Crowds are not a pushback. Look at what happened at the tea parties. They were laughed at! Because they were toothless.
Public protests used to work because they were the expression of power and they implied the threat of action. Now people hold protests just expecting that people in power will give them what they want because they held a protest without threatening them.
People are turning to us because they are horrified at what is happening. If we don’t protect them, if we don’t act on it, they will turn to someone else, someone much more dangerous.
They weren’t toothless. Do you know how hard it is to get people out of their houses to stand around in the cold and protest taxation? That couldn’t, that wouldn’t have happened 2 years ago.
I agree. But the consciousness is growing. There are decades of misinformation, dependency and apathy to roll back. This isn’t going to happen quickly.
Again, I think you guys are overlooking how fervently nationalistic many Americans are. It is a major deal that they were on the street, which is why the media conducted such a prolonged smear campaign against it.
That’s because TPTB understand that if the American people are unhappy with their government, and they are willing to take to the streets, and unlike in Europe, are heavily armed…
One year ago, they laughed at Ron Paul too. No one is laughing at Ron Paul anymore. The next year’s tea parties will be very, very interesting.
A more politically correct climate may make them appear toothless, but they weren’t pointless, & compared to previous revolutionary movements, it’s still too early in the game to make a comparison.
This is one case where I think the constant reference to the American Revolution can be a hindrance, via a possible perfectionist standard, where some may end viewing any amount of argument or protest as ultimately futile, when it is only political action that has been largely rendered futile, not direct action itself.
From what I remember, protesting has been more or less dead since the 70’s in this country, so I view this, on the longer term, as a more symbolic & psychologically purposeful gesture, as well as a pre-cursor to more serious or more effective protests.
Memetically, more must be done to prevent further co-opting, obfuscating, & distortion by the “right” & “left” wings of the Statist parties, perhaps, but I think there has been enough vocal feedback to help this situation already (i.e. internet, mises institute, reddit, etc. etc.).
The one thing I think that the Tea Parties demonstrated was (for the non co-opted demonstrations, anyways) that libertarians, anarchists, anti-statists, etc. can be vocal in an environment and/or society of varying amounts of anti-intellectualism. Quite often, while the libertarian word & creed is excellently explained, it can be too intellectual for many people who are ignorant of it to bother or understand it.
I am however drawing a distinction between “dumbing down” rhetoric, & altering the way in which rhetoric is delivered (i.e. by way of more common language, which I view is one the main strengths of the Rockwellian strategy).
I think further protesting strategy should look at being anti anti-intellectualists amidst a largely anti-intellectualist society, & still managing to get your point across without others completely shutting you out.
Because Ron Paul had a serious message, and his intent was never to win the election to convert people. The tax tea parties are silly attempts to show the government how revolution the Republicans are now they’re out of power, of course, all this after asking the state permission to hold the tea parties on state grounds.
The tax tea parties are toothless, if they weren’t we wouldn’t be waiting for next year to take to the street with guns. They’d be out there already.
No. The Europeans and Canadians are toothless because they turned their guns in. The Americans are not toothless, they are simply not angry enough yet.
A revolution is what we need to stop. It is what the people at the tea party were rallying against. If the leadership of libertarians cannot execute, they will find new leaders.
The state maintains its power as long as no one challenges it. There is no tradition of that in America, but in Europe it has happened again and again and we know how to do it again.
Revolution is just evolution in a different direction.
Sure they will. Because you regard them as dumb and easily lead, instead of regarding them as assets who can be your equal, or your leader, when exposed to another way of thinking. You want everyone to rally behind your flag and your gun, instead of arming them and encouraging them to defend themselves.
Sometimes you’re just as anachronistic in your vision as the LLs are with theirs. Paradigms are changing, man is evolving, knowledge is transmitting, ideas are blossoming. Ideologically, change is coming. Inevitable change.
You’re the one who thinks they are dumb if you believe they will just stick around with people who do nothing in the face of a social and economic catastrophe. People are not dumb. They know weak leaders when they see them, and they abandon them.
This is just salvation cult theology. Change is not inevitable. Change results from action. (Remember praxeology?) People want to act and they are ready to act. If we don’t lead them they will find others who will, and then all will be lost.
Your mistake is that you see leadership as a zero sum game.
And preferences are not static. Remember praxeology.
So tell us about your leadership. Tell me more about the Europeans, who every time I see them protest, are asking for more government or more dole. Tell me about the Europeans who are so fierce in defense of liberty that they burn down private shops and smash property. Please, enlighten us.
Excellent post. I’m sick and tired of the kind of the milquetoast, fuzzy-wuzzy, let’s-not-offend-anyone brand of libertarianism promoted by the “Libertarian” Party, Reason magazine and others. I don’t tone down my rhetoric one scintilla in real life, and if it bothers someone then that’s just too damn bad. Has it sent people running and screaming from libertarianism? Quite the contrary. In fact, I’ve found that stating a non-mainstream opinion with conviction will often make you look brainy.
