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That strain of libertarian rhetoric is overwhelmingly encountered on American-dominated fora. I won’t say it doesn’t exist in Europe, since Europeans can pick u
by HeinzStuckeIt 11mo ago
That strain of libertarian rhetoric is overwhelmingly encountered on American-dominated fora. I won’t say it doesn’t exist in Europe, since Europeans can pick up on American internet culture, too, but it is too marginal in Europe to affect politics much. There is no significant libertarian party in the EU. Some of the far-right parties stoking and benefiting from popular discontent even promise to uphold the welfare state, but simply deny it to immigrants.
- sph 11mo agoAre you aware that anti-big-government and pro-privacy political philosophy is not limited to (the joke that is) American right-libertarianism?
- HeinzStuckeIt 11mo agoNot as a major political force to which Denmark’s Chat Control could be responding as the OP claims. Moreover, expressions like “milked and oppressed” ring American libertarianism to the ears of this European poster who is familiar with long years of European cypherpunk activism.
- sph 11mo agoCypherpunk activism is closer to anarchist ideals, and criticism of the State and its coercive power is central to its ethos. Yes, citizens are being milked and oppressed against a state and a political caste that has grown too powerful. American right-libertarianism is a joke that originally started as an anarchist branch and has degenerated into getting in bed with the state to further its selfish ideals. Criticism of the state has nothing to do with those posers, as their goal is solely to become the state (i.e. the oppressor), rather than truly pursue the ideal of a free society.
- pcrh 11mo agoHalf of Europe has living memories of oppressive governments, from fascism in Franco's Spain to communism in East Europe.
- naIak 11mo ago[dead]
- pcrh 11mo agoPerhaps, or perhaps not, but its now a democracy, not a fascist dictatorship.
- naIak 11mo agoCool, but it's anything but libertarian, which is what we were discussing in this thread. Regarding democracy, we have pretty severe failings, which you won't hear about because the EU is busy with Poland/Hungary/other conservative countries.
- pcrh 11mo agoIt isn't specifically "libertarian" to accuse some governmental systems as being criminal.
- ThrowawayTestr 11mo agoMust be why they're so itching to get it back