6 ms·

It's sad to see the tech community, which used to be very libertarian, move towards a hard-left progressive view of social issues. It wasn't that long ago that

It's sad to see the tech community, which used to be very libertarian, move towards a hard-left progressive view of social issues. It wasn't that long ago that Friedman's arguments against equal pay laws[1] would have held sway here. The idea that the market punishes bigotry and so can be relied upon to advance freedom and equality used to be a core belief of the tech community. Now, it seems companies are falling over themselves to come up with ever more progressive and authoritarian solutions to problems that have only been complained about in the tech media--driven largely by people who care far more about culture wars than they do about tech. It's hard to see these developments and not feel that something important has been lost. [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsIpQ7YguGE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsIpQ7YguGE

dkopi 10y ago
There's nothing unlibertarian about a private business making up its own terms of services and privately enforcing them. That's exactly how the free market self regulates without the use of force.
- golergka 10y ago
  When a single business dominates an entire industry in such a way, it's not just a "private business" anymore - it's an institution and should be treated as such.
  - csallen 10y ago
    I must admit that it's amusing to see libertarians complaining about the decisions made by a private business and implying that the government should step in.
    - daxelrod 10y ago
      This reminds me of an op-ed in my private college's newspaper written by a self-described libertarian that using a portion of tuition to create a scholarship fund was a socialist redistribution of wealth.
empath75 10y ago
It's sort of surprising how many people on hacker news apparently want the right to be racist.
- SolaceQuantum 10y ago
  They have the right to be as racist as one likes, of course, limited to hate crimes. Airbnb is making a business decision that it doesn't want to service these people. That's Airbnb's right as a business, in a classical libertarian view.
  - empath75 10y ago
    No, not limited to hate crimes. You don't have the right to be racist in hiring practices, or who you serve in a business that's open to the public, etc.
- JBReefer 10y ago
  I want the right to be racist. I'm not a bigot- my girlfriend is Hispanic, I'm from a majority black neighborhood, my parents are gay, etc. But thoughts and words should never be forbidden. That's basically the whole point of liberalism. You're free to be someone that pisses me off.
  - paulcole 10y ago
    You're welcome to be racist, but as a business owner, you're not welcome to discriminate based on your racist beliefs.
    - JBReefer 10y ago
      Certainly true, I fully agree
raverbashing 10y ago
"hard-left progressive" I'm not saying AirBnB has moved that much, but maybe you mean regressive left, though
Dowwie 10y ago
A libertarian response to your comment would be that hosts don't have to use AirBnB. Hosts are free to choose
tjic 10y ago
Agreed. The progressive groupthink (quite different from the community twenty years ago) makes me sad.
3pt14159 10y ago
We became leftists because libertarianism is harsh and unrealistic. Most people are not smart enough for a libertarian world they get swayed by propaganda too easily and are unable to judge risk correctly. It's more efficient to have technocrats guide the public and protect them from short sighted mistakes and evil corporations. Most people don't even understand the difference between a percentage point and a percent and these same people, if left to their own devices, create hellish cities and countries. If we were all intelligent technocrats libertarianism (in the minarchist sense) would still be wrong, but it wouldn't fail so hilariously since we'd all have contracts for nearly everything, but as it stands now it's completely unrealistic to imagine a Gary Johnson United States.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
csallen 10y ago
This is the market punishing bigotry. People are making noise and demanding change, alternative businesses are being created to address these people's needs, and Airbnb is modifying its policies in response.
- JBReefer 10y ago
  Ding ding ding! This is what private industry advancing equality looks like - there wasn't a Brown v Board required here.

dkopi 10y ago

There's nothing unlibertarian about a private business making up its own terms of services and privately enforcing them. That's exactly how the free market self regulates without the use of force.

golergka 10y ago
When a single business dominates an entire industry in such a way, it's not just a "private business" anymore - it's an institution and should be treated as such.
- csallen 10y ago
  I must admit that it's amusing to see libertarians complaining about the decisions made by a private business and implying that the government should step in.
  - daxelrod 10y ago
    This reminds me of an op-ed in my private college's newspaper written by a self-described libertarian that using a portion of tuition to create a scholarship fund was a socialist redistribution of wealth.

empath75 10y ago

It's sort of surprising how many people on hacker news apparently want the right to be racist.

SolaceQuantum 10y ago
They have the right to be as racist as one likes, of course, limited to hate crimes. Airbnb is making a business decision that it doesn't want to service these people. That's Airbnb's right as a business, in a classical libertarian view.
- empath75 10y ago
  No, not limited to hate crimes. You don't have the right to be racist in hiring practices, or who you serve in a business that's open to the public, etc.
JBReefer 10y ago
I want the right to be racist. I'm not a bigot- my girlfriend is Hispanic, I'm from a majority black neighborhood, my parents are gay, etc. But thoughts and words should never be forbidden. That's basically the whole point of liberalism. You're free to be someone that pisses me off.
- paulcole 10y ago
  You're welcome to be racist, but as a business owner, you're not welcome to discriminate based on your racist beliefs.
  - JBReefer 10y ago
    Certainly true, I fully agree

raverbashing 10y ago

"hard-left progressive" I'm not saying AirBnB has moved that much, but maybe you mean regressive left, though

Dowwie 10y ago

A libertarian response to your comment would be that hosts don't have to use AirBnB. Hosts are free to choose

tjic 10y ago

Agreed. The progressive groupthink (quite different from the community twenty years ago) makes me sad.

3pt14159 10y ago

We became leftists because libertarianism is harsh and unrealistic. Most people are not smart enough for a libertarian world they get swayed by propaganda too easily and are unable to judge risk correctly. It's more efficient to have technocrats guide the public and protect them from short sighted mistakes and evil corporations. Most people don't even understand the difference between a percentage point and a percent and these same people, if left to their own devices, create hellish cities and countries. If we were all intelligent technocrats libertarianism (in the minarchist sense) would still be wrong, but it wouldn't fail so hilariously since we'd all have contracts for nearly everything, but as it stands now it's completely unrealistic to imagine a Gary Johnson United States.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

csallen 10y ago

This is the market punishing bigotry. People are making noise and demanding change, alternative businesses are being created to address these people's needs, and Airbnb is modifying its policies in response.

JBReefer 10y ago
Ding ding ding! This is what private industry advancing equality looks like - there wasn't a Brown v Board required here.