The Libertarian Message – Time to Get Real

Libertarians typically see themselves as ambassadors of the message of freedom. But a harsh reality exists: fifty years of messaging has not moved the needle very far.

To be sure, there are far more of us than there were fifty years ago. This is to the credit of every successful communicator. But in the course of half a century, the world has not seemed to move very far in a libertarian direction. If our goal is to see a free society, a real-world assessment would suggest we can do better.

In this essay I will use the term “libertarian” synonymously with “Anarcho-Capitalist”. It includes anyone who identifies as a supporter of individual self-ownership and property rights; and who regards the State as wholly unnecessary and destructive to human progress.

Let’s start with the useless libertarians, and get them out of the way.

Whatever the motivation, many who claim to advocate for liberty are generally failing. The latest example is the COVID hysteria. In early 2020 libertarians could have easily become the vanguard of a popular movement to advocate for individual choice (rather than State action) to deal with the virus. The Libertarian Party in particular remained mostly silent. During a time that called for an unequivocal defense of liberty – and an opportunity to distinguish themselves – libertarians were by and large useless.

But COVID is only the latest example of failure. The same pattern was evident in the months after 9/11, when terrorist hysteria took hold. Pitifully, a great many self-avowed libertarians joined the blood-lust in support of war and the crushing of civil liberties.

Both hysterias “separated the libertarian men from the boys”.

Do us all a favor

When one’s view are unpopular, it takes courage to stand on principle. I would urge you to reflect on your own level of courage. If you lack courage, be honest enough to recognize it, and simply and quietly step back. Those who are consistently principled have enough of an uphill battle.

No one should judge you if you lack courage. But you can be of value by paying attention to those who have it…learning and gaining inspiration from them.

On the other hand, you may find yourself more comfortable aligning with mainstream views that legitimize the State. In that case, kindly de-identify as libertarian, and regard yourself as a member of the traditional camps. Your self-labeling as libertarian may serve your desire to appear rebellious, but it damages the brand. In that case, do us all a favor: stay out of the way.

The remainder of this piece is for libertarians who are, or want to be, useful

And to be clear, “useful” means genuine effort towards making a genuine difference toward the goal of a free society. Being “useful” does not mean: socializing with like-minded friends; venting about the state of the culture; blaming particular Statists, libertarians or conspiracies. All these may help you psychologically; they may help you feel better, or wise, or important…and these feelings may even have personal value. But ultimately, your efforts need to be useful in the real world, and not merely satisfy psychological needs.

Libertarianism’s meager progress

We cannot blame its philosophy for libertarianism’s slow progress. Libertarianism stands alone as a philosophy grounded in an all-but impenetrable edifice of consistent logic and reason. This is all the more powerful given that other ideologies are poorly reasoned, vague or internally contradictory.

Moreover, the ambassadors of liberty have themselves been masters of critical thinking and logic, with an amazing volume of well-reasoned, scholarly work, from both the moral and practical perspectives. They accomplish this through books, essays, journals, conferences, podcasts, documentaries, works of fiction, etc., all of which make unassailable arguments for liberty.

Fifty years of libertarian work clearly demonstrates this. This work has helped build an intellectual base and growing libertarian population.

And yet, fifty years of libertarian work has failed to move the culture any closer to a free society.

If people have not been persuaded by libertarianism, then necessarily, something is in the way.

That something is indoctrination. It is a psychological impediment. And it is the key reason our countless arguments and methods of persuasion have not worked well.

What exactly did we miss?

We have tended to miss the key fact that we are trying to argue past indoctrination.

We have not framed our messages to specifically address the indoctrinated belief in the legitimacy of the State. We forget that this belief is not arrived at by reason, so any challenge to that belief is uncomfortable, and elicits an emotional response.

The True-North goal: publicize the idea that the State is illegitimate

Libertarians have generally failed to identify a clear and specific “True North”. By this I do not mean vague and general goals like “reach a free society”, “get the word out”, or “reduce the State”. I mean a specific message, easily understood, as the key to the rest; a message upon which the achieving of a free society depends.

That simple message is that the State is morally illegitimate.

I am making the case that this should always be front-and-center in your own mind, so it can, in some way large or small, come through in your messaging.

To clarify: I do not mean to suggest that dispelling the myth of the State is an actual strategy. I do mean that it needs to be the goal: the “True North”, so to speak, of whatever strategy you choose to employ.

Why that is the True North

All other major goals of liberty are tenuous so long as enough people believe the myth of authority (as is the case now). Any success you may think you achieve can be undone. If you get a law passed or repealed, it can be reversed. If “your” candidate wins, they can lose the next time. Even if you imagine a situation where the State is somehow eliminated, in today’s world a new State will be put in its place so long as people still believe it to have moral legitimacy.

If you are not convinced the key goal is to delegitimize the State in the public mind, please, refer to this article.

Your messaging style

If you are satisfied with your success at libertarian messaging, I encourage you to continue your efforts. My small but hopefully important suggestion is this: keep the True North in mind, and always seek to explicitly couple your own individual message to that True North.

You may assume this is implied in whatever form of communication you use. But if it is, your audience is not grasping the implication. This can be especially problematic if you use politics as your strategy.

Of course, you want your audience to understand the particular issue you are addressing. But they are rarely given the equipment to connect it to a higher concept. I urge you to, time and again, tie your specific message to the illegitimacy of the State. This will permit your audience to more readily see the connections among all your examples.

It’s not just the State of course

The State does plenty to strengthen the myth of its authority. But the State’s favored institutions often do the real heavy lifting of indoctrination work. In your efforts to delegitimize the State, remember its foot soldiers…

The media

The major media reinforces the State’s legitimacy. So, delegitimize them in people’s minds. And take heart: they are largely doing the job for you.

Over time they make themselves less and less relevant. Alternative media is here to stay, and growing. We also forget that we are in a generational transition. The consumers of the major media are the middle aged and older. You would be hard pressed to identify anyone under 30 who watches much network or cable news. The younger generation is deriving more and more content from alternative media. The major media’s days of influence are numbered.

Big tech, and corporations in general

In the last decade, powerful companies have reinforced the State’s legitimacy like never before. We should delegitimize them in people’s minds as readily as the State and major media. But here again there is reason for hope.

It is more and more publicized how they are the recipients of government favors and bailouts. Many of their statements during the COVID hysteria have been met with public ridicule. They will be unable to counter growing public reprobation. And technological decentralization such as the blockchain will make them less and less relevant with time.

Education

Public schooling and higher Academia are the major reason the young reach adulthood utterly indoctrinated. Libertarians should take every opportunity to ridicule, disregard and bypass these institutions. But once again, their own actions, as well as technology, are serving to reduce their influence. The move toward homeschooling accelerated in 2020 and continues to do so; academic degrees (at least non-technical) are proving to be less and less meaningful in the workplace.

Police and military

As the State’s enforcers, these should likewise be regarded as illegitimate and with contempt. This trend is already underway regarding police, and libertarians should reinforce this. The military remains immune however. For the military, it is easier to get past a listener’s indoctrination if you remember to undermine the legitimacy of the military as an institution. The individuals in the military are generally mere pawns in the process.

Currency

As cryptocurrencies gain legitimacy, government currency will lose in kind. This process is in its infancy. But more than any other area of government influence, the inevitable replacement of fiat with private currency will be a major step toward undoing of the State. Drawing public attention to the inherent instability of government currency is an important part of delegitimizing the State.

Finally, avoid legitimizing the State in casual speech

One way we unconsciously validate the State is in our speech.

If we truly believe the State is illegitimate, then its members’ titles are as well. When we identify them by title, it only serves to convey to our listeners that the title has legitimacy; it carries an aura of respect and validity based on historical tradition. I would suggest you simply use their names, and not “President so-and-so”, “the Governor”, etc.

Similarly, I would suggest you verbally de-couple the State from yourself. Phrases like “our representatives” and “our country” convey legitimacy because they make the State part of your personal identity.