You might be a socialist if….
by Keith Farrell
Libertarians come in all forms. But many have latched onto certain beliefs that actually contradict core libertarian tenets.
#5. GMO Labelers
Not only is science not in the corner of misguided individuals who want to label GMOs, but wanting to do so is actually supporting even more regulation over food labeling. While libertarians will curse the FDA for blocking access to new drug treatments, cronyism, and being wholly unnecessary in the field of medicine, many contradict themselves by wanting to award the FDA more power over what goes on our supermarket shelves. Because awarding the government with power over that will never result in a system which favors their cronies while heaping huge costs onto the little guy, right? Wait, that pretty much happens every time government gets involved in regulating an industry…
There are other problems, too. Genes spread. Cross pollination or breeding will carry modified genes into the fields of farmers that never asked for them. Even if it were possible to determine what is GMO and what isn’t, big companies like Kraft can afford the extra costs, while small farmers who wind up with GMO crops because of wind cannot.
The market should determine what labels are needed and what people want to eat. Asking the government to establish rule over food markets, violating the rights of private companies who produce and sell food, in the pursuit of a greater good that can only come from government force is rather socialist.
#4. Conspiracy Theorists
It is not to say the man does not conspire, but rather that the same factors which make the economy unmanageable make large-scale conspiracies impossible. Libertarians hold at the core of the economic beliefs and understanding that central planning doesn’t work. As Hayek wrote, the economy is so complex, with so many parts, advanced through the actions of so many individuals in accordance to their will, it is impossible to control and manage to any desired ends. Society is just as complex as the economy it produces. It cannot be controlled to a desired end. There are just too many variables.
If you believe the world can be controlled by a small group of men, you have conceded a belief in central planning, and if central planning works, libertarianism is wrong. If you don’t believe in the ability of people to successfully engage in central planning, you must also reject grand secret conspiracies.
#3. Social Justice Warriors
While most SJWs will identify as socialists of one stripe or another, some very confused libertarians keep asserting Marxist views on society based on collectivist labels of gender, race, or class.
Libertarians are individualists. Individualists reject the notion that all people sharing certain traits or features have the same life experiences, the same views, culture, or hardships. SJW’s view society through collectivist lenses. They don’t examine the individual, they identify individuals only as part of groups in conflict with other groups.
They are constantly looking at and discussing oppression of groups by other groups or institutions. This classification of everyone into groups ignores the real complexities of individuals. All white people are not the same. All black people are not the same. This seems elementary, but without this assumption the SJW’s outlook is rendered useless.
#2. Anti-Corporate Activists
Usually these people are advocating we “buy local” or boycott things. While voting with you dollars is an effective strategy, the basis of their reasoning is an illogical bias against corporations. They think big corporations hurt local businesses and communities and that local government should keep these parasitic businesses like Walmart out of their communities.
A few points; the first being that buying local does not keep the money local. Usually, even small stores are buying goods from out of town, out of state, and even out of country. Secondly, small stores cost consumers more money, leaving less money in the community. Lastly, big stores like Walmart actually increase foot traffic to small businesses in their communities by attracting out of the area shoppers, and they aid small businesses by carrying their products on their shelves.
From the Occupy Wall St movement to the Buy Local initiatives, self-identified libertarians who are very confused find themselves marching with socialists. That’s because these are socialists movements geared towards hurting corporations. Libertarians are supposed to celebrate and advocate for economic freedom for all, big and small, rich and poor. Bias against big and successful is actually asserting that companies shouldn’t get that big or succeed that much. Those ideas are wholly opposed to libertarianism.
#1. The “Everything I see on TV is a Lie and Distraction” Crowd
Believing the media is nothing more than programming and that television in its whole is a distraction, again ignores the impossibility of controlling such a large, diverse industry. It also ignores profit motive, which libertarians know is what really drives the world.
Media is an echo chamber. They chase ratings and advertising dollars. That is it. If Americans all decided that pink ponies were awesome, tomorrow they would be all over the TV. That’s it, it’s that simple. No, Bill O’Reilly isn’t really trying to convince you of anything, he’s preaching to the choir. That’s what pundits do, they give the audience what it wants, and otherwise they have no audience.
And entertainment isn’t a grand conspiracy to dumb people down. People always have liked entertainment. From gladiators to Shakespeare to modern TV, people enjoy being entertained and will pay money for the pleasure. This is as old as humanity itself. Profit motive encourages networks to design better and better entertainment. People enjoy it and there is nothing wrong with that.
In a free society, free expression, profit motive, and the pursuit of happiness produce lots of popular culture. It’s a good thing! Saying all we should only be concerned with matters of the state is very Stalinesque. Freedom means people will enjoy themselves in different ways. It doesn’t make them a “sheep.”