A libertarian's problems with libertarians

I don’t usually attend student conferences of any sort.

As a self-described moderate libertarian, I’m used to being surrounded by people who generally disagree with me. So, when a friend of mine asked me to attend this year’s annual International Students for Liberty Conference, I was unsure how I felt about it.

The idea of spending a weekend among 1,000 people who, for the most part, hold the exact same beliefs as me sounded uninteresting at best and torturous at worst.

And, unfortunately, I wasn’t entirely wrong in my prediction.

There are some things about the libertarian movement I don’t like, which — given my minority status at home, on campus and in the community — I don’t usually have to deal with. These aren’t particular policy issues.

On those, for the most part, I think libertarians are right. Rather, I take issue with the way they carry themselves. And at this weekend’s conference, these bad tendencies were out in force.

At the conference this year, the Fox Business show “Stossel” decided to do a taping. You might remember the host, John Stossel, from his days on ABC’s “20/20.” For the show, Stossel chose to bring on some guests with whom presumably most libertarians would disagree — the idea being to start a debate.

He brought on a member of the socially conservative Family Research Council and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.

As Stossel began asking these guests questions and they responded with answers that didn’t track libertarian ideology to the “T,” they were harangued by the audience of close to 1,000.

People booed the guests’ every answer, shouting “dirty statist” from the far side of the room and lecturing them during what was supposed to be a Q&A portion of the show. At one point, the executive producer even had to stop the show to come out on stage and remind people to act respectful to their guests.

The whole ordeal made me feel as though I was teleported back to the late 1980s and was on set at “The Morton Downey Jr. Show” rather than at a conference full of young idealists and intellectuals.

And here lies the biggest problem with libertarians: For all they say regarding the rights of the individual, they can’t stand it if someone disagrees.

It almost seems as though many of them believe that if you don’t come to the same conclusions regarding particular policy issues, there is something intellectually wrong with you deserving of public ridicule.

Now, this might be symptomatic of all people who are strong proponents of one political ideology or another.

But unlike liberals or conservatives, for example, libertarians are a fringe political movement. They can’t afford to paint themselves in a negative light. They should be doing everything they possibly can to endear themselves to non-libertarians.

Calling the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. a “dirty statist” on national television, however, will not accomplish this. It won’t convince anyone to agree with you. It will only make them stronger political opponents.

If libertarians want to be taken seriously, first they must separate themselves from the anarchists who hang around in their midst pretending to be libertarians. Second, they must take themselves seriously.

Carrying one’s self with respect and dignity, and not ridiculing others if they hold differing beliefs than you, is one place to start. Milton Friedman was a great example of this, and that was why he was such a great messenger for the movement.

I truly believe that most people are libertarians. I believe that most people are in favor of liberal social policies and a government that lives within its means. However, when the ambassadors for the libertarian message are disrespectful, the message, no matter its virtues, is tarnished.

Hopefully, after watching the Stossel show air on Thursday, libertarians will realize this and will be shamed into changing their ways.

If not, I’ll just write columns like these and pray for the best.

­— nperrino@indiana.edu