Conservatives, Liberals, and Libertarians

Look around you. Everyone today claims to subscribe to some form of political/social idea. Sometimes they can be defined by what they subscribe to. At other times by what they don't subscribe to.

Don't understand what I mean? Let me explain.

How many times have you heard someone say I'm a [insert socio-political belief system here] and I believe that we should [insert supposedly deriable action here]? Not many, I'm guessing. Why? Because they don't need to. Their beliefs on what should be done are, in fact, completely indicative of their beliefs and leanings. But when they say, I'm a [insert socio-political beliefe system here], but I believe that [insert action here], then you start to really get an idea of what they're all about.

Interesting isn't it? People can be defined better not by what they say they are but what they say they are not, but..

So, why am I writing all this?

Because I want to talk about these groups. These people that we see every day, who have impact on our lives. I want to talk about the Conservatives, the Liberals, and the Libertarians. And what I feel is the primary difference between them. And what is that difference? Simple!

Conservatives believe that no one has the right to be anything but conservative, and they will force governments into making that a law. Liberals believe that everyone has the right to believe in anything they want, as long as they don't harm others - and if they do harm others they'll look for someone (preferably some nice organisation) to stop them from harming others. Libertarians believe that everyone has the right to do or say whatever the hell they want, as long as they don't interfere with everyone else's right to do or say whatever the hell they want, and if you do interfere - well I've got this [gun/knife/broken bottle/sharp pointy stick/fist] that will stop you doing it.

Really. That's all it is.

After all, I know memers of all three communities. And I must confess, I don't really like most conservatives. At least some conservatives I can deal with. The liberal conservatives who are willing to accpet that their opinion may not always be valid. But I really dislike the ones who pretty much say that your opinion is invalid because you're a liberal. In fact, I would go so far to say that I don't like anyone who says that your opinion is invalid because you're a follower of something other than what they follow. On the other hand, I don't really get along with liberals either. This is becaue they are usually not willing to actually do anything about their beliefs. Most of the liberals you meet are the hand-wringing why doesn't somebody do something types who are willing to bitch, moan, and complain, but not to actually do anything. But then, there are a lot of people like that, even in the conservative camp. Those who are willing to talk the talk but not walk the walk. But it's the hand-wringing whiny liberals that give the working, active liberals a bad name.

Then there are the Libertarians. For some reason or the other, Libertarianism tends to attract the more active types of people. Maybe its the fuck you and the horse you rode in on attitude. Maybe its because the whole basis of being libertarian is that you do things for yourself. I don't know what it is, but I am yet to meet an apathetic libertarian.

So why does all this bother me so much? Why am I, who claims loudly and long to be a non-conformist willing to hang this tag on myself? After all, tags are for conformists, right?

But that's, I guess for me at least, the best part of being a libertarian. You are free to conform or not as you want. You can follow the many paths of libertarianism, in fact, there are probably as many paths as there are libertarians. But they all believe in two things. The first is what Lucifer (aka the Lightbringer, and probably the first libertarian) said to Jahweh (the first conservative) - Non Serviam!. I will not serve. The other, is that if you want to get something done, you have got to do it yourself.

So what's my point? I'm not really sure. But I will say this. The biggest problem with conservatives is the fact that they're so successful. Because governments are inherently conservative, at least in the way that they try to control wveryones' lives, cnservatives tend to get more done int eh legal sense. Whether it is the banning of things that conservatives consider bad or carrying out an unnecessary war. Conservatives manage to get it done.

Liberals, and libertarians too for that matter, are willing to sit by and let it all happen.

I think its time we changed that. And I'll start working on it as soon as I finish reading this book.