Rothbard's "Left and Right": 40 Years Later | Roderick T. Long

[ForLiberty888]

Mr. Long displays shocking myopia about feminist movement that evolved from liberation movement into a senior partner of affirmative-action victimhood and political correctness hyper-sensitive hysteria.

[scottyparade]

I love you, Professor Long. Ugh. What an amazing thinker.

[ForAVoluntarySociety]

Excellent as usual misesmedia thank you

[StatelessLiberty]

He says "think of it as spontaneous ordure".

[BloodTypeRagu]

wtf the soviet union wasnt socialist. thats hypocrisy of the american 'libertarians' because if you criticize 'capitalism' of today they say that's not capitalism because they have in minf laissez-faire. but when we socialists point out the obvious fact that the soviet union or any of the so called 'communist' countries were not what they called themselves they act like you're insane

[100CommonCents]

@BloodTypeRagu lol we need to do a deal. we'll stop calling the soviet union, socialist, if the left libs stop calling western counties capitalist.

yeah?? deal? (i assume you are anti-capitalist?)

[BloodTypeRagu]

@100CommonCents lol that comments old. anyways yes we do have a deal it is absolutely true that 'capitalism' as it exists in our world is not the capitalism we are taught to think it is. if markets are interfered with regularly by anyone then its not really capitalism in the purest sense. and yes i am anti-capitalist as well as anti state which makes me an anarchist. the one pet peeve i have with austrians like murry rothbard is that they have stolen that label, and that goes for 'libertarian'

[August1977]

Sounds great, I hope someone comes out with a 'Reader's Digest' transcript of this lecture..

[Hostile]

This was fascinating, although I have a question: if Roderick is an "anarchist" then where is his mohawk, his piercings and his Sex Pistols tour shirt? Huh? Yeah, that's what I thought. Poser!

[truevoice08]

I realize that many anarchists do not like achieving liberty through politics and they criticize Ron Paul. I think that no matter how futile Ron Paul's involvement in politics is he still rocked the establishment! So I don't view it as eliminating the mafia by joining the mafia but infiltrating the mafia as an act of defiance. Eventually though, a free society must be achieved outside politics

[CurtHowland]

> Eventually though, a free society must be achieved outside politics.

Exactly. So the "anarchists" are simply enacting that aspect now.

I don't mean the envious types who decry Paul's success merely because he's a politician, there are envious types of all stripes.

Voluntary interaction cannot be achieved through coercion. At some point, coercion must be eschewed. That is the great sea change in thinking that Freedom depends upon and inspires.

[truevoice08]

@CurtHowland You're not a Freedomain anarchist I suppose

[CurtHowland]

I've listened to some of Stephen's stuff, if that's what you mean, but I find at times he's insufferably egotistical.

[Floridanon407]

@CurtHowland All cult leaders are egotistical, they have to buy into their own hype. His psychology books manipulate young adults into something he calls "defoo-ing" and leaves him as their idol. This transfers over into his "work" in philosophy, of which he considers himself the salvation, where he gives trite uninspired arguments paraphrased from earlier more notable thinkers or he just plain plagiarizes.

Anarchist can be a broad term, it sounds like you were channeling Konkin & Agorism.

[CurtHowland]

@Floridanon407 "it sounds like you were channeling Konkin & Agorism."

Or Mises, Rothbard, Ian Freeman, there are a lot of people who have realized that peaceful interaction works.

If Stef is deliberately setting himself up as "leaves him as their idol", I don't see it. Could be that the sad souls who cling to his every word would have clung to someone else's every word, be they Baghwan, Preacher, Politician or Commanding Officer.

Sad to say, nobody worships me.

[Hostile]

@truevoice08 @truevoice08 I consider myself an anarchist and cannot imagine decrying Paul's achievements, since it was he who introduced me and countless others to the idea that there existed an alternative to the "corporatism-vs-socialism" dynamic that dominates political discourse. I think it's a shame that Paul doesn't take his views beyond a belief in the necessity of the state, but whining about his ability to awaken minds across the world seems utterly misguided.

[Floridanon407]

@Hostile He very well may hold positions taken to a more proper conclusion than is evident in statements or his stubborn attachment to the GOP. Being subject to the shifting uneducated sand of the publics opinion (voting) he has to voice things in measured doses until people realize at least the intuitive appeal of what he says.

He's from Texas, there are generations of entrenched "conservative" doctrines to overcome in reaching that innate Texan rebel spirit.

[jgmdavi]

We libertarians must strike out on our own, independently of the left or right. Their goals and interests are not ours, it's just that simple. They're both statist, socialistic, and militaristic. I do agree, however, that libertarians are radicals. But we're radicals for capitalism, not socialism. Therefore, the political left can never, ever be our allies.

[christo930]

If I had to chose (and I hope I don't have to), I would take personal liberty over financial liberty. The "right" has changed far too much and is now a religious and fascist right. I am sickened by religion and militarism.

[Floridanon407]

@jgmdavi Beware, as Long put it so well, the widespread misunderstanding or personal definitions of Capitalism.

Clearly you mean it in the Austrian sense, but the right has over the years effectively perverted the general understanding of capitalism into mercantilism.

[jblive1985]

man rothbasrd was a genius

[currence]

For those interested in how libertarianism is closer to the left than to the right, check out Roderick Long's writings at his website:

praxeology(dot)net

Also check out Kevin Carson's writings, particularly those on what he calls "vulgar libertarianism" (aka, more or less "pot-smoking Republicanism"):

mutualist(dot)blogspot(dot)com

[Coot876]

Ron Paul entered politics to try to reverse the trend towards tyranny. You wanna be intellectuals thinking you are holding a principled position by sitting in front of your computer, doing nothing to solve the problem, criticizing Ron Paul disgust me!

[kulza23]

No progress will be made trying to reform the system from the inside. Outside pressure from change in public opinion and secession are our best hope.

[RedShirtArmy]

Agreed. Independence from a failed and tyrannical system is essential.

[stealthswimmer]

criticizing a politician disgusts you? lol I'm a Ron Paul fan but that statement just doesn't make sense. Nobody's perfect. Most folks say at least one thing that's wrong or at least inaccurate. I think i remember Ron Paul sayin somethin I disagreed with(or slightly disagreed with) forgot what it was though. Pretty much agree with almost all of what he says.

Anyways, just cus you generally agree with someone doesn't mean they're off limits to criticism.

[lukeev]

Agree 100%

[T850CSM101a1676]

Murray Rothbard's ideas made Friedmans' look like crap.

[stealthswimmer]

i think a lot of Friedman's ideas were meant as transition policies and sometimes ppl took them as if he meant them as being ideal. At any rate, i think that you gotta move in steps many times.

I'm just barely startin readin on their stuff but I seen vids and stuff. So far I'm fans of both.

=)

[PvtSchlock]

Ron Paul burned thousnads of desperately, hopefull(somewhat foolish)people. I will never forgive him. What a dirty rotten politician. Had to keep that seat though, because it's important "to the movement." What a grade A jerk. This Long guy is sharp; I have not heard a more compelling anti-statist since reading Wolfe's "In defense of Anarchism".

[eesloan4]

Why are you expressing such antipathy for ron paul? Even if you hate government institutions he is the lease intrusive most pro freedom politician probably in american history. Why not hate all the hundreds of thousands of lesser politicians first?

[PvtSchlock]

But I do hate all the other (millions of)politicians first. I am not content to bitch about the ones here, I loathe the ones in other countries when I find the time. Sometimes in the shower, or waiting in line I mutter hateful things about those jerks in the U.N.! Amazingly, I still find time to hate the I.M.F., C.F.R., world bank and the international bank of settlements. Please don't feel like I singled out your pet hack for hate'n!

[RedShirtArmy]

You have got to be kidding. Paul is a soft-spoken warrior for liberty, peace and prosperity.

[Orenazt]

Did you even understand the argument in the video? If so, then why are you still so enthusiastic about Ron Paul?

[kulza23]

Grow up.

[marxbitesall]

ALL the scholars at Mises are excellent and the vanguards of American style liberty - perhaps the best ones in the entire world - who defend the greatest sentiments pen ever put to paper in our Declaration.

100 years of the compulsory collectivist propaganda of our educrats is closing in on liberty's lynch pin.

freedomforceinternational dot com explains all. Along with the invaluable mises dot org, we may regain our freedom by changing the system from within the same way it was corrupted.

[AiresQX4]

I find it amazing what America has turned in to!! We have become exactly what our founders

were fighting against!!

Only Ron Paul 08'

[stratvic]

The tags Ron Paul and stefbot should be added to this vid. Time stamp 39.00 min (approx).

[undercoveranarchist]

Excellent lecture. Very entertaining and illuminating with a small dose of humor to boot. But there seems to be a censored bit. He says: "think of it as spontaneous ..." and is blanked out to the gasps and moans and laughter of the audience, followed by a "sorry." Then the audio is briefly out of sync.

What did he say?

[misesmedia]

The removed section consisted of noise from the HVAC ductwork, during which Dr. Long paused his lecture.

[smashzaxlebax]

"I don't mean to suggest that evil statists have deliberately conspired to corrupt our language to serve their own nefarious ends. That sometimes happens, of course, but it's not necessary. Rather, a perverse invisible-hand process is at work: the prevailing use of the terms "capitalism" and "socialism" persists because it serves to preserve the statist system of which it is a part. Think of it as spontaneous ordure. (Sorry.)"

[Harpakhrad11]

Long's lecture is without a doubt the best video yet. Long is always interesting.

[mises84]

Mises. Awsome since 1922

[dakatesr]

This is an incredible and very inspiring talk! Roderick Long is awesome!

[brainpolice2]

Awesome speech on an awesome writting.

[Harpakhrad11]

I am the first viewer! Yaaaaaaaaa!