THE BIG BAD STATE
One of my main criticisms of Libertarian thought is that the State is portrayed as unnecessary and a roadblock to freedom rather than an enabler and source of freedom.
It is this simple.
You cannot have "rights" without a State to enforce them for you. "Rights" are just as arbitrary a construct as "ethics." They only work when a stronger force than yourself props them up.
For instance, right now, what do you think is keeping you safe in your home, neighborhood, and, on a larger scale, the nation in which you reside? Is the goodwill of mankind? Or is it the protection money you pay the State in the form of taxes? I'd argue it's the latter.
You may be able to protect yourself against criminals with guns and various other means, but imagine a scenario where the buffer (the State) was completely removed and anarchy was allowed to bloom. The few instances where you were self-reliant and able to protect yourself would be meaningless in the face of the masses trying to loot you, kill you, rape you and do whatever harm they may. The State serves a floodgate to keep you from being completely drowned in anarchy. It's not perfect, but it is the least worse scenario available.
Now imagine not having a buffer to OTHER STATES that could be WORSE and impose HIGHER TAXES and STRICTER RULES upon you. All of the sudden you are wishing for SOMETHING, dare I say a STATE, to stop this incursion upon your "rights."
You see, you had jack shit to begin with. You were born with the right (in the true sense) to kill or be killed or pay money to someone else to kill for you. That's the whole structure of civilization, genius. A group of clever people got together and said, "Hey, we're really tired of sleeping with one eye open worried about being killed in our sleep. I mean, we barely had time to invent the wheel with all of the rampant clubbing and our women being drug off to caves by their hair to be raped. How about we set up a violent money-operated structure and offer a protection racket to those who live in the area? Those who pay will be within the "State," those who don't will be dead. This way we would set ourselves up as the masters and have lots of time to invent stuff."
In sum, you cannot have civilization without Tony Soprano. Get with the fucking program.
It is this simple.
You cannot have "rights" without a State to enforce them for you. "Rights" are just as arbitrary a construct as "ethics." They only work when a stronger force than yourself props them up.
For instance, right now, what do you think is keeping you safe in your home, neighborhood, and, on a larger scale, the nation in which you reside? Is the goodwill of mankind? Or is it the protection money you pay the State in the form of taxes? I'd argue it's the latter.
You may be able to protect yourself against criminals with guns and various other means, but imagine a scenario where the buffer (the State) was completely removed and anarchy was allowed to bloom. The few instances where you were self-reliant and able to protect yourself would be meaningless in the face of the masses trying to loot you, kill you, rape you and do whatever harm they may. The State serves a floodgate to keep you from being completely drowned in anarchy. It's not perfect, but it is the least worse scenario available.
Now imagine not having a buffer to OTHER STATES that could be WORSE and impose HIGHER TAXES and STRICTER RULES upon you. All of the sudden you are wishing for SOMETHING, dare I say a STATE, to stop this incursion upon your "rights."
You see, you had jack shit to begin with. You were born with the right (in the true sense) to kill or be killed or pay money to someone else to kill for you. That's the whole structure of civilization, genius. A group of clever people got together and said, "Hey, we're really tired of sleeping with one eye open worried about being killed in our sleep. I mean, we barely had time to invent the wheel with all of the rampant clubbing and our women being drug off to caves by their hair to be raped. How about we set up a violent money-operated structure and offer a protection racket to those who live in the area? Those who pay will be within the "State," those who don't will be dead. This way we would set ourselves up as the masters and have lots of time to invent stuff."
In sum, you cannot have civilization without Tony Soprano. Get with the fucking program.
posted by Noel at
5:49 PM
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