Sunday, March 1, 2020

What Specifically does being Libertarian mean?

In the United States of America the term Libertarian tends to refer to people that are hyper Capitalists, Anachro-Captialism, often overlapping with adherents of Randian Objectivism or Paleo-Conservatism.  In Europe however it tends to be associated with very Anti-Capitalist ideologies like Anarcho-Communism and Anarcho-Socialism.  The latter definition is in fact the older one, it was them who first coined the term Libertarian in early 19th Century France, chiefly Joseph Déjacque.

I am someone who used to be a Ron Paul Libertarian but has since starting this blog become a Progressive to the Left of Bernie Sanders and an advocate of Christian Communism.

The reason I still like to call myself a Libertarian is because of what I believe these seemingly diametrically opposed ideologies have in common.  Because for the most part all I've really changed my mind on is Economic Policy.

What being a Libertarian refers to in my mind is being for the decriminalization of Drugs, Prostitution and Gambling, as well as defending the individual's right to own guns.  The principal that no victimless crimes should actually be illegal.  That everyone should be allowed to live however you want if you aren't hurting anyone.  That prohibition only makes whatever you're trying to stop worse.  It also helps that both kinds of libertarians tend to be Anti-War and and for abolishing Copyright laws and are usually though not always Pro-Choice.

When some American Libertarians try to say "most people are Libertarians they just don't know it yet" their basis for that is how most Americans feel on these issues, that same silent majority is not as garunteed to support AnCap Economic Policy.

In America it's well known that not all Capitalists are inclined to be with me on those things.  Conservatives like making "immoral" things illegal and Liberals want restrictive Gun Laws, meanwhile both want interventionist foreign policy simply disagreeing on where to drop the bombs.  But sadly other Communists fail to be Libertarian as well, some want to keep Prostitution illegal because it's "exploitative".  And Peter Coffin who I'm a fan of in one video complains that Loot Boxes in Video Games should be illegal because of how they qualify as Gambling.

In general, Libertarian or Anarchist Socialists are the Communists who don't like to be called Marxists even if they do respect some  or even a lot of what Marx said.

My Libertarianism is my Core, my "Origin" to put things in Nasuverse terms.  It's my views on Economic issues that have changed and may continue to change because frankly the Economy is complicated and difficult to understand.  But I doubt I will ever go back to being a Capitalist because of how strongly I now consider Capitalism incompatible with True Biblical Christianity.  And because I now view access to Food, Shelter and Healthcare as among those individual rights I consider so important.

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