Bitcoin Forum

Interesting thought experiment

I think it helps tremendously; it's hard to accept other views when you've never been exposed to them.  I realize many libertarians existed prior to the Internet, but their works aren't taught in school which is primarily where people get their views in adulthood from (alongside their parents, most of which aren't libertarian), so it was a miracle that someone be exposed to them.  In fact, I never knew libertarianism existed until I was 21, and I only learned about it through this bitcoin community here; before that I was your typical liberal, but not necessarily out of choice, merely because the alternative was conservatism which is painted as sexist and racist and all the other things no young person likes (of course, they're both like that, but the left is better at obfuscating it.)

Going by odds alone, and assuming I continued to assess politics rationally, I would've probably wound up calling myself non-political until something that made sense came along, in the scenario that I'd never heard of libertarianism.  I've always had an aversion to formal politics, citing "it makes no sense" as the reason, so I doubt that would've changed.

Might have taken longer because all I would have had was mass media and ballot pamphlets published by The State to even learn the word Libertarian.

Libertarianism was bred into me at a very young age, probably like 7-10 age range when I knew government was bad for business. But, with the way things are going today it's surprising that any semi-intelligent person doesn't subscribe to error on the behalf of the individual rather than the state.

Probably not. GWB cured me of "conservatism," but I didn't know where to go from there, really, and I never would've discovered relevant communities and related books without the Internet. I likely would've never even known what a libertarian really was. I'd never even been around anyone who didn't make it known they were Allah-fearing Christians until high school. It's possible I'd still have access to Trotsky, and likely Rand, possibly (unlikely) Nietzsche, but that'd be about the extent outside people I near-wholly disagree with. I'd guess I'd be a very confused "utilitarian communist-sympathizer."

It's hard to say, though. I grew up with the Internet. I can't even imagine how slow everything must've been prior... driving to town just to get information, having to pay a fee and fish out a special ID card. I'm pretty stupid, but my God, I'd know, at most, half as much if I grew up without the Internet. Maybe I'd be more humble, though. :D

Good background stories...looks like votes are split 50/50

I still remember trying to decide who I was going to vote for in the presidential election of 1996.  I went online to see if there was a website that clearly laid out where all of the candidates stood on the issues.  I found a site that had sent a questionnaire to all of the candidates including several third party candidates.  IIRC Bill Clinton and Bob Dole declined to even respond to the questionnaire.  Until then, I didn't think there was anyone in American politics that felt the way I did about the drug war, the income tax, etc., but Harry Browne proved me wrong.  I read his responses to the presumptuous questions and was blown away.  I've been a libertarian ever since, although I don't waste my time voting anymore.  :)

OK looks like the internet was necessary for most people

I actually became a libertarian through a lot of reading. Ayn Rand, John Locke, Friedman and some of the founding fathers. It became clear that there was a positive correlation between standard of living and level of freedom among different kinds of government.

I found that modern conservatism is not the intellectual off spring of classical liberalism and libertarianism was.

 

Sure made it easier, the internet and the computing age has given rise to digital cryptography which provides (almost) trustless anonymity and privacy. Especially with FATCA, Bitcoin being the 2nd Revolution of the Internet will change how the state controls capital which has been far too long.

shit back to a tie 6 and 6!

The decentralised nature of the Internet and pervasive access to alternative viewpoints not covered by mainstream media sources certainly has accelerated this trend, but I would like to believe I would have gotten there eventually regardless

There are a lot of uncertainty in the universe. One thing I can be absolutely certain is, without the internet, I will still be a dumb-ass.

same here; just maybe sped it up a bit

I do not think today's Internet helps the libertarian cause. Most people are just following others on facebook, and few are rejecting the system. I'd say quite the opposite, they like to be part of it.

I don't. I burned my social security card in 1991, and I thew away my TV in 1993, before I heard of the Internet.

Internet is double edges sword, there will be mob behavior and people who believe in whatever other said.

And then there are other who do due diligent and analysis before taking actions.

no, i would not be

No it was people beating the shit out of me on forums which made me see how socialized and indoctrinated i was.  Then learnt more via videos on youtube.

Internet = Information liberated

Bitcoin = Money Liberated

really being attacked led you to learn?

Same for me, I got into an argument about gun bans on this forum that finally broke me into libertarianism.

So, are you pro-gun ownership or ban gun ownership?

If I was for banning guns, I wouldn't be a libertarian :P

yeah you'd be a LINO, (liar)

or Libertarian In Name Only

We need to do away with the political parties - parties are for when the work is over and there's only work to be done in the US political system - they're causing the inactivity among politicians.

The existence of political parties supports the face-off or opposition attitude. We need a political system that rewards politicians for working together, compromising, getting things done.

Unfortunately, we may have passed the tipping point of correcting our political system. The pride of going into that profession is so low that the best and brightest would dare not apply for an open opportunity!

But you haven't met this guy have you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz_V4lRdtjo

isnt stateless society a complete utopia? Do you understand that communism was meant to be stateless? What happend is that Government was tool to change capitalism into socialism,than into communism, but it has frozen in socialism, becuase government did not want to go away. There never was communism, becuase communism is stateless.

but really why wouldnt somone start slave trade if there is no government? If i would be rich I would have my private army, and If i would be smarter than my competition, I would Dominate world by economic or brutal power, who would stop me? Sheeps?

All part of economy that is not legalized by government is in hands of mafia bosses, if there is no government and police system, than everything will end up in hands of mafia bosses. That is natural mechanisms in society without legal authority.

Interesting notions. Is that what you take from Marx? Didn't know that

Agreed altho are you talking about libertarians generically or conservative libertarians.

So who is the other statist here?

Internet has made me understand that Libertarians really don't get real world...

Fixed

Haha, I just noticed two people admitted to statism

I wouldn't know that I am one but I would still be one; I would be less confident in my ideas because it is hard to admit that you have been lied to and that your government is being violent against you because it makes you a victim

I'm not so sure about that. There's not really a marijuana mafia, AFAIK. The government doesn't crack down on marijuana too hard, and there's more than a handful of young people willing to get into the business independently. It's quite different for drugs like cocaine, where governments respond extremely harshly, thus requiring a high level of organization and funding to stay alive and outside jail - and with stakes so high (because of the government), it's definitely going to encourage a very aggressive/deadly environment.

Prostitution has a similar situation, with a very "normal" rate of mortality compared to other jobs, though a high rate of violence where illegal. Though all we hear about are abusive pimps and gangs in news and movies, a recent study (http://www.medicaldaily.com/myths-about-underage-prostitutes-pimps-lure-girls-sex-trade-very-few-cases-276688) found only ~10% of underage prostitutes had a pimp. For adult prostitutes, this was 7% in Miami (http://www.gwu.edu/~soc/docs/Weitzer/Prostitution_Facts.pdf), though stats on this are hard to come by. Either way, there clearly isn't some pervasive hooker mafia/union.

Poll results seem about even but there is no use in speculating about this because it can never be proven.

I disagree. There is a lot of good discussion coming out of this. Maybe you meant no good information is coming from the poll only

I guess if I'd stopped to think about it but it is possible that I would not think the same way about many things if it weren't for the internet.  But I'd like to believe I would have taken a very long time and I would probably just be learning what it meant to be Libertarian at a very old age.  In regards to the present day, I'd like to think that I've always been so but I just didn't realize it until now.  Knowing the history of my country makes it the only logical political ideology from my point of view.

What country?