There are zero rational justifications for the existence of a ruling class (“government”). So what the believers in the Divine Right of Politicians have, instead of logical arguments, is contorted retroactive excuses for why they still believe things that are patently ridiculous.
Author: Larken Rose
Larken Rose is an anarchist author best known for challenging the IRS to answer questions about the federal tax liability of citizens, and being put in prison with no questions answered. He is the author of The Most Dangerous Superstition.
A Matter of Scale
At what scale do you suddenly think that human interaction and peaceful coexistence requires, or is even helped by, giving some people permission to forcibly rule everyone else?
Polite Pirates
A: “Greetings. How are you this fine evening?” B: “Well, I was good. Who are you, and why are you pointing a gun at me?” A: “I’m your friendly neighborhood car-jacker, and I will be robbing you tonight.” B: “Is this a joke?” A: “Oh, I assure you this is no joke. I’m a respectable…
Beware of Bitter and Envious People
The concept of “coveting”–not just wanting stuff, but feeling hatred and disdain for someone else for having what you want–is what drives a lot of state collectivism.
The Collision of Two Irreversible Trends
The state huffing and puffing, harassing, demonizing and assaulting people, even outright state-sanctioned murder, has absolutely no chance of reversing or stopping this trend. You can sometimes temporarily scare someone into being obedient, but thuggery is not going to make voluntaryists magically believe in political “authority” again.
Retroactively Undone and Repealed
When cops get caught planting evidence, lying under oath, etc., sometimes other pending or past cases which relied upon the testimony of that cop also get thrown out. Now suppose that that principle was applied to politicians.
Disobedience is a Virtue
When we spend most of our formative years being bombarded with the message—from parents, teachers, the media, agents of the state, etc.—that obedience is a virtue and disobedience is a sin, we “learn” that lie at a very deep psychological level, way beyond merely an intellectual understanding.
The Mutilation of Millions of Children
Just about the most glaring example of cultural bias I can think of is the fact that most Americans view the genital mutilation of young girls practiced in other countries as heinously evil and barbaric (which it is), but view male “circumcision” as just fine.
Bad at Logic or Intellectually Dishonest
A popular dishonest fallacy I’ve seen a lot recently is to point to an example of one individual saying or advocating something stupid or nasty, and saying, “This is what all people who are _________s believe!”
Because You’re a Moral Human Being
“Logic,” according to the border-fetish crowd: If you don’t approve of pointing a gun in some stranger’s face just because he wanted to step across an imaginary, arbitrary line…