My Dad, who thinks Ron Paul is great, just got a Romney bumper sticker and told me that despite the fact that it's virtually in his face that Romney is a crap candidate, he will vote for him at this point just to vote out Obama. I have absolutely no idea why he thinks that he'll get a different man (robot) with Romney, since I've put every single fact I could find in front of him about how Romney and Obama are the same, but he still thinks that Romney will be somehow...different.
I have no idea what to do, and in a way, I feel like I've failed, being that I spent so many months telling my parents about the significance of libertarianism in these times and spitting in the face of the system. If anyone has any advice on what I should do or what my response should be, that would be much appreciated. I've already thrown everything out there I know of to diss Romney.
Try being an ancap with a mom and dad that are neocons, watching fox news for dinner everyday(literally).
At least your dad thinks ron paul is great, my dad thinks that war is good for the economy, and romney will fix things.
Of course you should never let political ideals get in the way of family relationships.
“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
Yeah. It's just so frustrating though when you introduce all of these facts to people over a long period of time about how we're basically slaves. You think they get out of the mindset, and then it's like they get dragged back in.
Has your dad read 'anatomy of the state' yet?
A lot of people say that the communist mannifesto's language is what hooks them into hating capitalism and bringing them into a marxist ideal, i read it, and i got to admit, the language in there is pretty aggressive.
I believe that the anatomy of the state is murray rothbard's 'communist mannifesto' so to speak.
Guess what? He's read it.
Crap.
Fok.
Well, just wait and see, if romney gets elected and the country's spiral down toward the ground accelerates even further, you can look back and say "i told you so".
You think they get out of the mindset, and then it's like they get dragged back in.
"Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in!"
- Michael Corleone
lol...yeah.
He thinks Anatomy of the State is crap?!
With regard to trying to convert your parents and all, I think the Matrix rule applies:
Morpheus:We have a rule. We never free a mind once it's reached a certain age. It's dangerous, the mind has trouble letting go.
If I had a cake and ate it, it can be concluded that I do not have it anymore. HHH
Why do you feel like you failed?
'Men do not change, they unmask themselves' - Germaine de Stael
@ TronCat
I think the Godfather can also express how I feel, too.
Would you clarify what you mean?
@ ThatOldGuy
He doesn't think The Anatomy of the State is crap, he liked it. It's just that...he feels as though having Obama in the White House is dangerous, and we have to do whatever we can to vote him out. I don't fully understand it myself, but he always resorts to "It's my vote, and I think writing in Ron Paul or voting for Gary Johnson is a wasted one."
@ Andrew Cain
I feel like I've failed because ever since mid 2011 when I first got interested in all of this stuff I've been telling my parents about Ron Paul and the various aspects of libertarianism, and I thought that for a long time I had them convinced that the two-party dictatorship was crap and that nothing good could ever come out of voting with the system.
Voting isnt a sport, should vote his conscience and what he thinks is right, not for who will "win".
Don't worry about it. His vote is even more wasted voting for Romney than it is for Johnson so what does it matter?
So you feel like you failed because they aren't doing what you expected? Don't feel that way. You cannot control the actions of others. Be who you are and be happy with who you are.
@ kelvin silva
Yes but the problem is that he says his conscience IS what is prompting him to vote for Romneybot, and that's it's telling him that the best thing to do is to use this as a chance to vote out Obama. He even admits I'm probably right, so I don't have much now.
Andrew Cain: So you feel like you failed because they aren't doing what you expected? Don't feel that way. You cannot control the actions of others. Be who you are and be happy with who you are.
have no idea what to do, and in a way, I feel like I've failed, being that I spent so many months telling my parents about the significance of libertarianism in these times and spitting in the face of the system.
What you should do is quit on your family. Some people may not be saved, concentrate on those who may be. Sign up for the Mises Community Blog project and spend your efforts on explaining the significance of libertarianism for the masses of the world. Albeit you don't have to give up on your folks completly. You can pass them a link to the blog and tell them to follow your stuff. Parents are suckers for that kind of thing. Once they see you making serious-like points and getting comments they'll get all teary-eyed and proud-like and they'll turn die-hard Paulians on the outside, just so they can tell all your neighbours how their boy is 'making some damn good sense on them interwebs!'