Tom Woods recently did a piece about how some "End the Fed" people have it horribly backward. http://www.tomwoods.com/blog/not-all-end-the-fed-people-quite-get-it/
And anyone who's on a social network has probably noticed that, as well educated and free-thinking as many Ron Paul supporters are, a sizable amount of them seem to have no idea what the man stands for or what it means to be pro-liberty. In fact some of them even seem to believe that Ron Paul wishes to establish some sort of worldwide commune... I hate to say it but I almost feel like Ron Paul has become a kind of fashion statement by many with mainstream ideals in a shallow attempt to be politically subversive.
Check out this little gem from a fellow Ron Paul/Gary Johnson supporter (this person has even been to RP rallies--in full body paint replete with flowers, no less):
"We have the ability and technology to medically treat, feed, and provide water for every person on the planet, there just isn't enough money to afform it...I really hope people see the disgusting irony of this."
Another "fellow" RP fan was outraged at the prospect of cutting PBS' funding.
It makes me sad that the ignorance of these people makes it easier for the media to brush us off as some kind of new age hippy philosophy that only stoned college kids sync with.
Unless a movement is composed exclusively of Murray Rothbards in intellect and ideology, it will get nowhere.
My humble blog
It's easy to refute an argument if you first misrepresent it. William Keizer
Yea if you think this is bad then just listen, not even to what the followers say, which is bad enough, but the pseudo economics that is entire basis for mainstream political discourse (that is the exchange which goes on between politicians). It's not just libertarian rhetoric, Ron Paul was the only one who was really talking about the issues and talking about them coherently from an intelligible framework. Listening to the VP debates last night really made me see to what extent this is true.
SD is right, you will never have a fully educated movement, there will be stupid and uneducated people, if only because many don't have the temperament or intelligence that it takes to have a really developed opinion.
That's pretty ironic, considering none of the people I'm referring to would have any idea who Rothbard is. Not to mention they (specifically the collegey, fad-susceptible ones I know) would be horrified at the notion of privatizing the ocean or the sky.
That's pretty ironic...
Neo got my meaning.
@ Neodoxy
My parents watched the joke that was the "Vice Presidential debate." The whole time they were debating on how to bully the world.
"Our administration has put on the toughest sanctions against Iran this world has ever seen!"
"I for one disagree, they should be tougher! Let's help starve the Iranian people!"
Yeah. How dare those Iranians put their country so close to our bases!
I understand you were being sarcastic, I'm just saying I think it's ironic to the point I was making.
Of course no movement is going to be a homogenous group of geniuses. But that also doesn't mean that I should be overjoyed that it is often represented by fools who don't know what they are talking about and in fact are diametrically opposed to the real ideals of the movement. Your sarcastic retort represents a slippery slope fallacy--"No movement is made up of perfect individuals, therefore you shouldn't criticize them at all!"
People think that the debate has legitimate talking points.
Its like 2 rapists standing at ur bed and they are debating which way to rape you best.
And u got to choose 1 over the other.A
nd when they talk about democraps and republicrats working together to make choices, its like the 2 rapists collaborating on how to rape you, and they both rape you at the same time.
The more the republicrats and democraps disagree and nothing gets done, the better, because its like the 2 rapists arguing how to rape you, but you never actually get raped. But if they agree on how to rape and collaborate on raping you, then youre really fucked (literally).
“Since people are concerned that ‘X’ will not be provided, ‘X’ will naturally be provided by those who are concerned by its absence.""The sweetest of minds can harbor the harshest of men.”
http://voluntaryistreader.wordpress.org
Your sarcastic retort represents a slippery slope fallacy--"No movement is made up of perfect individuals, therefore you shouldn't criticize them at all!"
Yeah, you got me dead to rights.
I don't understand why you have to put up a facade of sarcasm? Also,
@ Kelvin Silva
Democracy itself is gang rape in action.
Yeah I see this on the libertarian party's facebook posts. One time they posted a meme making fun of the absurdity of having public roads. A lot of people were totally confused about the issue and even made some of the people very angry saying things such as "I'm a ron paul supporter and a libertarian leaning person but this is anarchist bullshit"
Yeah... I think it's a disservice to the cause of liberty to be complicit with outward ignorance, even if it's from your own camp. Especially if it's from your own camp.