One political question intrigues almost everyone who studies,
participates, or is interested in politics: "Why do people identify
with a certain ideology and/or political party?" Numerous scholarly
and popular books examine political ideology/party identification
and why certain ideologies attract certain individuals. This book
examines that question in two separate, yet joined phases. Why do
people initially identify with the Left/liberalism and why do these
same individuals abandon that ideology to evolve into libertarians?
This inquiry is unique in its focus on former liberals/leftists who
become libertarians. Included are 23 stories from Americans and one
Irishman, baring at least part of their souls to answer these
questions. All contributors at one point identified with the
Left/liberalism. Each explains what originally drew them to the
left part of the political spectrum. Virtually all mention some
version of the popular stereotype of liberals/leftists "caring for
the average person." And all came to see that as a wispy
apparition, based more on intention than fact. A common theme for
why the liberals/leftists abandoned their ideology is the ugly
discovery of the inherent elitism of leftists/liberals. Over and
over in these stories, the contributors give examples of their
liberal/leftist "comrades" explaining how they (liberals/leftists)
are needed to steer the people in the proper direction, for their
own good of course. The true believing leftists/liberals cling to
this illusion. Through many different paths, the contributors to
this volume come to see the anti-democratic, elitist nature of this
belief. An equally common denominator is the lack of respect for,
or even acknowledgement of, personal responsibility in ones
behavior. A core value of the Left/liberalism is victimhood.
Everyone-women, gays and lesbians, people of color, public employee
union members, the working class, and so on-is an actual or
potential victim. As such, any dysfunctional behavior can always be
excused as the result of societal oppression, racism and sexism,
rich people and capitalists, corporations, "the man," and on and
on. Of course, negative external forces do exist, but they are not
always (or even most of the time) the cause of crappy behavior or
failure. Many of the stories in this book note that this refusal to
acknowledge personal responsibility strongly influenced the
contributor to turn away from the Left/liberalism. Of course,
disillusionment with the notion that government action is needed
for every problem-real or imagined-is inherent in turning from
leftism/liberalism to libertarianism. Many contributors expound
upon this theme. Many contributors also cite the power of classical
liberal economic theory-truly free markets-as a factor in their
leaving the Left. Real world examples of the failure of
socialist/welfare state economic policy became too difficult to
ignore. Finally, a minor, yet telling, theme is the lack of humor
or playfulness in liberals and the Left. Several contributors note
the feeling of liberation once they rejected the dour
self-importance of the Left/liberalism. One popular conception of
libertarians is that they are, for the most part, disgruntled old
white guys. While that group is represented, more than 25 percent
of the stories are from women and more than two-thirds are by
people younger than 50. This gender and generational diversity
extends to occupations-contributors include college students, law
students, an attorney, a professional artist, public school
teachers, a chemist, writers, a filmmaker, a law professor, a
stay-at-home mom, a firefighter, the CEO of a $40 million company,
a TV reporter, an editor, the CEO of a free market environmental
think tank, and a research engineer. It is my fervent hope that
this collection of stories will hasten the day when libertarianism
is widely recognized for what it is-the political movement for
adults.
General
Imprint: |
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
September 2013 |
First published: |
September 2013 |
Authors: |
Tom Garrison
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 12mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
228 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4922-7957-0 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Politics & government >
General
|
LSN: |
1-4922-7957-9 |
Barcode: |
9781492279570 |
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