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Reason Magazine Addresses That 1976 "Holocaust Denial Edition"

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StephenMeansMe7/27/2014 12:08:40 pm PDT

re: #5 wrenchwench

I’m leaning toward the conclusion that libertarianism and racism go together because when you look at economic outcomes, you have to explain why, with fairly free markets, and not-too-regulated capitalism, members of minority groups fare more poorly than whites, without using an explanation that undermines the belief in the inherent goodness of free markets. They need to blame the victim.

Misogyny too. If women aren’t doing well, it’s because they have different priorities than men and aren’t going for the gold (so to speak) the way men are.

Liberty does not fail, it has only been failed.

The association can be more or less explicit depending on how someone comes to believe libertarian theory. The Bundy Ranch folks, for example, have that really repugnant history going back to slavery apologists. Very much a “freedom for me, the rest of you can get fucked” attitude. I’ve found that libertarians who go on about “natural law” (that is, ~90% of libertarians) are most prone to saying stupid things.

I know and have spoken with some younger people who identify as libertarian but have way more sane beliefs… only time will tell if they take over the movement or lose their patience.