Political Theory

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

malgratloprekindle — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:16:14 GMT

"Too Smart For Science: Has the author ever heard of Piltdown Man? Climategate? No doubt he or she would decry any studies to the contrary of the IPCC's as "Funded by Big Oil interests", and yet somehow thinks research grants, fame and government protected positions are not sufficient motivations (let alone the incentives for their backers..) for climate scientists to falsify data, exaggerate or simply lie."--Praetyre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRtzB_nBaSY ("Piltdown Man - HD version" by shanedk)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nnVQ2fROOg ("6. Climate Change -- Those hacked e-mails" by potholer54)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXesBhYwdRo ("7. Climate Change - 'Those' e-mails and science censorship" by potholer54)

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

malgratloprekindle — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:49:58 GMT

And by the same people, who brought you that less-than-awesome cartoon: http://www.leftycartoons.com/top-ten-reasons-to-be-against-single-payer-health-care/

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

Prateek Sanjay — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:17:34 GMT

I am also in agreement, Germanicus.

See, we liberals are such nice people, no matter how many cartoons and editorials make fun of us.

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

Germanicus — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:44:31 GMT

Fair enough Prateek. I have evidently misjudged you, I'm just rather paranoid about newsspeak terms like 'racism'.

We obviously have disagreements about how immigration will be handled in a libertarian/private law society, I think it's safe to say without question it would be handled more efficiently, and that this would entail quantiatively less immigration of a higher calibre in terms of skills/cognitive ability. There would obviously be none of the decivilizing effects of forced integration either.

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

Prateek Sanjay — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 09:13:37 GMT

Germanicus, a few points.

1. You seem to assume me an Indian patriot who must defend Indian traditions. Of course, India has many racist people.

2. I acknowledge differences in race, and yes, high IQ of Koreans, Japanese, Chinese,.etc can not be disregarded.

3. I am amused you think me to be anti-white, because I just came back from another forum refuting somebody's highly incorrect claims that whitey is responsible for African problems.

4. I am completely for private property. Except the country club character also goes on, attacks immigration, demands restrictions on sale of property to foreigners,.etc. Is the person really libertarian, or just adopted the label for defending foregone conclusions?

Point 4. was the important part.

Now, let's play this game again.

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

Germanicus — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 03:44:17 GMT

Chuckled at the 'too smart for science' one. I always laugh when modern 'liberals' claim ownership of science and believe themselves to be arbiters of scientific truth, divorced from any biases.

Anyone can look at nonsense like Boasian Anthropology, blank slate theory, the belief in racial equality and so on to see the kinds of absurd myths leftists wholeheartedly subscribe to (they're basically human creationists of a sort). Not to mention the fact they routinely bully scientists who investigate matters such as heritability and race (most recently Dr. Bruce Lahn, who was pioneering some brilliant research on the evolution of the human brain). Leftists are modern day Lysenkoists when it comes to genetics, neuroscience and behavioral psychology.

Prateek Sanjay:
Southern American racists

The word 'racist' is a form of ideological disarmament, it is newsspeak plain and simple designed to halt debate on matters of race.

Of course this is disregarding the fact that even by your own culturally leftist standards, your native India is far more 'racist' than the US or any Western Nation is.

Prateek Sanjay:
will always be for protecting their country club lifestyle

And a fine position that is, why should they allow miscreants onto their own private property? Or are you just so full of anti-white vitriol that you despise anywhere Whites congregate to enjoy themselves? Not a Winter Olympics fan I take it then?

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

E. R. Olovetto — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:05:39 GMT

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

Live_Free_Or_Die — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:30:25 GMT

Thanks, it cracked me up too while making it.

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

malgratloprekindle — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:15:54 GMT

I meant the "anti-libertarian" parody of the picture in the first post.

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

malgratloprekindle — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:15:17 GMT

That was pure win, man. :)

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

liberty student — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:47:02 GMT

DD5:
Fear is a good sign. There has been more talk about libertarianism on mainstream media then ever before, although most of it negative.

During the Ron Paul campaign on the RPF forums, everyone kept repeating this quote from Gandhi.

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."

With Ron Paul, he's won now. He has made it past the fighting and ridicule.

Radical libertarianism hasn't had to fight yet. But progress is definitely being made.

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

DD5 — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:39:36 GMT

Fear is a good sign. There has been more talk about libertarianism on mainstream media then ever before, although most of it negative.

I mentioned previously the Bill Maher show from a few weeks ago, where one of the guests described herself as a libertarian, but not of the type that "want to abolish the government completely". I thought that was amazing. She would not had felt the need to make that distinction if Ancap had not already infiltrated the philosophy of liberty.

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

otto — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:20:43 GMT

I've bee thinking these last few days... I can understand someone attacking Republicans, Democrats, some vague political stances, but to mock (and so harshly) something like libertarianism - you should really be annoyed with people thinking differntly than you. Seriosly, how many libertarians does Barry Deutsch know? And why does he feel threatened?

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

liberty student — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:08:52 GMT

DD5:
liberty student:
What misconceptions? You can find half of those personality types on this forum on any given Sunday.

I thought it was funny because it was true.

You have a point. Most of these stereotypes are accurate.

Thank you. Without stereotypes, Walter Block could not have written Defending the Undefendable. They provide us with the opportunity to (1) laugh at ourselves, (2) explain our positions better and (3) see ourselves as others may see us, and adjust our actions as needed.

People who only see attacks and not opportunities are missing out IMO.

DD5:
The misconceptions are what I assume the average reader will infer from such stereotypes. This only makes the cartoon even more brilliant as anti-libertarian propaganda.

I don't think this cartoon is going to do much damage to libertarianism, and in my opinion, it is unrealistic to expect that there won't be petty critics of any position, on any day. This is life. It is not perfect. The freedom to be intellectually sound is the freedom to be intellectually slothful and dishonest. I'd like to point out that the LRC blog is usually quite reactionary, and they didn't get as worked up as the grassroots reactions I have seen.

But then, if the people at the top were fanatics like some people in the grassroots, this would be a cult, and I would want nothing to do with it.

Re: Quite entertaining. How they're mocking libertarians.

liberty student — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:02:42 GMT

E. R. Olovetto:
It's kind of astounding to me how you talk down to forum members.

How so? Who did I specifically talk down to? Am I not a member of this forum? I would argue that with my post count, I am definitely a top 20 member of this forum, and so any critiques of this forum, including my own, could very well include myself.

Learn to laugh. Even at yourself and where you came from. No one enjoys a wound up serioso.

E. R. Olovetto:
I'm still curious why it is you think that you are livin' la vida libertariana and we/I are unworthy.

I'm not sure that is what I believe. It seems to me that is what you believe.