Like, I know at best they're ambivalent about things like racial and gender equality. But do you think they ever wonder why their movement is almost exclusively white and male? Ever cause them just a bit of self-doubt? I mean, one reason I know socialism/leftism is right and good is the fact that what we stand for attracts people of all backgrounds (at least IRL, not sure about online).
Former libertarian speaking:
No, for two reasons.
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If you're a libertarian who actually hangs out in a physical space with other libertarians then its an almost statistical certainty you're a rich white kid who hangs out with other rich white kids.
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If you're a terminally online libertarian gamer type who is socially awkward and never logs off (like I was) then you get insulated from that moment of realization because everyone you know is behind a computer screen.
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Libertarianism being 95% White dudes just proves to them even more that it's the superior way of thinking because if the inferior colored and femoids can't understand it then it must be the correct way of thinking
I genuinely think everybody here assuming they even notice this is being way too generous. White dude is just baseline normality for them, there isn't anything to notice
This reminds me of a time in high school when one of my (white, midwest, American) friends insisted that they didn't speak Engilsh with an accent
A group of white guys is a group of friends and intellectuals, a group of poc and other genders and sexualities is a political statement
They just think its pure coincidence, maybe subconsciously or the most extreme of them think of it in racist and misogynist terms but for the most part they just think "huh, guess thats just how it ended up" with maybe a "bit odd innit?" at most.
They don't think about social patterns like that. Only a collection of personal decisions.
Seems to me that if they at all begin to question this set of circumstances, they'll either abandon libertarianism or become racists.
Yeah, if they actually get to a point where they think about it thats usually how it goes, but most of the time theres not a lot that ever forces a "Huh, weird how that just happens accidentally" person to face it.
Almost no self-identifying libertarian does organizational things in physical reality unless they're some fancy kid in a fancy university. They're all online cooking up the weirdest stances possible or just slipping into being fascists.
i mean, do you think white DSA leftists ever look around and think maybe it's weird 95% of them are white dudes?
Nah their whole worldview revolves around them being the "default" person and assumes everyone else should be like them. That's why they're all about "work ethic" and "personal responsibility" even though in reality they've been served a lot of their own success on a silver platter.
The thing that gets me is that their best-known texts are novels and children's books. Surely that should be the thing that triggers some introspection. Or perhaps the ones capable of critical thought get the fuck out of the movement once they notice that Adam Smith hated landlords.
Thats not very nice
Calling Ayn Rands books childrens stories is an insult to children.
Liberals are the same way though, only fascists, "intellectual" conservatives and communists seem to actually read history. Obviously, with different perspectives on who the good guys are
Online I know an Indian woman who's a Libertarian. We didn't discuss politics, and I was very close to doing a podcast with her and others in our group, which would've led to me educating them about leftism and all the bullshit they've been told. I think for her, she just doesn't want the government controlling people, is pro-guns, was online a lot when she was younger (she browses 4chan) and still kinda stuck in that anti-SJW, anti-cancel culture mindset, believing that leftists are liberals that just don't get it. I've seen her say "alt-left" and like that stupid "When leftists hate private property but realize they have private parts" meme, so being online and trying to fit in with ppl she might see as different is certainly contributing to the brainworms, despite her being in a community consisting of mostly white males.
She's very sweet and supports the LGBT+ community, she's just misinformed about certain things. I'm not active in the group anymore, but I'd like to get her perspective on how she justifies wanting to be with right wingers, a group that's more likely to not be as accepting of her when they get the society they want. Who does she run to if fascism takes over?
No, they look around and see a bunch of other like-minded individuals who all deserve the wealth they have accumulated.
not sure about online
It's fairly hard to gauge online for a few reasons. The English speaking internet is majority white, it's hard to gauge off it, and the majority of heavy internet users live in the imperial core.
That seems to be the moment when they turn fascist.
“Oh, women and minorities don’t support liberty? We need to keep that in check”
