Senior government and politics major
I am an unabashed advocate for liberty. I firmly believe in people’s right to exercise free will over their economic and personal lives. I strongly detest the government intruding on these inherent rights, and I profess that the government should fear the people, not the other way around.
While the Libertarian Party is far more attractive than the two-headed beast that controls our government today, I struggle to see the Libertarian Party as a viable provider of necessary change.
Most people would agree with this because Democrats and Republicans rule the political process. The Libertarian Party will very sparingly win local elections and struggle to gain even 5 percent of the popular vote in national elections. These concerns are legitimate and difficult — though not impossible — for the Libertarian Party to overcome.
Some would say the obstruction to the Libertarian Party’s success is its extreme views. But extremity isn’t the issue — while some proposals, such as reinstating the gold standard, are highly improbable, the Libertarian philosophy is essentially one of consonance. In contrast, both major parties hold contradicting beliefs: Republicans promote free markets and traditionalism, and Democrats promote regulated markets and social progressivism. Libertarians support free markets and individual liberties, and thus recognize freedom as overlapping, universal and indivisible.
So if the Libertarian Party’s philosophy encompasses what I believe, what’s the problem?
Libertarianism as a philosophy is markedly different from libertarianism in action. In the pursuit of political successes, the Libertarian Party has somewhat shunned the underlying principles of their philosophy.
First, if libertarians are against the use of force, then how does forcing libertarian views on people do to help anything? Supposing a libertarian actually was elected to an office of national importance: Would that mute concerns about this use of force? Would centralized government planning suddenly become acceptable to so-called proponents of smaller government? One could argue the Libertarian Party would reduce force, not implement it, but I can’t see losing centralized control over individual lives.
These questions give rise to my main rift with the Libertarian Party: its misrepresentation of the concept of freedom. In the political arena, ideas clash as people try to portray their opinions in the most attractive light, to convince most people of the truth of their views. For the Libertarian Party, this has resulted in a dull, stripped-down version of what freedom truly means.
Libertarians will often proclaim that people should be able to do whatever they want, so long as they do not harm someone’s life, liberty or property. Unfortunately, this sophistication often translates to petty versions of freedom. Thus, the libertarian message shifts from noble self-responsibility to a “YOLO” mindset of individualism. Instead of working toward something greater, the focus rests on promoting an attractive “Do whatever you like with no regard for anyone because you’re free” attitude.
Freedom isn’t just about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. True freedom is about owning your thoughts and owning your consciousness. True freedom represents keeping your thoughts free from any institutional or societal influence, such as the media, politicians, pop culture and consumerism. True freedom means you have recognized your ability to accomplish your dreams, to accomplish anything in life without fear of these societal pressures.
The Libertarian Party seeks to do good in a realm of evil, but it could never do enough. It merely seeks to control a system that already has us in an unconscious spell. But why waste energy on this deeply ingrained system that doesn’t promote inner freedom? The alternative course of action, then, is to create real change in local and communal lives. By promoting self-sufficiency and self-discovery, we can make ourselves more free.
Tommy Creegan is a senior government and politics major. He can be reached at tcreegandbk@gmail.com.
