The Worst Things People Get Wrong About Libertarianism
By Christian | | Posted in Politics 5157 Views, 27 Total Votes, 24 Anonymous Votes
What are the libertarian stereotypes that you hate the most? There are many misconceptions, or myths about the libertarian philosophy, which ones are the worst?
The text was sourced from Murray Rothbard, Walter Block, Nick Gillespie, Ivo Vegter, and various others.
Libertarians are utopians who believe that all people are good
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Since a system of liberty would encourage the voluntary and discourage the criminal, and would remove the only legitimated channel for crime and aggression, we could expect that a free society would indeed suffer less from violent crime and aggression than we do now, though there is no warrant for assuming that they would disappear completely. That is not utopianism, but a common-sense implication of the change in what is considered socially legitimate, and in the reward-and-penalty structure in society.
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Libertarians want poor people to die
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Some people actually say this, especially when libertarians explain how prices work to direct goods and services to the people who value them most, particularly in the aftermath of a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina. A free price system doesn't mean prices always rise necessarily, but that they change to address the scarcity and need of the moment.
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Libertarianism is a boys’ club.
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While the stereotype of a libertarian as a male engineer sporting a plastic pocket protector and a slide rule once had more truth to it than most libertarians would care to admit, the movement is in many ways the creation of three female intellectuals. The modern libertarian movement was hugely influenced by best-selling novelist and writer Rand; writer and critic Isabel Paterson; and author Rose Wilder Lane.
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Libertarians are pacifists
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Truthfully, libertarians tend to agree with Randolph Bourne who said, "War is the health of the state." Government's power grows when it mobilizes a people to fight. Self-defense is necessary when faced with a threat, but wars of choice must be opposed every time. Also, remember that a libertarian called Milton Friedman persuaded Richard Nixon to end the military draft.
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You must be a member of the Libertarian Party to identify as libertarian
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They have the same name, but a libertarian can be a member of any political party (or none at all).
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Libertarians advocate racist or sexist policies
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This is a rather odd criticism. For both philosophical and utilitarian reasons, libertarians are presumptively strongly opposed to any government regulation of the private sector. It naturally follows that libertarians presumptively oppose restrictions on private sector discrimination. It’s hardly an indication of racial animus, or even insensitivity, for libertarians to enunciate the exact same position on antidiscrimination laws that they take in all other contexts. Libertarians believe in equal rights for everyone.
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Libertarians are against any and all economic regulation
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Regulation is a crucial government duty. Government must take steps to address fraud, environmental pollution, and trade barriers wherever they appear. A free market can only work well when there are a few, simple rules by which everyone must abide. But the best regulator is the consumer, he decides which products or services to support.
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Libertarians are anarchists
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It is sometimes argued that libertarians don't want any government at all. While there is a portion who don't want any state at all, some libertarians believe in minarchy or a minimal form of government.
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Libertarians are anti-religion
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There are many present-day libertarians, Tom Woods and Ron Paul, who have made magnificent contributions to the libertarian cause and are devout believers in religion.
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Libertarians are conspiracy theorists
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It is assumed that because libertarians are tolerant of people with different beliefs, those beliefs are characteristic of libertarianism. Not so. Just because some libertarians are conspiracy theorists does not imply most are. The same is true for religion, or atheism. Some libertarians are evangelical Christians, and some are rabid atheists. Neither belief is characteristic of libertarians, or required of them. You’re free to believe what you want, and more importantly, no government ought to restrict your freedom of thought, of expression, or conscience, provided that you do not infringe on the commensurate rights of others.
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Libertarians are indifferent to monopolies
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In fact, libertarians are against empowering the greatest monopoly of all: government. Why would someone be against a monopoly in computer software or food production, but support a monopoly in schooling or health insurance?
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Libertarians are pro-drug
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The War on Drugs is ineffective at limiting access to dangerous drugs and, instead, empowers dangerous gangs that make incredible fortunes on the black market for these illegal drugs. Libertarians believe that it is immoral for the government to dictate which substances a person is permitted to consume, whether it is alcohol, tobacco, herbal remedies, saturated fat, marijuana, etc. These decisions belong to individual people, not the government.
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Libertarians are wing-men for private plutocrats
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Libertarians are against every form of crony capitalism (whereby a private company or organization lobbies for special treatment or benefits from government).
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Libertarians are “hippies of the right”
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Libertarians are often dismissed as a mutant subspecies of conservatives: pot smokers who are soft on defense and support marriage equality. But depending on their views, libertarians often match up equally well with right- and left-wingers.
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Libertarians believe that every person knows his own best interests
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But the libertarian no more assumes perfect wisdom than he postulates perfect goodness. There is a certain common sense in holding that most men are better apprised of their own needs and goals than is anyone else. But there is no assumption that everyone always knows his own interest best. Libertarianism rather asserts that everyone should have the right to pursue his own interest as he deems best. What is being asserted is the right to act with one's own person and property, and not the necessary wisdom of such action.
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Libertarians defend big business
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Confusing free market capitalism for crony-capitalist corruption is perhaps the most pervasive misconception about libertarianism. Libertarians view companies as groups of people who agree to cooperate in pursuit of goals that they cannot achieve separately. They welcome such cooperation, no matter on what scale it occurs, since they view human cooperation and the division of labour as fundamental to economic progress. The only proviso a libertarian would have is that companies operate on a level playing field in which customers voluntarily transact with them. They would oppose any group that benefits from theft, fraud, legal advantages that others do not enjoy, or a corrupt relationship with politicians.
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Libertarians only think in cost-benefit analysis
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In the first place, most libertarians are "subjectivists" in economics, that is, they believe that the utilities and costs of different individuals cannot be added or measured. Hence, the very concept of social costs and benefits is illegitimate. But, more importantly, most libertarians rest their case on moral principles, on a belief in the natural rights of every individual to his person or property. They therefore believe in the absolute immorality of aggressive violence, of invasion of those rights to person or property, regardless of which person or group commits such violence.
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Libertarians want to privatize education for profit
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This fallacy emerges regularly in Chicago, where the high school graduation rate from traditional public schools is just over 50%. We've seen how a government monopoly in schooling continues to lower standards; incentives to improve are mostly absent. Schools that must serve students or face losing them (and their attendant tuition) perform better. Private incentives work to create innovative products for satisfied customers in nearly every other sector of the economy, and they work well today for the relatively few lucky students who can attend a non-government monopoly school. Libertarians seek to make consumer-driven schooling available to the most children possible.
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Libertarians are pro-abortion
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This totally misrepresents the positions of half of the libertarians. Libertarians are divided on this issue, more or less equally.
