Tumbclio

Why Libertarians should Support the Occupiers

Now I know you might be thinking that some of these protestors stand for things we absolutely abhor. And I concur; some of the beleifs of some of the protestors are indeed anathema to my own beliefs. For example, universal health care? Eww! More taxes? Yeah right! You also might be concerned that their goals aren’t coherent, that they’re disorganized. Well I’ll tell you that you’re flat out wrong. These people have their act together. They are organized, and they have demands that go beyond vague requests such as “End Greed! Profit = bad!” I’ve actually been to one in person, and unless you’ve gone there and seen it for yourself, don’t try and tell me otherwise.

But after attending one of these protests for myself, and seeing what the people really stood for, and what they believe in, and talking to the protestors in person rather than listening to what your favorite talking-head ideologue has to say, I think us libertarians have a lot more in common with the occupiers than we’d think. Although it is certainly true that some of them hold beliefs contrary to our own, they also share a lot of common views we hold dear. Here are just a few of the similarities we have:

Anti-War: I don’t think I need to explain this. But the good majority of occupiers are 100% imposed to an aggressive, imperialist foreign policy. They want to bring the troops home and shrink military spending, just like we do. That’s something we can all agree is a good thing.

Anti-corporatism: As libertarians, we know how corrupt and destructive our corporatist economy is. NEWS FLASH: So do the occupiers! Although they might disguise it in anti-capitalist rhetoric, after talking to some of them and getting a chance to explain what a genuine free market is all about, I found that a lot more of the occupiers didn’t really think that was a bad thing. In fact I think one or two of them even agreed with me! So really, we both recognize the common enemy: the collusion between state and business. That’s another thing we can all agree on.

Anti-Federal Reserve: Here’s another big one. These folks, whether they be communists or liberals or anarchists or whatever, from my sense of talking to my fellow occupiers, I got a feeling that not a lot of them like teh Fed. Some of them merely want reform, and some of them think the Fed is a symptom of a larger problem (two things I disagree with), but we all agree that the Fed needs to change. At the very least, I didn’t hear or see or talk to anyone opposed to an audit of the Fed, which is a great start. So once again, we are on the same page as the occupiers here.

Pro-civil liberties: One of the speakers at the General Assembly yesterday gave a speech about what she thought were some steps we could take to improve the country. One of her key points was abolishing the PATRIOT act and restoring civil liberties to the people. As libertarians, civil liberties are one of the most important things we cherish and hold close to our hearts. The occupiers are on board with this. They know the police state is here, and if we don’t act out, it’ll consume us all and throw us all in a FEMA camp. Yet again, another issue we can all unite on.

Anti-drug war: A lot of people there also expressed discontent with the War on Drugs. Nearly everyone was pro-legalization of marijuana, and being that it was the city of Detroit with a primarily African-American population, they also recognized the harms done by the prison-industrial complex. The people of Detroit know damn well the damage that narcotics prohibition can have on a community, in terms of human life and freedom. As libertarians, we feel the exact same way. This is just another example of common ground we can stand together on.

Those are just some of the ways in which us libertarians can ally ourselves with the Occupiers. These are issues we all feel the same way on, and if we unite to oppose them, we could change a lot for the better. But perhaps more important than any one single issue, if there’s a reason why you as a libertarian should embrace the Occupation and attend one yourselves, do it to educate people. Never before in my life have I seen such a large crowd of people fed up with the system and the bullshit it’s putting us through. There’s a lot of discontent, and a lot of people looking for an answer. As a libertarian, you know the power of markets and the ability of freedom to spread prosperity among all people, not just the wealthy 1%. Don’t you think this kind of event would be a perfect opportunity to “preach the gospel”, so to speak? get off your computer, get to your local occupation, and spread the word of Liberty! People there are very friendly and love a rousing debate, especially if it’s with someone they don’t necessarily agree with. Of course you should remain respectful and civil, but it’s a great opportunity to educate. If for no other reason, educational opportunity is the reason you should support the Occupiers.