Libertarianism for Me, Authoritarianism for Thee
As a libertarian I really like this title&#x27;s framing, which is pointing out the rank power-hypocrisy that has permeated every level of our society. The ideas of individual liberty are so far removed from the most egregious victims of the authoritarian system, that talking about problems in an individualist framework simply doesn&#x27;t resonate.<p>Even in HN threads, where for the most part commenters are not staring down the worst abuses on a day to day basis, talking about issues like unaccountable police in the language of individuality, accountability, and law and order is generally ignored. The carrying narrative is instead &quot;more training&quot;, as if simply training criminals better is all we need to get them to stop committing crimes! And while I believe in more humane criminal justice approaches like rehabilitation, yet again it&#x27;s the worst abusers of the system (criminal police) who get the kind understanding approach, while everyone else is subject to the cruel stick.<p>I&#x27;m certainly not advocating that libertarian approaches are applicable everywhere, especially when applied naively or pathologically (eg the Party). But we have way too much single-perspective thinking about problems in general, and individual freedom is a strong analysis framework for pointing out just how bad this hypocrisy has become.