TomKat
01-02-2014, 01:54 PM
Another New Years Party and another chance to plant some libertarian ideas, one of my favorite things to do.
The party was at my sisters house and she invited some of her friends from church that I didn't know and good mix of so-called conservatives and liberals. I enjoy people watching and now tend to listen from the sidelines to their opinions, no matter how much that I think they are wrong, until I can find a place to insert good details or info that will make people question themselves or their opinions.
This was going on all night and I would add small details like when the talk of traffic laws came up and people were mad with them or saying that "more laws need made" I just politely asked if traffic laws were nothing more than taxes for making mistakes while driving (I called it screwing up). I love the look people get when you have introduced an idea that they have never thought of. And of course most had to agree with me.
Another time in a financial discussion I brought up the FED and its centennial the week prior and enlightened some to what a central bank really is.
I kept adding my two sense all night long but the best part was when I missed most of the conversation but I heard someone's mother/grandmother say something to the tune of "at least alcohol is better for you than marijuana". My ears perked up and I couldn't help myself. I stated from across the kitchen, maybe a little too loudly, and right when all conversation stopped, "In three thousand years, to my knowledge, no one using marijuana has ever overdosed". As soon as I got this out I saw that everyone stopped talking and was looking at the two of us waiting for a response. I looked at the lady that made the remark and waited for her delayed response. When she finally spoke she looked right at me and said "I believe you are right, I have never heard of an overdose". Jackpot!!
The conversation then turned to Colorado and their legalization of marijuana and to the fact that arresting drug users is just a punishment for behavior that "we" disapprove of, and almost everyone agreed.
This is one of my favorite things to do with small or large groups. If you can find some common ground for everyone to agree with or introduce an idea that they have not thought of yet and make them think on the spot, the rest of the group who agrees uses their herd mentality to gain support from the unsure. I have been caught up in this kinda of behavior before except I would be the minority trying to fight an uphill battle. But if you use a very basic libertarian thought to make a blanket statement that everyone agrees with, you can slowly start introducing more and more seeds until you get to the more radical ideas (such as getting rid of the drug war, the DEA, and the IRS). When I first started to really get political years ago I would try to get out every argument I had in the first ten minutes. I found that this just isolates yourself because people just turn you off. Now I just listen to people and when I find a common ground (such as the wars, drones, or the controlled MSM) I reinforce "their ideas" and expand on them into "my ideas". Also, people love it when you compliment them on their ideas that you agree with. This makes them more acceptable to listening to you even when they don't agree.
By the way, the older lady I discussed marijuana with said that I was the "life of the party" with my discussions. Score!!
Hope this can help anyone.
The party was at my sisters house and she invited some of her friends from church that I didn't know and good mix of so-called conservatives and liberals. I enjoy people watching and now tend to listen from the sidelines to their opinions, no matter how much that I think they are wrong, until I can find a place to insert good details or info that will make people question themselves or their opinions.
This was going on all night and I would add small details like when the talk of traffic laws came up and people were mad with them or saying that "more laws need made" I just politely asked if traffic laws were nothing more than taxes for making mistakes while driving (I called it screwing up). I love the look people get when you have introduced an idea that they have never thought of. And of course most had to agree with me.
Another time in a financial discussion I brought up the FED and its centennial the week prior and enlightened some to what a central bank really is.
I kept adding my two sense all night long but the best part was when I missed most of the conversation but I heard someone's mother/grandmother say something to the tune of "at least alcohol is better for you than marijuana". My ears perked up and I couldn't help myself. I stated from across the kitchen, maybe a little too loudly, and right when all conversation stopped, "In three thousand years, to my knowledge, no one using marijuana has ever overdosed". As soon as I got this out I saw that everyone stopped talking and was looking at the two of us waiting for a response. I looked at the lady that made the remark and waited for her delayed response. When she finally spoke she looked right at me and said "I believe you are right, I have never heard of an overdose". Jackpot!!
The conversation then turned to Colorado and their legalization of marijuana and to the fact that arresting drug users is just a punishment for behavior that "we" disapprove of, and almost everyone agreed.
This is one of my favorite things to do with small or large groups. If you can find some common ground for everyone to agree with or introduce an idea that they have not thought of yet and make them think on the spot, the rest of the group who agrees uses their herd mentality to gain support from the unsure. I have been caught up in this kinda of behavior before except I would be the minority trying to fight an uphill battle. But if you use a very basic libertarian thought to make a blanket statement that everyone agrees with, you can slowly start introducing more and more seeds until you get to the more radical ideas (such as getting rid of the drug war, the DEA, and the IRS). When I first started to really get political years ago I would try to get out every argument I had in the first ten minutes. I found that this just isolates yourself because people just turn you off. Now I just listen to people and when I find a common ground (such as the wars, drones, or the controlled MSM) I reinforce "their ideas" and expand on them into "my ideas". Also, people love it when you compliment them on their ideas that you agree with. This makes them more acceptable to listening to you even when they don't agree.
By the way, the older lady I discussed marijuana with said that I was the "life of the party" with my discussions. Score!!
Hope this can help anyone.