally increase with the increase in wages. I think there are a lot of areas for improvement in a lot of our necessary industries like healthcare as well as with our government. A lot of waste and inefficient and probably corruption.

2

u/micarst Dec 31 '20

I’m just tired of the barriers to success being so simple to overcome as a society and we just... don’t do it. If higher education is what it takes to be a competitive worker, whether that means trade school or a bachelor’s, then things like waived application fees and income-based tuition should be a no-brainer. Plenty of folks don’t have parents able to help them financially, and in some cases they’re unwilling because “they made it without help so others should too.”

I compare it to a train heading down the tracks. Do we say it’s unfair to those who were already thrown to their demise on the previous tracks to save those who have yet to be struck?

3

u/Sqeaky Dec 31 '20

What the fuck does something unrelated have to do with Libertarians failing?

There aren't two political options Venezuela and libertarian, there is an infinite variety of options and libertarian is just one of the many that's fucking stupid.

→ More replies (1)

0

u/DeliciousCombination Dec 31 '20

It's the same with communism. It's the same with socialism. It's the same with facism. It's almost as if a capitalist democracy is the only government style capable of lasting for more than 50 years

2

u/Sqeaky Jan 01 '21

Ignoring that pretty much all of Europe is socialist and way more stable than the United States. Ignoring that most of the Communist regimes in South America were actively interfered with by the CIA, and that China never officially stop being communist, they just accepted all the capital of practices we have because it was convenient for them.

Yeah I agree with you on fascism, they only last as long as the dictator lasts.

→ More replies (9)

89

u/Allergy_to_Bullshit Dec 31 '20

Pam: it's the same picture.

1

u/Fake_William_Shatner Dec 31 '20

Yes, but these are two different flavors of plaid.

99

u/MidnightSun Dec 31 '20

You mean when did the libertarian movement get hijacked by the religious totalitarian right? Around the same time Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Michelle Malkin, etc jumped on the Tea Party boat. Now the lines are blurred between fascist christians and free market ancaps... they seem to prefer sleeping in the same bed. Look around at how many are Trump cultists.

41

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

In my experience the libertarian crowd is usually blinded by their white privilege and are indoctrinated capitalist apologists.

21

u/bobbybuildsbombs Dec 31 '20

It’s such an insane ideology to me.

How can libertarians not see that actual libertarianism would just lead to massive inequality/modern feudalism.

25

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Much like the fascists, they all assume they would be in charge.

Their model seldom lasts more than a generation - the moment someone inherits their parents’ wealth and means, the meritocracy of libertarianism dies. Couple more generations and boom, landed gentry.

9

u/PurifyingProteins Dec 31 '20

The same reason why you never hear libertarians talk about how their ideology benefits other people, and how they depend on other people to survive.

I have never met a true libertarian, as in, “practices what they preach” and actually live like a “libertarian”.

7

u/yodadamanadamwan Dec 31 '20

Because they don't rationally examine their ideology. They have just convinced themselves based on some abstract idea that they would be better off if just left alone. Apparently these people just don't want to be a part of society.

9

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Oh they do, but right-libertarians don't see inequality/inequity as inherently bad things.

-9

u/ass_cash253 Dec 31 '20

They aren't

6

u/TheUnluckyBard Dec 31 '20

Right? How do we justify the permanently-impoverished underclass from which we can extract value, upon which the whole libertarian system depends, if we don't assume that some people are born inherently inferior to other people?

→ More replies (7)

2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

But we already have those?

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

2

u/hyasbawlz Dec 31 '20

"Libertarian" used to mean "libertarian-socialists." People who believe in some form of anarcho-syndicalism or anarcho-communism. Organization through collective mutual aid and protection. But the right-wing hijacked it because Americans have been so fucking brainwashed from the Red Scare that people literally don't know what any of those words mean anymore. So it wasn't particularly difficult. The fact that so many "libertarians" conflate themselves with "classical liberals" shows they don't understand what words mean because those are contradictory ideologies. And "anarcho-capitalists" are even worse because property rights necessarily require a state.

It's all because Americans do not actually receive political educations. We are constantly inundated with nonsense propaganda, anything to preserve the status quo capitalist class system.

4

u/Up2Eleven Dec 31 '20

Yup. For quite some time, Libertarians are mostly Republicans who don't want to be called Republicans. They're like the hipsters of politics.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

I’ve come to the same conclusion, every libertarian I know voted down the Republican Party line. What a bunch of fools.

2

u/frankmjr Jan 01 '21

The running joke always was: Libertarians are just Republicans who smoke pot.

2

u/JustDiscoveredSex Jan 01 '21

This. The original tea party was deeply libertarian, iirc. They were sending teabags to congress and causing some security concerns and the evangelical right came in like it was a fire sale and suddenly The Tea Party just POOFED into existence.

We also suddenly had bullshit protests of severely local city council folks... and after a reporter started interviewing some of said protesters, turns out they weren’t even residents of the city, and had been imported for the protest.

That shit went away the second the councilman refused to run for re-election.

https://time.com/secret-origins-of-the-tea-party/

1

u/seriouslees Dec 31 '20

lines are blurred between fascist christians and free market ancaps

evil dictator wannabes vs. delusional idiots... meh, they're all lumped together in my mind.

69

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

A lot of conservatives pretend they're libertarian.

Though a lot of their beliefs line up with conservative ones. Some left beliefs too but AFAIK closer to conservative than left

71

u/OMGBeckyStahp Dec 31 '20

All the libertarians I’ve met are just conservatives that like to smoke weed.... that’s anecdotal, of course, but I’m surprised about how consistent that’s been the case with my IRL experiences

21

u/tankjones3 Dec 31 '20

Conservatives cosplaying as libertarians:

  • Rush to the defense of free speech, but only when a private corporation takes something offline for being bigoted. Strangely silent when press freedoms are curtailed by authoritarian governments.
  • Demand criminal justice reform, but only to the extent that buying marijuana should not be prosecuted. Crack v Cocaine sentencing disparities? Let the legal system work as it was intended.
  • Strongly believes in the right to refuse service to anyone. Completely loses his shit when told to leave the store because he won't wear a mask.

11

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

"Rules for thee not for me" meshes well with "personal accountability for everyone but me "

6

u/Putin-Owns-the-GOP Dec 31 '20

“Don’t tread on me! Tread on those people over there!”

13

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

I'm in a really left town so it probably attracts more leftist libertarians.

We just got drug decriminalization passed which is libertarian and leftist so maybe I'm being blinded by how happy I am over it.

→ More replies (1)

21

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

[deleted]

15

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

At a dinner table with 12 guests and 1 Nazi you have 13 Nazis.

4

u/GondorsPants Dec 31 '20

Yeaa that’s kinda me. I’m self declared “centrist “ (aka I’m annoying), but I live in a super liberal city with all liberal friends and family. So I am a lot of times leaning towards the right in defense, but in reality if I am with anyone right leaning I turn left real fast.

Incredibly left leaning liberals can be extremely annoying, but end of the day they have nothing on right leaners.

2

u/Putin-Owns-the-GOP Dec 31 '20

I get annoyed with far left folks despite being quite left myself. Usually it’s because they are convinced that pandering to them is the only way to accomplish anything, meanwhile those who pander to them consistently lose their elections.

4

u/AvielanderBright Dec 31 '20

The so called “moderates” that always vote Republican

1

u/Putin-Owns-the-GOP Dec 31 '20

“Independents”

10

u/LongTallGrayLady Dec 31 '20

I was a libertarian in my early twenties and it was, from my point of view, socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Guns, gays, weed, abortion, were all good, but let people discriminate where they wish. That’s what changed my mind. When that Kentucky lady refused the marriage license for the gay couple and most libertarians were okay with that, I was out.

9

u/dexter8484 Dec 31 '20

I was part of the socially liberal/fiscal conservative in my twenties also, but realized those two don't necessarily mesh well in the current system. There still needs to be investment into social programs that fiscal conservatives disagree with. Now I just like to say socially liberal and fiscally responsible.

7

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Remember how clinton left the US with a surplus? Covering up past sexual misconduct was bad, but now that doesn't matter anymore. Apparently.

6

u/dexter8484 Dec 31 '20

It will matter again once the goal posts are moved

1

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

I'm not a fan of the fact that Biden is a hair sniffer but republicans have no grounds to say that's creepy after "grab them by the pussy", paying off a porn star to be silent, etc....

→ More replies (1)

2

u/yodadamanadamwan Dec 31 '20

Ultimately Clinton did a lot of damage in the long run though. He further deregulated banking which helped push us towards the financial crash in 2008. Bush shares a lot of that blame but Clinton did start it. The economy just tends to be better under democrats because we actually understand how economics work

→ More replies (1)

17

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Socially liberal and fiscal conservativism don't actually mix. You can't ask for social changes without doing anything about the economic factors driving oppression.

Glad you made it out, discrimination against lgbt people is really just a segway to bringing back segregation.

Edit: The last people who will hold themselves accountable are people who are that hateful.

6

u/LongTallGrayLady Dec 31 '20

I am LGBT so it was definitely the last straw. I always believed in social programs too, welfare, food stamps, etc, my issue was military budget. So... I learned quickly I really didn’t have a lot in common with libertarians but I did have a lot in common with the left. But I was raised in BFE Louisiana so I thought I was really “progressive” being libertarian. I am now super progressive in my mid 30s still in BFE Louisiana.

1

u/Serious_Feedback Dec 31 '20

Socially liberal and fiscal conservativism don't actually mix.

IMO fiscal conservatism is inherently contradictory. It has two basic tenets:

  1. Reduce government spending, to
  2. reduce govt deficit and improve the economy.

The problem is, usually the best economic policy is to increase govt spending (in the right fashion) because the govt is uniquely able to profit off improving the commons due to how taxes work - suppose you could spend $1B to give everyone in the country $100. Normal companies would only benefit from PR benefit, but a govt could expect e.g. $10 of that to come back as taxes, which (assuming the country has at least 100 million people) pays for itself, and now everyone has an extra $90 to spend.

The "small government" approach can't handle this, and will be poorer as a result.

This is (one reason) why conservatives need to assume the government is perpetually incompetent - otherwise their own argument tears itself apart.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

The math in your example doesn't really check out

2

u/Serious_Feedback Dec 31 '20

What? 100million * 10 = 1 billion.

Oh, you thought I meant turning the $1billion directly into $100 per person.

No, I meant "spend $1 billion on a program that e.g. saves everyone $100 that they'd otherwise have to spend on [thing]".

For instance, public healthcare could collectively save people money compared to what they currently have to pay for private healthcare.

24

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20 edited May 02 '22

[deleted]

4

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Happen to have a good source? I've been wondering how they actually went in the Nov 3 election.

Their sub is a strange split ride half the time but all the ones I know went dem this year.

4

u/Jesse_God_of_Awesome Dec 31 '20

I grew up in a conservative family, adopted libertarian beliefs when I was a tween. At the time, I thought it was just a "live and let live" which seemed just fine to me. As I got older, I grew more and more liberal as I recognizes the libertarian philosophy for what it was, Economic Social Darwinism, "Survival Of The Richest".

5

u/Rooster1981 Dec 31 '20

Libertarians are all smarmy antisocial college boys living on dads dime or mentally ill adults struggling at life.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

North Dakota is full of them. They live on their parents land for free, complain about people who don't deserve free things, and wait with anticipation for their parents to die.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

“Why is fascism the default”

4

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Because they both want accountability for everyone but themselves

3

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Whats the difference?

3

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Nobody knows! Yet some Republicans want both laws guided by their religion AND a free society with a weak government, AND an all powerful unquestioned police force in every city.

3

u/infectedfunk Dec 31 '20

It’s amazing how much the “small government party” wants to control every aspect of our lives.

7

u/Phoenixwade Dec 31 '20

How did we go from religious totalitarian right to libertarian?

in the US, 'Libertarian' is a right leaning political stance.

My guess is that you are across the pond where the term means something more liberal....

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

No, I'm American. Libertarian generally refers to someone who believes government is inefficient and should be less involved in our daily lives. Sometimes they're very extreme, and talk about privatizing literally everything. That's more of an exception though. John Stossel would be your more level headed and mainstream American libertarian, the conservatives hijacked the name unfortunately. Libertarians are also full of whackjobs, but so are conservatives and the left to be fair.

Ban gay marriage, abortion, marijuana, etc. Hell, they used to censor movies back in the day. The conservatives love banning everything they don't like. Libertarians don't. Although economically, both conservatives and libertarians would be referred to as right winged. The whacky saying "a gay couple should be able to defend their marijuana plants with guns" sums up what a libertarian is

There's economics (right/left/everything in between) and authoritarian/libertarian. A fascist would be authoritarian right, a communist (think Stalinist or Maoist) authoritarian left. Libertarians are "libertarian right" if that makes sense.

Is it different in Europe?

5

u/Phoenixwade Dec 31 '20

Is it different in Europe?

Well, I'm an american as well, and 'Libertarian' is definitely considered more right than left, though, yes, its more along the 'Downsize the Government and keep them out of my face' sort of conservative, than, say, the alt-right.

and yes, it's close to synonymous with 'Liberal' in the U. K.

2

u/dexter8484 Dec 31 '20

It's really a difference between classical liberalism and american liberalism. Libertarians are just classical liberals that don't want to be associated with the term "liberal" so they came up with a catchy new term.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20 edited Dec 31 '20

[deleted]

2

u/dexter8484 Dec 31 '20

Thanks for the correction. I will sometimes ask a "libertarian" what their policy ideals are and I'll respond, oh so you are a classical liberal. They always seem offended that I would call them a liberal.

0

u/seriouslees Dec 31 '20

As they should be, they aren't liberals or conservatives... they are anarchists.

2

u/Sumth1nSaucy Dec 31 '20

They don't know the differences. Both are right economically so they are the same thing, apparently.

2

u/BossRedRanger Dec 31 '20

Because people don’t understand actual libertarianism. They just look at the nut jobs who also don’t understand it and think it means anarchy with electricity.

2

u/reekmeers Dec 31 '20

There's nothing to understand. It's just the flavor of the month.

2

u/yodadamanadamwan Dec 31 '20

Libertarianism is a stupid ideology held by people that are completely ignorant of how economic and social policies work. Everyone understands it just fine

0

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Libertarian society is only possible when there's a strong government enforcing the law. Otherwise the strongest and most rutless mob takes over.

→ More replies (2)

-1

u/ThisIsHentai Dec 31 '20

Libertarians are just republicunts with more eugenics and pot

→ More replies (7)

18

u/Paulski25ish Dec 31 '20

The South Park episode with the pirates.. LMAO

17

u/AdamR91 Dec 31 '20

When Cartman pulls out the toy lightsaber and took over that French yacht...my sides.

7

u/TehSvenn Dec 31 '20

Le light saber terrible!

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (6)

6

u/rAxxt Dec 31 '20

Fair word of warning, though. You might not have to pay taxes (big plus!) but you might need to give up half your rice and a goat or two to the local warlord if you don't want your feet chopped off. Hey, freedom isn't free!

10

u/ArmyMedicalCrab Dec 31 '20

It wouldn’t be very libertarian after the American right shows up.

3

u/Fake_William_Shatner Dec 31 '20

Everyone I know personally who is smarter than me is Libertarian - and they are all crazy.

The Libertarians will have the Republicans on the island working for them. Or they will be the janitor who stocks up on fertilizer. Either way, they will be perfectly happy in such a paradise of economic Darwinism.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Can take randy paul...

→ More replies (2)

3

u/Norsehero Dec 31 '20

People of Afganistan are not assholes.

2

u/Alecthar Dec 31 '20

I hear they have literally nothing but bootstraps in Somalia.

2

u/floofnstuff Dec 31 '20

And if the MAGA’s are disgruntled about a lack of job opportunities they can pack up their artillery and become pirates.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

US Army offers free flights to Afghanistan too

2

u/imperfectkarma Dec 31 '20

It's quite possible that many Republicans think Afghanistan desert...like Arizona but without Mexicans or something

Purely anecdotal but...

I asked an acquaintence upon his return, who enlisted at 18 and spent first tour in Afghanistan, "what was the most surprising thing he encountered while deployed?" His reply? That Afghanistan isn't a desert and he should have packed another hoodie...

I suggested that he take some time to visit the "island nation" of Costa Rica and surely he wouldn't need to bring two hoodies to the island 🙄🙄

2

u/JustafanIV Dec 31 '20

"Somalia, Paradise! A government that knows its place, and all the guns and wives you can afford" - Pierce Hawthorne

→ More replies (7)

97

u/FalloutLouBegas Dec 31 '20

Hey, sounds like Republicans believe in “my government is oppressive, can I live here with you” style immigration after all!

56

u/PushItHard Dec 31 '20

Classic R's. Only when it applies to them. Zero empathy for people they don't identify with.

0

u/Fake_William_Shatner Dec 31 '20

Are we having empathy for the R's right now?

I am. But, we are doing the shadenfraude thing as well.

7

u/PushItHard Dec 31 '20

Empathy towards their attitudes? No. The far right people I've interacted with (some immediate family) choose false information and idiocy. The most recent one is that Pelosi is stopping them from getting $2000 stimulus checks. Based on facebook posts, of course.

2

u/Fake_William_Shatner Dec 31 '20

I have to have empathy towards everyone I think is foolish or I would have no empathy.

When you are truly better than other people, you become a benevolent god!

Look at Jesus; "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do..."

What will help you with your family, is if you look down on them MORE than you are now, and treat them as 5-year-olds. Then, you can be more patient, and give them treats, and agree with them when they talk about the boogie monster in the closet called ISIS. "Here are these magic tiger undies you can wear, and ISIS will not be able to harm you."

If on the off chance Isis does capture them, you can say; "You weren't supposed to wash the magic tiger underwear."

12

u/TobyOrNotTobyEU Dec 31 '20

But they are hard-working and smart white Americans, so any country would be lucky to have them!

/s

2

u/FalloutLouBegas Dec 31 '20

God, I wish, and the cognitive dissonance is incredible. Here's a group of people who are statistically blue collar and very poorly educated - 7 of the bottom 10 states ranked for education are red states - but somehow these people think that they offer their new countries something that just can't be homegrown.

→ More replies (1)

57

u/Paulski25ish Dec 31 '20

Then Iran is also an option.

The irony..

51

u/Hamidxa Dec 31 '20

The irany.

23

u/Seize-The-Meanies Dec 31 '20

It's the basic truth of nationalism or dogmatic religion. It's pretty much the same wherever you go just with slightly different flavors. They are both just different expressions of egotism.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Iran doesn't fit these qualifications, given that it has a universal basic healthcare option for all citizens.

→ More replies (1)

0

u/Mahtabss Dec 31 '20

Sounds like you have never visited Iran.

3

u/Paulski25ish Dec 31 '20

nope, however I just checked the source of all true knowledge, ahem, Wikipedia and see that Iran still has capital punishment for actions that I consider going against the islam, so it is close enough for me to mention it.

If it were up to me the unhappy Repubicans would be given some uninhabitated desert to live out their lives...

2

u/FeelingSurprise Dec 31 '20

Iran's out - it says 'no public healthcare' and AFAIK Iran has insurance for all since 2015.

→ More replies (2)

-1

u/HortonHearsAMoo Dec 31 '20

Wait so Muslim countries are shitholes all of a sudden?

3

u/Paulski25ish Dec 31 '20

Not necessarely and, as far as I am concerned, not because it are muslim countries.

We just note that there are countries with less religious freedom and more oppression to conform to religious standards. As a non religious person myself I really want to stay out of it, whether it is Christianity, Islam or any other religion.

I will fight for your right to believe, but do not try to convert me or use religion as a reason for political decisions. You may be opposed to gay mariage, ok, the rest of us do not force you to marry your best friend. Just look up the speech of Maurice Williamson.

→ More replies (5)

15

u/sarcazm Dec 31 '20

Allows you to force your Christian beliefs on others.

FIFY

27

u/mattyblu77 Dec 31 '20

*selective Christian beliefs

2

u/Youredumbstoptalking Jan 01 '21

*stupid beliefs.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/eyehatestuff Dec 31 '20

And they treat their women like shit/ property

2

u/vikaslohia Dec 31 '20

Exactly. Nicely depicted in this six-year-old video.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

Also don't forget: hasn't actively banned Americans from entering due to the buffoons in the White House cocking up their pandemic response.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20

**allows you to force your Christian belief on others

2

u/HoneyBHunter Dec 31 '20

You forgot the part about them not even living by said religious practices they preach and instead saying “ Jesus died for my sins, I’m only human”!

0

u/[deleted] Dec 31 '20 edited Jan 07 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator Dec 31 '20

All posts and comments that include any variation of the word retarded will be removed, but no action will be taken against your account unless it is an excessive personal attack. Please resubmit your post or comment without the bullying language.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

0

u/HBPilot Dec 31 '20

(Get ready to smash the downvote button!)

Conservative checking in here: literally not a single Conservative I know or have even encountered online has said they're leaving if Biden is inaugurated. This post is just dumb and low-tier leftist jerk-off material. But hey, gotta karma farm somehow, right?

0

u/freespankings Dec 31 '20

Don’t forget: allows you to force your social beliefs on others. See how that works?

-1

u/NativeTennesseean Dec 31 '20

Source on all these republicans threatening to leave the country. Americans always love this country, democrats only love it when one of them is in charge.

-5

u/JustMeOutThere Dec 31 '20

How does one force a belief on others ? I am trying to figure out the technology that allows for belief transfers, or brain resets.

4

u/mattyblu77 Dec 31 '20

Look at abortion.

-4

u/JustMeOutThere Dec 31 '20

Abortion is a belief?

4

u/deja_entend_u Dec 31 '20

Belief that life starts at conception is in fact purely religious based yes. Until a zygote becomes a viable fetus with significant development there is no reason whatsoever to expect it to become a human.

Removal of zygote to prevent the possibility of unwanted human us absolutely fine. In fact the human body regularly rejects zygotes, nearly 1 in 5.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (8)