Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Libertarian or Anarchist?


Libertarian or Anarchist? from Chaospark with an editorial change.

Libertarians are often accused of being anarchists or asked what the difference is between a libertarian and an anarchist. The popular image of anarchy is unrestrained violence and looting. Libertarians take a stronger stand against violence and looting than any other political group including republicans and democrats. The early history of the United States with its severely limited government was strongly libertarian and completely different from this image of anarchy.

The misunderstanding on this issue comes from the ideal state of peace and productivity with no government interference imagined by many libertarians who forget that we are the only ones who can imagine it . In a libertarian society the evolution of voluntary institutions providing the few remaining government services might lead to the gradual elimination of government but this scenario is completely beyond the imagination of the general public and it harms our cause to confront them with such a startling vision. (ed.: probably the reason only libertarians can imagine this is because the libertarian ideal is as unrealistic as the anarchist one)

Here is a menu of answers to the question: What's the difference between libertarians and anarchists?

The traditional answer
Libertarians want severely limited government and anarchists want none.

The humanist answer
Libertarians are nonviolent; some anarchists are violent.

The funny answer
Libertarians are to anarchists as nudists are to naked people.They're just middle class & organized so they appear less crazy.

The Party answer (from Andre Marrou)
An anarchist is an extreme libertarian, like a socialist is an extreme democrat, and a fascist is an extreme republican.

The graphic answer (editorially changed)
It's like the difference between a seducer and a rapist. They're both in the same place but one uses violence to fuck you.

The straight answer
Libertarians believe in free markets, private property, and capitalism. Anarchists who believe in these things usually call themselves libertarians.

Laci's definition
Libertarianism is Anarchy with a smiley face mask to make it palatable to the ignorant.


In reality, Libertarians, for all their talk support corporatocracy which is far more tyrannical than the governments they despise. Libertarianism opposes government authority in all forms and seems to believe we can live happily and in complete freedom without government interference. If government is involved, it protects the rights of the wealthy and corporations--not individuals.

The slogan “individual responsibility” is popular among libertarians, but it is not individuals or individual liberties that they are concerned. It is the “rights” of businesses, large and small (but especially large) to make a substantial profit without government strictures, oversight, or intervention. In their view, corporations should be able to pollute the air, water, and soil, sell shoddy or dangerous goods, and violate the rights of their workers. The faith of these ideologues in the free market is as fervent, inflexible, and insusceptible of proof as John Calvin’s belief in predestination. According to anarcho-capitalists, a restaurant that gives its customers food poisoning will just go out of business; an automobile company that installs faulty brakes will lose its customer base. Because the market, like a mysterious Providence, eventually intervenes, neither regulation nor compensation is required. Similarly, certain prominent anarchists declared that “anarchy is order!”—meaning that if authorities did not interfere, things would naturally sort themselves out.

An interesting aside:
An Open Letter to Murray Rothbard on Andre Marrou, the Libertarian Party, and that "vexing" hole in the libertarian system -- Children

5 comments:

  1. Laci:

    Another definition is:

    Libertarians are Republicans who like to watch porn and smoke dope.

    Whenever people start telling me about how the Invisible Hand will apply correction to the actions of the corporatists I think, "hmm, the Shirtwaist fire, Ford strike at River Rouge, Matewan, United Farm Workers--I can go on like this for umpteen paragraphs.

    My bet is that this comment may be the only one--since gunzloonz are all Liberarchists or Anarchtarians.

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  2. As a Green who was born in Detroit, and lived in other auto producing areas, I have more of a distrust for big business than for government.

    Democracies are technically run by the people. Although, the US system is not a democracy.

    The US would be wonderful if it moved toward the democracy it purported to install in Iraq.

    I'll repost my blog post on Blair Mountain (AKA Matewan).

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  3. Democommie: “Libertarians are Republicans who like to watch porn and smoke dope.”

    Or we could say Libertarians are Democrats who are tightwads with money. Oh, and who like guns.

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. There are a surprising number on the right who are in favor of legalizing marijuana, including at least one right wing presidential candidate.

    You might want to review the 1937 U.S. legislation, and the history behind it, that led to it being illegal in the first place. It makes for interesting reading.

    As for porn? My favorite writing in the last month or two was 'In Praise of Porn and Freedom' http://penigma.blogspot.com/2011/07/in-praise-of-porn.html

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