How Do You Think Most Americans View Libertarians?

[escapinggreatly]

I ask because I've gotten into a few conversations with rather politically-interested people lately, but when I mentioned that I'm a libertarian at heart, most of the talk turned to Jesse Ventura, or 9/11 Truthers, or how a "gold standard" doesn't mean that we would literally have to carry a bunch of gold coins around like in Ye Olden Days. It seems like it's hard to connect with your average American on a relatively simple level, because they ignore the basic principles of libertarianism, and instead focus on whatever snippets make it to the news - and those generally aren't good snippets.

This article sums it up pretty well: (http://www.meltingpotproject.com/mpp/youre-a-libertarian-youve-just-never-been-told.html)


There are normally two responses when you suggest that someone might be a libertarian. The first, and easily the most common, is, "A what?" The second is a bit of indignation combined with, "Bullshit. I don't want to make cocaine legal, or get rid of public schools, or any of that crazy stuff those nutjobs talk about."

Funny thing is, neither do I. But libertarianism, like Big Oil, cigarette manufacturers, and countries that end with "-stan," has suffered from terrible brand association. The portion of the American public that recognizes the word usually associates it with fringe political operators who are just as likely to put on a ski mask and throw rocks at a WTO meeting as they are to give a stump speech. But to define "libertarian" that way would be like defining "conservative" as believing that the rich should not be taxed at all and that the police should force every citizen to go to church on Sunday, or like defining "liberal" as supporting a Soviet-style economy and the replacing of every image of the Ten Commandments with an image of someone mooning the Ten Commandments.

Am I the only one with this sort of experience? It seems like I spend most of my time explaining what the hell libertarianism is and hardly ever even get to the part about why it works.

[The One]

I don't think most Americans view Libertarians at all.

[Theocrat]

Most Americans view libertarians as being libertines because they can't draw the distinction between the two. Sadly, there are many libertines who dress in "libertarian raiment," and they do a great disservice to the philosophy of libertarianism when they spout ideas about all sorts of immoral issues, such as legalizing prostitution.

[escapinggreatly]

Most Americans view libertarians as being libertines because they can't draw the distinction between the two. Sadly, there are many libertines who dress in "libertarian raiment," and they do a great disservice to the philosophy of libertarianism when they spout ideas about all sorts of immoral issues, such as legalizing prostitution.

*raises eyebrow*

And here I always viewed one of the basic parts of libertarianism to be that the government stayed out of the morality game.

[nickcoons]

Most people that I mention it to have the "a what?" response. Or they've heard about libertarianism but have no idea what it is. Normally, I try to explain my positions first before telling someone that I'm a libertarian. Not because I don't want to tell them, but because I can explain my basic positions very that make sense to just about everyone. When I then follow-up by saying that I'm a libertarian, they associate those well thought out common sense views with libertarianism, so they end up with a good first impression.

Then when they ask what it is.. I usually say something like this:

"Libertarianism is all of the stuff that our parents taught us while we were kids about how to interact with others. Don't steal their stuff, don't lie, and don't hit your sister. And if you do harm someone in some way, then you make it right. When you were a kid and you put a baseball through your neighbor's window, you paid for it with your allowance.

Now that we're grown up, most of us do a pretty good job of living peacefully in this way as individuals. Where we tend to have conflicts is on a large scale. For instance, I'm can't take your money, but for some reason it's okay for me to go to the ballot box and vote your money away from you. This makes no sense. And just as it causes strife and conflict on an individual level, it does the same thing when we practice it on a large scale. Peaceful coexistence, and making right what we harm, is the essence of libertarianism."

[Truth Warrior]

As loonies. LESS GOVERNMENT!! :eek: Thus is the nature of governmentality and flockdom.<IMHO>

:(

[Bradley in DC]

I don't think most Americans view Libertarians at all.

yup :(

[Andrew-Austin]

Most Americans view libertarians as being libertines because they can't draw the distinction between the two. Sadly, there are many libertines who dress in "libertarian raiment," and they do a great disservice to the philosophy of libertarianism when they spout ideas about all sorts of immoral issues, such as legalizing prostitution.

Decriminalizing prostitution is a firm libertarian position, and its not at all advocationg the behavior. Very unfortunate, they must not understand libertarianism at all to mix it up with libertinism (http://mises.org/journals/jls/11_1/11_1_7.pdf).

[Mitt Romneys sideburns]

Or as Huckabee says it, "lititarians"

[Kludge]

Argue for libertarianism by immediately associating it with individualism, then compare with collectivism. Ownership of yourself vs. Owning and being owned by everyone. Most people will go for the first and that's when you can inject that taxation is thus theft.

[LibertyEagle]

*raises eyebrow*

And here I always viewed one of the basic parts of libertarianism to be that the government stayed out of the morality game.

Read what Theo said again.

[yongrel]

I was watching a recent episode of the show "Criminal Minds" and I got pretty irked. The concept of the episode is that two FBI agents were sent into a desert compound to investigate claims of child abuse and molestation ala Waco and what not.

The FBI discovers the compound is a religious cult of "libertarians." There is a 3 second explanation that libertarians "believe that people should be able to do anything as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others," followed by an episode of madness.

The supposed libertarians married children, shot police officers, were crazy vigilante gun nuts, etc etc. They were the worst kind of crazy. At the end, they even blow themselves up.

My "favourite" line from the episode is when the FBI goes to the deposed founder of the compound who started it as a nonreligious commune. He was kicked out, and then arrested for not paying his taxes. He talked about the child molestation going on at the ranch, about which he said, "I may be a libertarian, but them girls was too young even."

That is how Americans view libertarians.

[TER]

I was watching a recent episode of the show "Criminal Minds" and I got pretty irked. The concept of the episode is that two FBI agents were sent into a desert compound to investigate claims of child abuse and molestation ala Waco and what not.

The FBI discovers the compound is a religious cult of "libertarians." There is a 3 second explanation that libertarians "believe that people should be able to do anything as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others," followed by an episode of madness.

The supposed libertarians married children, shot police officers, were crazy vigilante gun nuts, etc etc. They were the worst kind of crazy. At the end, they even blow themselves up.

My "favourite" line from the episode is when the FBI goes to the deposed founder of the compound who started it as a nonreligious commune. He was kicked out, and then arrested for not paying his taxes. He talked about the child molestation going on at the ranch, about which he said, "I may be a libertarian, but them girls was too young even."

That is how Americans view libertarians.
:( :mad:

[Natalie]

Most people have no idea what being libertarian means. They probably just think libertarians are weird. I try to avoid calling myself a Libertarian now. Mostly I just say I support Ron Paul or I'm a Republican against the war or something.

[heavenlyboy34]

I was watching a recent episode of the show "Criminal Minds" and I got pretty irked. The concept of the episode is that two FBI agents were sent into a desert compound to investigate claims of child abuse and molestation ala Waco and what not.

The FBI discovers the compound is a religious cult of "libertarians." There is a 3 second explanation that libertarians "believe that people should be able to do anything as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others," followed by an episode of madness.

The supposed libertarians married children, shot police officers, were crazy vigilante gun nuts, etc etc. They were the worst kind of crazy. At the end, they even blow themselves up.

My "favourite" line from the episode is when the FBI goes to the deposed founder of the compound who started it as a nonreligious commune. He was kicked out, and then arrested for not paying his taxes. He talked about the child molestation going on at the ranch, about which he said, "I may be a libertarian, but them girls was too young even."

That is how Americans view libertarians.

Not surprising, considering all their other stupid "informed" opinions. :p:(:mad:

[heavenlyboy34]

Most people have no idea what being libertarian means. They probably just think libertarians are weird. I try to avoid calling myself a Libertarian now. Mostly I just say I support Ron Paul or I'm a Republican against the war or something.

You could call yourself a "Goldwater Libertarian" or "Ron Paul Libertarian" or "Jeffersonian" to make yourself sound less "weird" (if your sole desire is to fit in).

[heavenlyboy34]

That's been my experience too-even among "educated" people. :rolleyes:


Most people that I mention it to have the "a what?" response. Or they've heard about libertarianism but have no idea what it is. Normally, I try to explain my positions first before telling someone that I'm a libertarian. Not because I don't want to tell them, but because I can explain my basic positions very that make sense to just about everyone. When I then follow-up by saying that I'm a libertarian, they associate those well thought out common sense views with libertarianism, so they end up with a good first impression.

Then when they ask what it is.. I usually say something like this:

"Libertarianism is all of the stuff that our parents taught us while we were kids about how to interact with others. Don't steal their stuff, don't lie, and don't hit your sister. And if you do harm someone in some way, then you make it right. When you were a kid and you put a baseball through your neighbor's window, you paid for it with your allowance.

Now that we're grown up, most of us do a pretty good job of living peacefully in this way as individuals. Where we tend to have conflicts is on a large scale. For instance, I'm can't take your money, but for some reason it's okay for me to go to the ballot box and vote your money away from you. This makes no sense. And just as it causes strife and conflict on an individual level, it does the same thing when we practice it on a large scale. Peaceful coexistence, and making right what we harm, is the essence of libertarianism."

[TER]

Most people have no idea what being libertarian means. They probably just think libertarians are weird. I try to avoid calling myself a Libertarian now. Mostly I just say I support Ron Paul or I'm a Republican against the war or something.

I tell them I was an independent all my life, registered Republican this year after learning about Ron Paul, and after the treatment he received by his own party, I'm an independent again.

[nickcoons]

We got some decent PR on this one:

http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2006/09/desperate-houswives-and-libertarianism.html


Apparently ABC is upset that someone leaked a clip of the new season of Desperate Housewives, the raunchy comedy series. The clips from the next season appeared on YouTube but appears to have been taken down now. Shame. But here is a synopsis. Character, Bree, played by Marica Cross, is in bed with her new boytoy Orson, played by Kyle MacLachlan.

Bree is unhappy that Orson wishes to have oral sex with her. She says: "I don't do that, I'm a Republican."

Orson replies: "I'm a Libertarian. I believe in minimizing the role of the state and maximizing individual rights. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Apparently the clip indicates he definetly knows what he's doing.

It was one minute long and if the people at ABC were smart they would have left it up. It was publicity and certainly didn't give away the plot. The Libertarians ought to applaud. It's the best publicity they've had in years.

[heavenlyboy34]

We got some decent PR on this one:

http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2006/09/desperate-houswives-and-libertarianism.html

I'd have to see and hear the clip to make a decision about how I feel about this. If they portray the "libertarian" character as a nut, it doesn't really help the party-to the contrary, IMHO.

[nickcoons]

I'd have to see and hear the clip to make a decision about how I feel about this. If they portray the "libertarian" character as a nut, it doesn't really help the party-to the contrary, IMHO.

They do, but not within the same episode. Everyone in that show is a nut, though; and at the time he made those statements he was considered by the audience to be level-headed. By the time his nuttiness was revealed later in the series, most people would probably have forgotten what he said and even who said it, but the good first impression would probably have remained.

[constituent]

Argue for libertarianism by immediately associating it with individualism, then compare with collectivism. Ownership of yourself vs. Owning and being owned by everyone. Most people will go for the first and that's when you can inject that taxation is thus theft.

exactly.




as to the op, most just laugh (and rightly so, imo).