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by negation1. One who does not strive to create situations or at least institutions that encourage the practice of maiming, imprisoning or dispossessing others.
2. One who rests in the belief that an "organic" and "natural", though multi-national, community is suppressed by any number of incomprehensibly abstract laws and economic strictures. Such a community generally is not a community by contract, but is yet comprised of voluntarists.
"Libertarian Communism is a society organised without the state and without private ownership. And there is no need to invent anything or conjure up some new organization for the purpose. The centres about which life in the future will be organised are already with us in the society of today: the free union and the free municipality." - Isaac Puente
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A term coined by Austrian economist Murray Rothbard to describe people who call themselves libertarians defining liberty as moral license (see libertine). They are former Marxists, contemporary liberals, practicing drug-users, homosexuals, self-appointed members of the avant-garde, haters of tradition, anti-religious (especially anti-Christian) atheists, alienated teens and young adults, politically correct leftists, humanitarians who see the established culture and morality as equally or more threatening than an expansive government. They also reject the classical liberalism that the United States of America is founded upon. In fact, many of these people have not read or do not care to read the writings of the Founders of the United States or the philosophers who influenced them. If they do appeal to the Founders, they cite quotes taken out of context to support their leftist views. They also care little for community, culture, or history.
These "libertarians" have taken on the name to justify a nihilistic view of the world, where restraint of any kind is removed so that they can indulge their appetites. Many modal libertarians have an appreciation of the free market because they realize the market can supply their drugs, pornography, and prostitutes more effectively. They confirm the fears expressed by Daniel Bell of the cultural contradictions of capitalism where increased levels of wealth produced by capitalism undermine the traditional values based on self-restraint that make capitalism successful. The same ethic of self-indulgence explains their support for abortion on demand and unrestricted euthanasia. The logic here is to kill anyone who cannot keep up and is deemed to have an inferior "quality of life."
Former *Reason* magazine editor, Nick Gillespie, personifies this anti-social trend. He praises as "Heroes of Freedom" Madonna, Dennis Rodman, Larry Flynt, and William Burroughs alongside such true heroes as Milton Friedman and Barry Goldwater. Gillespie epitomizes this brand of libertarianism by posing as the angry young man hipster too cool for the rest of us poor unimaginative slobs.
These so-called libertarians are more interested in civil liberties that undercut law enforcement not because of fear of an abuse of power but because of their rejection of the imposition of pain including just punishment. Instead, they unrealistically believe that if all people are treated as equals and given opportunity to get rich in the market, then there would be no crime.
Although more traditional or paleo-libertarians such as Ron Paul are strict constitutionalists, modal libertarians are all in favor of using judicial activism to further their social goals of removing barriers to self-destructive behavior or placing barriers in the way of law enforcement and national security without regard to precedent or the text of the Constitution.
These bits of meliorism go hand in hand with their non-interventionism in foreign policy. Instead of opposing foreign wars to protect the lives and traditions of citizens of their own country, they believe that if wealth and opportunity can be expanded, then people would live harmoniously together in a peaceful cosmopolitan world. The basic assumptions about human nature and the human condition only differs from the leftist internationalist by replacing a super-statist/socialist order with a super market capitalist order that would transcend the nation state and particular local cultures. The same leftist vision is simply implemented by a different strategy. This line of thinking explains their support of mass immigration. It also explains why one does not hear these libertarians defend freedom of association.
Modal libertarians disdain tradition or any sense of social stability. They relish change for the sake of change. They crave novelty and destruction of anything that they have become bored with. Virginia Postrel, now writing for the *New York Times*, is a prime example of this love of frenetic activity. She misquotes Hayek on the nature of change as a thorough-going, radical process that countenances no constancy or commitment.
Modal libertarianism could be called left libertarianism. There is a variation of libertarianism which stresses voluntary collectivist social and economic arrangements that are still respectful of the right to private property and non-intervention by the State. These libertarians argue for people to choose to pool private property and live communally in various frameworks. This is not modal libertarianism. This type of leftist libertarianism is still consistent with the more traditional libertarian framework because each individual in such communities chooses to participate. There is a long history of such communities in the United States. Modal libertarians are more interested in re-shaping the world to fit their mold and defining the results as achieving freedom. Modal libertarians seem to slip on the term, 'liberty,' moving from what Issiah Berlin called "negative liberty" to "positive liberty." John Stuart Mill fell into this confusion in his writing as he tried to blend liberalism with egalitarianism. Mill is the cross-over figure from classical to modern liberalism. Something similar is going on with modal libertarians.
A lot of people calling themselves libertarians on the internet are teen-agers and young adults who are simply stuck in a mindless rebellion against all authority. Modal libertarians tap into this unrelenting, destructive rebellion in many young people who have been neglected or mistreated by self-absorbed parents. Ayn Rand's writings look especially inviting to these folks.
Even though some of the language and the policy positions cohere with those of Locke, Jefferson, Montesquieu, Mises, Hayek, Friedman, et al., the meanings they pour into the terms and phrases used by traditional libertarians and classical liberals are completely different. Unfortunately, the Libertarian Party has departed from their earlier candidates such as John Hospers, Roger MacBride, and Ron Paul and have moved to this liberal/leftist vision. We are now witnessing Bob Barr flip-flopping all over himself to appease these nihilists who have taken over the mantle of libertarianism.
Traditionalist libertarian: "I am looking at the Libertarian Party platform and see mostly a leftist agenda. What is going on here?"
Modal libertarian: "Yes, we modal libertarians have moved away from that rightist repressive model of liberty to true liberty. The real enemy of the people is not the State so much as it is traditional morality, bigotry, Christianity, and nationalism. Conservatives are the real enemy now."
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Libertarians for Life is a nonsectarian group expressing an opposition to abortion within the context of libertarianism, believing that abortion is not a right, but "a wrong under justice".
To explain and defend its stance on abortion, Libertarians For Life argues that:
1. Human offspring are human beings, persons from fertilization.
2. Abortion is homicide — the killing of one person by another.
3. There is never a right to kill an innocent person. Prenatally, we are all innocent persons.
4. A prenatal child has the right to be in the mother's body. Parents have no right to evict their children from the crib or from the womb and let them die. Instead both parents, the father as well as the mother, owe them support and protection from harm.
5. No government, nor any individual, has a just power to legally "de-person" any one of us, born or preborn.
6. The proper purpose of the law is to side with the innocent, not against them.
None of the arguments are based upon religious belief, and are intended to appeal equally to atheists and theists. This is a point of pride for the group, claiming to rely on science and reason, while both pro-life allies and pro-choice opponents use what they view as non-scientific or unreasoned arguments.
Social Chrstian Conservative: So, you're a libertarian, huh? Then you must support abortion rights, don't cha?
L4Ler: No, I'm with the Libertarians for Life.
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One who takes socially conservative stances but otherwise considers him or herself to be a libertarian. As in, you believe government should be small... Small enough to fit inside certain body parts...
Many right-wingers consider themselves to be libertarians, but I grow tired of their socially conservative positions on women's reproductive rights, so I started calling them "tampon libertarians".
When two straight white males meet up at a Planet Fitness and drop dumbbells on the floor, triggering libtards and the lunk alarm. Often heard reciting Fountain head and dropping soap in the locker room.
Ryan : I’m canceling my membership.
Clint : Why?
Ryan : I no longer feel safe engaging in “locker room talk” ever since these Libertarian Bros showed up.
Someone who actually believes in freedom and has the courage to take that belief all the way to a logical conclusion.
See also, anarchist.
1. Wow, that libertarian communist doesn't need a boss or a cop to tell her what to do!
2. Mommy, why did Hitler kill libertarian communists, but my teacher never mentions that when he talks about the history of World War II? And why doesn't he talk about the American libertarian communists similarly executed for their beliefs by the U.S. government, like Sacco & Vanzetti, the Haymarket Martyrs, and Joe Hill, among others?
3. Libertarian communists were the first people to fight fascism - against the Spanish Fascist General Franco in 1936. Hitler and Mussolini supplied Franco with soldiers, tanks, and planes with which to kill the libertarian communists, Stalin worked to kill them through his contacts in Spain, while the rest of the world put an embargo on the Spanish libertarian communists. The Spanish libertarian communist revolution and war against fascism, along with the genocide following fascism's triumph, was the first real battle of World War II, which many people never even hear of. It is now conveniently forgotten by just about everyone because we live in a brainwashed world like George Orwell's '1984.' Incidentally, Orwell wrote '1984' after participating in the Spanish libertarian communist revolution and war against fascism, which he documented in his book 'Homage to Catalonia.'
4. Libertarian communist and webmaster Sherman Austin from Los Angeles, California, was jailed for a year in Arizona because he allowed a link to some other website to be published by others on his website. The other website included various incendiary instructions which can be found on thousands of right wing websites which the government will never touch, along with hundreds of thousands of books easily found in bookstores and libraries all over the country, including Guerilla Warfare manuals published and distributed by the U.S. government itself to the public at reduced cost, supported by taxpayer dollars.
5. The governments of every country sure seem to hate libertarian communists, whether communist or capitalist police states. It's probably because libertarian communists speak and act against tyranny from both the "left" and the "right."
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internet libertarians are usually two or more of the following: white, nerdy, male, suburban, (hostilely) atheistic, and well-off. they usually have close-knit, supportive families as well. a true internet libertarian has never lived for long periods of time in anywhere but an affluent suburb. they are naive, sheltered fucks to a tee. they also tend to be less smug and vocal about their politics IRL - they fear (more) social rejection.
internet libertarians are mostly Randites and Ron Paul Revolution groupies. you will find them preaching their Pollyanna-like views of wanton deregulation/decentralization/isolationism in any sufficiently nerdy online venue - think Slashdot, Reddit, or an imageboard with a political discussion section.
they tend to be excessively fond of dense, idiosyncratic video games like TF2 and Minecraft; channers are more likely to be internet libertarians than most other e-subcultures.
you know the asshole who sits in the back of the class, glued to his laptop? the one who smugly interrupts teacher and student alike? the youth who never lacks for anything except friends, but doesn't get along well with people different from him? yeah, that's your average internet libertarian.
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