By: Eric Sharp
I have been called to state that which should be obvious and that hopefully most libertarians realize:
Hopefully you are not one of these people. Maybe you've behaved this way without realizing it and feel pretty bad.
If you're part of the liberty movement then I would hope that you are not an unrepentant jerk.
But let it be said that if we want our movement to be a vibrant, rich, and diverse one then we will need to be self aware and aware of the actions of others within our movement.
We all want to be with someone who shares our values and doesn't think that we are crazy for our political beliefs. It is natural, on occasion, for interests and crushes to develop within groups and movements.
But ...
There are respectful ways to express that and there are creepy and inappropriate ways to express that.
Nominally supporting the political rights of women is not the same thing as acting respectfully towards them. Being a gender libertarian requires a bit more than that.
Using a mutual interest in a political figure or philosophy as a direct pathway to a date (or a bed) is not ok. Messaging a female leader in our movement over facebook or text constantly or inappropriately is not ok.
Not only is it not ok, but behaving this way flies in the face of what libertarianism really truly stands for: respecting one another.
This is particularly important because people join groups and stay in groups because of the sense of belonging and community derived. If you or someone else is destroying the trust between members of the group by intentionally or unintentionally acting chauvanistically or pigish then you are also destroying the fabric of what makes the liberty movement great.
Having organized with people across the political spectrum, individualists have been the nicest and most pleasant group because they respect you as an individual and actually care and listen to you as a person- not just as part of their vanguard or as a "comrade".
So please promote and protect that person to person relationship that exists within our unique movement and don't destroy it by getting carried away by one's passions.
Eric Sharp,
Regular Columnist, THL
Articles | Author's Page
I have been called to state that which should be obvious and that hopefully most libertarians realize:
Just because she's into Ron Paul does not mean that she's into you.
That's right I said it. I've been compelled to say so after hearing of a few hopefully isolated incidents in which otherwise respectable men in the liberty movement have been a little creepy and slimeballish, macking a little too hard and not taking a hint.Hopefully you are not one of these people. Maybe you've behaved this way without realizing it and feel pretty bad.
If you're part of the liberty movement then I would hope that you are not an unrepentant jerk.
But let it be said that if we want our movement to be a vibrant, rich, and diverse one then we will need to be self aware and aware of the actions of others within our movement.
We all want to be with someone who shares our values and doesn't think that we are crazy for our political beliefs. It is natural, on occasion, for interests and crushes to develop within groups and movements.
But ...
There are respectful ways to express that and there are creepy and inappropriate ways to express that.
Nominally supporting the political rights of women is not the same thing as acting respectfully towards them. Being a gender libertarian requires a bit more than that.
Using a mutual interest in a political figure or philosophy as a direct pathway to a date (or a bed) is not ok. Messaging a female leader in our movement over facebook or text constantly or inappropriately is not ok.
*Forgive the syrupy and mono-ethnic images, it's a feat to find PC images of "flirting".
Not only is it not ok, but behaving this way flies in the face of what libertarianism really truly stands for: respecting one another.
This is particularly important because people join groups and stay in groups because of the sense of belonging and community derived. If you or someone else is destroying the trust between members of the group by intentionally or unintentionally acting chauvanistically or pigish then you are also destroying the fabric of what makes the liberty movement great.
Having organized with people across the political spectrum, individualists have been the nicest and most pleasant group because they respect you as an individual and actually care and listen to you as a person- not just as part of their vanguard or as a "comrade".
So please promote and protect that person to person relationship that exists within our unique movement and don't destroy it by getting carried away by one's passions.
Eric Sharp,
Regular Columnist, THL
Articles | Author's Page
