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[–] thomas_jefferson ago  (edited ago)

As abitstiffyinhere said, libertarianism is often painted as more radical then it really is because it is seen as a threat to existing parties. A lot of people I know, and I think a growing majority otherwise, would identify with the politics if they looked past the media representation of it. Further, what I really like about libertarianism, and what people here have already touched upon, is that there is a lot of disagreement between libertarians. Unlike some other parties you will be hard pressed to find two libertarians who completely agree on everything. The base concepts like individual rights and freedom are common to all libertarians but other than that there are a lot of differing opinions within the group. This is kind of inherent in the party in that people who are individualist tend to be attracted for obvious reasons. This makes it hard to win elections, haha. Voltaire kind of sums it up with his quote about free speech "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." And that's kind of how libertarians are. They do not agree on everything with really anyone, but will fully support their right to disagree.

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[–] gabrielmodesta 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

and resistance to the authoritative nanny state

This is a priority typically held by conservatives, my friend.

Welcome to the middle.

If I argue with a liberal/democrat, they'll see me as a conservative/republican. If I argue with a conservative/republican, they'll see me as a liberal/democrat. I hold very strong beliefs, but as a group, they don't fit at all with either party.

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[–] Condawg ago 

What sort of mess is Sweden currently in? Not trying to poke holes or anything, I just don't follow international politics very closely.

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[–] ixlen ago 

A vocal minority will always support free speech. Conservatives and Left-Libertarians are on opposite sides of the (false) right-left scale, but both are a minority in the media. Conservatives get drowned out by loudmouth nutjobs like O'Reilly, Beck, Bachmann, Palin, etc. Left-Libertarians have to deal with the SJW crowd and the attention whores on Twitter. So they have that in common.

Regarding Sweden. I live next door to them. It's a beautiful country run by idiot fascist hippies. Sad.

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[–] Woden1Eye ago 

I'm becoming more conservative by the day, and it is blowing my fucking mind. the one thing I always hated about republicans was their refusal to deal with dissenting opinions and their penchant for mocking those that did not readily identify themselves with their politics. I feel like I'm living in fucking bizarre-o world all of the sudden

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[–] Mporter9341 ago 

I 100% agree, a few years ago if you asked me how I identified I would have told you I was a liberal lefty through and through. I dont know exactly when things started to change, it was subtle. Things becoming more and more absurd, strange pronouns and feminist policing of my hobbies were what cinched it for me. I felt really bad about how I had become so different from the movement I identified with and found unexpected friends on the far right and right leaning libertarians.

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[–] dijitao 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

I was just having this thought the other night. I'm a leftist, I'm not that old, but I feel completely disconnected from people 10 years younger then me. I care about the environment, education, prison reform, ending American imperialism, getting 'god' out of the state, healthcare reform, the social safety net, closing the wealth gap, etc... but all the 'kids' seem to care about is the right to never be offended by anything ever, and the latest shit show of the police shooting a minority. On first point, I don't think I'll ever understand, on the second no matter what you say you can't get them to look past the individual issue and towards the bigger picture problems that caused it to happen in the first place. Politically I've felt like a man on an island for awhile now.

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[–] attackontitian 0 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago 

As someone on the right with a lot of the same feelings, I don't think you're losing your mind. Or else we both have. Because I feel disenfranchised too.

I'm an economic conservative who is more liberal on social issues, so I'm pretty comfortable being at odds with the right wing establishment. But this whole TPP thing has turned me even further away from them. In the past, I defended some of the people involved. But I can't support legislators that won't tell me about the laws they want to pass on me. That is just a no-brainer. Secret laws set off alarm bells in my head. Unless they tell us what is in it, I'll never vote for anyone who helps it pass, ever again.

It's sort of crazy to think that authoritarian principles (now carried out in secret, no less) have become so common in both parties that libertarianism is now the center you and I are both moving toward. I guess in the end, it comes down to how people prioritize their interests.

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