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Words don't make libertarians – actions do. The Dread Pirate Roberts may have talked like a libertarian, but he acted like a thug. Don't call it "Cyber-liberta
by otikik 13y ago
Words don't make libertarians – actions do. The Dread Pirate Roberts may have talked like a libertarian, but he acted like a thug.
Don't call it "Cyber-libertarianism" when it's only "cyber-drug-dealing".
- lmm 13y agoA group is judged by the actions of its members. You don't get to say that a libertarian who does bad things must have been "not a real libertarian", any more than e.g. a $religion can say their terrorists must've been "not real $religionists".
- blahbl4hblah 13y agoword.
- flycaliguy 13y agoYeah, but isn't taking a hit out on somebody considered an initiation of force? Which if I remember correctly is a distinctly non-libertarian thing to do.
- Nursie 13y agoIt's an interesting debate I suppose. Most 'communist' regimes don't really end up being anything like communist philosophy, yet we still call them communist and draw the conclusion that practical communism degenerates quickly from the ideal to totalitarian dystopia. I'm not saying libertarianism has the same flaw (though personally I think it's a recipe for neo-feudalism) but it does rather complicate the idea of a strict definition for a political group.
- EthanHeilman 13y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
- eksith 13y agoThere comes a time in someone's life when it's time to admit that the whole point of assigning a label is so that [whatever it is] which is assigned said label fits under it and all things that fall outside it are ancillary to said label. Also, please don't follow the Wikipedia link motif. It's extremely trite. If you have a point to make, please use your own words. As you start typing, you may even get a chance to re-examine your own thoughts (I always do).
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- Sagat 13y agoAren't libertarians supposed to consider liberty (whatever that means) as the highest political aim? According to this definition, you can't get more libertarian that Roberts since he put his personal life at risk in order to increase the liberty of a few like minded cohorts. I support neither drugs, libertarianism nor the Silk Road, but I don't like to see people judging who can or can't be a libertarian based on their own moral preconceptions. The only thing that matters in the definition is how much the individual in question has furthered the goal of more liberty.
- otikik 13y ago> I don't like to see people judging who can or can't be a libertarian based on their own moral preconceptions. I am judging him according to the same principles he said to defend, since he acted exactly like someone who didn't care about them, and was only interested in his personal monetary benefit - even if that meant torturing and murdering others. Unless you postulate that "He was defending the Liberty of people to say one thing and do the other, regardless of any laws". Then I would have to agree with you.
- hackula1 13y agoLibertarians have no problem with someone dealing drugs, in general.
- otikik 13y agoAh, but not all drug dealers are libertarians. What I'm saying is that according to his actions, which contradicted his words, DPR was all of the former, and none of the later.
- anExcitedBeast 13y agoTrue. We do have a problem with murderers, though.