Libertarians are at least closer to us than the other parties. I was raised by a conspiracy libertarian, and while I don’t even talk to my Dad anymore, I can firmly say that the values he distilled in me as a child are what made me a communist. He was more critical over American intervention than anybody else I’ve ever met, he was the first person I saw critically support the national self determination of the Taliban. He was even better on China than most people in the States, constantly asking if I actually believed the bullshit on the TV. He was overall anti-China, but knew way more about the nation than I’ve heard from any other westerner, including calling the Black Book bullshit while criticizing China. If I talked him into it, he’d even be able to admit that Mao was a net good for China as a nation.
I’m probably wrong large scale, but I feel like I’ve seen a certain earnest conviction amongst American libertarians. As if they have decent values at heart, but have given into capitalist brainworms. I’ve shown many libertarians Marx, because Marx is just spitting straight facts in the first two volumes of Kapital, there’s barely even an emotional argument there it’s just pure facts. Usually have to synthesize what he’s saying, but they usually agree with Marx’s criticisms after having it translated.
In America, Libertarians are the most valuable people to convert. They’re already leaving America’s party system, and consider both parties to be controlled opposition. All you have to do is shift their window with Marx (or Lenin, depends on the person) and they will shift.
Libertarians in my (somewhat significant) experience are an even mix of:
Republicans who are embarassed by reactionary social positions, but who reliably support Republicans because they don’t really care about social issues that don’t immediately affect them.
People who would be libs if they grew up in a blue state, but they grew up in a red state so they would be embarrassed to be Democrats (and by virtue of being on the outside share many leftist critiques of Democrats).
Hardcore reactionaries who only want to put a better gloss on “tear down the state so I can hurt and exploit whoever I want.”
Cranks.
Group 2 can be brought around with a little effort, and maybe a sliver of Group 1 with a lot more effort, but there’s a lot of people who are basically lost causes.
Libertarians are at least closer to us than the other parties. I was raised by a conspiracy libertarian, and while I don’t even talk to my Dad anymore, I can firmly say that the values he distilled in me as a child are what made me a communist. He was more critical over American intervention than anybody else I’ve ever met, he was the first person I saw critically support the national self determination of the Taliban. He was even better on China than most people in the States, constantly asking if I actually believed the bullshit on the TV. He was overall anti-China, but knew way more about the nation than I’ve heard from any other westerner, including calling the Black Book bullshit while criticizing China. If I talked him into it, he’d even be able to admit that Mao was a net good for China as a nation.
I’m probably wrong large scale, but I feel like I’ve seen a certain earnest conviction amongst American libertarians. As if they have decent values at heart, but have given into capitalist brainworms. I’ve shown many libertarians Marx, because Marx is just spitting straight facts in the first two volumes of Kapital, there’s barely even an emotional argument there it’s just pure facts. Usually have to synthesize what he’s saying, but they usually agree with Marx’s criticisms after having it translated.
In America, Libertarians are the most valuable people to convert. They’re already leaving America’s party system, and consider both parties to be controlled opposition. All you have to do is shift their window with Marx (or Lenin, depends on the person) and they will shift.
Libertarians in my (somewhat significant) experience are an even mix of:
Group 2 can be brought around with a little effort, and maybe a sliver of Group 1 with a lot more effort, but there’s a lot of people who are basically lost causes.