On March 26, 2020, at the once excellent but now mostly defunct website Daily Anarchist, Seth King broke almost five years of silence by publishing a piece that contained the following statement: “I don’t think libertarians, be they minimalists or anarcho-capitalists, are ever going to realize their dreams in this life. Freedom just isn’t popular.”
Unfortunately, I’m inclined to concur. Libertarians are people who place a premium on freedom. All other people do not — even in spite of what they might say, or otherwise believe.
Non-libertarians generally care about only two things:
1.) A sense of security — even if it’s a false one.
2.) A means by which to get “their” slice of the proverbial pie… regardless of where that comes from. They may not believe in engaging in robbery, extortion, or blackmail themselves — but in their view, when government does so under the rubric of “the common good,” that’s perfectly okay.
