Is Dilbert's Scott Adams a Libertarian?
Back in 1999, Reason interviewed Dilbert creator Scott Adams. My favorite bit was his response to this question:
Reason: How do you define yourself politically?
Adams: I find that I do not align with any well-established political viewpoint that has a name associated with it. So I've called myself pro-death. I looked for what commonality there is in all of my work and in all of my political views and realized that I support abortion, capital punishment, and a strong military. When I put together the things I'm in favor of, the only thing they had in common was that they all ended up killing someone, whether it was a fetus or a terrorist.
Reader Mike Kelty points out that Adams is addressing the politics question at his Dilbert blog:
People keep asking if I'm a Libertarian. Chat sites and web sites and blogs have devoted considerable time to this ultra-important question. I thought it was time to clear up things.
To see if Adams comes out or not, go here.
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Always liked him, guess now I know why.
I wish people who favor using the power of the state to kill other people would just stop calling themselves libertarians.
I would like conservatives and liberals so much better if they were as honest as Scott Adams.
Smappy: Why do you want the FCC to regulate cable TV?
Honest Conservative: Because no one should watch what I wouldn’t watch. Also I’m too lazy for parenting.
Somehow, the honest answer manages to be charming in comparison to what we usually hear.
He’s basically a populist: against government when it interferes with what he wants to do, pro government when it makes other do what he wants them to do, and driven primarily by emotional whims rather than any set of rationalized principles.
Wait, doesn’t everybody form political opinions like this? I only wind up in the libertarian camp because I’m ornery enough to demand rights I don’t want to use, like guns, meth, man-sex, and relatively unregulated business ownership.
” I take sides with whatever viewpoint is good for me personally. […] Take smoking in public; I favor banning that because I don?t like to be around it. […] On the issue of motorcycle helmets, my first choice would be to make them mandatory, but only for people that I think deserve to be alive. […] Being an Ignorantselfishertarian isn?t as bad as it sounds. Usually what?s good for me is coincidentally good for most of the people in the world too. That?s why I call myself good people.”
So he is a selfish populist. Ugh. Don’t associate yourself with libertarianism. ‘I don’t like X, so the government should ban X’ is exactly the problem with “ignorantselfishertarianism”. Because what happens when alot of other people get together and ban something that Scott Adams likes, simply because they don’t like it?
This “philosophy” is admittedly ignorant, but it’s ignorant at the most important level: Banning shit is all peaches ‘n’ cream, as long as they’re banning the shit you don’t like. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Why is that so fucking hard to swallow?
So, in other words, Scott Adams is an ignorant asshole who doesn’t really care about anyone but himself. I think he should call it “assholitarianism” instead.
From what I’ve read of him, he’s not a libertarian so much as just an ornery guy, who will disagree with certain things not on principle, but just because he feels like disagreeing.
maybe I should start calling myself a fuckoffitarian
“Wait, doesn’t everybody form political opinions like this? I only wind up in the libertarian camp because I’m ornery enough to demand rights I don’t want to use, like guns, meth, man-sex, and relatively unregulated business ownership.”
Gnat:
Not all political philosophies are adopted for immediately self-serving reasons. Some adopt them because they believe that, in the long run, it will be better for them, and better for their community/people/clan/species, etc.
But, again, the severe lack of the “do unto others what you would have them do unto you” mentality in most political philosophies is disappointing. Most don’t think past the present, to another time where the tables may be turned, and something that they value may be taken from them using the same political philosophy. This ignorance can be seen clearly in Scott Adams’ “assholitarianism’.
Adams has frequently been called out by PZ Myers of the science blog Pharyngula for carrying the water for Intelligent Design.
Evan:
So the distinction here is between being self-serving in the short term and being self-serving in the long term? Or, put another way, being stupid or smart about your self-interest?
Actually, that makes quite a bit of sense.
Is it just me, or does the whole “I don’t like X, we should ban X” mentality seem extremely immature, childish, juvenile? Every time I try to put myself in their shoes, I end up feeling like I did when I was an early teen. I was just getting to see the world more clearly, and I noticed a bunch of shit I didn’t like. And since I didn’t like them, I couldn’t believe that people were allowed to do them.
My immaturity and lack of intellectual experience prevented me from seeing the other side of the coin—that not everyone agrees with me, and maybe some other people might want to ban stuff I liked.
So, um, it occurs to me that this kind of philosophy is pretty much just immaturity.
As some of you know, I’m also pro-death, but I’m with speedwell that I don’t want the state doin’ the killin’.
He calls himself a “Ignorantselfishertarian”. He never tries to steal one of our secret decoder rings and claim to be on our team. I gotta respect him for that.
Is libertarianism a philosophy or a personality trait? Discuss.
My question is: Why should we care what Scott Adams thinks? So maybe the guy’s take on political philosophy doesn’t match your ideals…. SFW? He’s a cartoonist. A incredibly gifted cartoonist, but still just a cartoonist.
I’ve yet to discover why we expect our society’s artists, peformers, and athletes to also be our shining beacons of truth and paragons of virtue.
How about we just let them be entertaining and leave it at that?
gnat,
Maybe all philosophies are closely tied to the personality traits of those who embrace them.
Russ,
It’s just a discussion about what he said on his blog. Not that it matters in my life what he calls himself.
But, Russ, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret of mine (don’t tell anyone, ok!?): sometimes, I like to discuss things that don’t have an immediate effect on my life!
Crazy, I know, but, that’s just who I am.
;-
David
I think few are willing to admit that though
Russ R,
I can’t believe you said that.
One of the main goals of living is figuring out how to persuade others. If Scott Adams could be a tool of ours, it would be dynamite.
He never tries to steal one of our secret decoder rings
I don’t know about that. Mine’s missing.
I have to agree with thoreau here: with all the so-called libertarians you hear about in the MSM that definitely aren’t libertarians, it is nice to hear one suspected of libertarianism, but isn’t a libertarian, basically come out and point to several examples where he is not in fact a libertarian.
Call his philosphy assholitarianism if you want, but he is basically a typical Republocrat with a mixture of both statist and non-statist leanings. In other words he is like most Americans who have never been forced to debate the intellectually inconsistent philosophy they hold, even if they don’t recognize they actually have a philosophy.
I personally will call him an ordinary American who is funny as hell. I’ll leave the asshole comments to those who believe everyone who is not an immaculate conception libertarian is a baddie. It takes time, and almost always some help, either in the form of a book or face to face discussions, or something else, before people come around to becoming a more-or-less libertarian. (In my case it was reading Free to Choose about fifteen years ago that made the lightbulb go “ding”, with some follow up research on my part). Clearly most people haven’t gotten there yet.
He’s a small-d libertarian.
A dilbertarian.
“sometimes, I like to discuss things that don’t have an immediate effect on my life! ”
I never suggested that the issue should not be discussed. Merely that we seem to be giving far more significance to Adams’ opinions than they should merit. Now, if he want’s to give a lecture on humour or cartooning, I’m all ears.
This is reminiscent of Bono’s activism on social causes, Penn Jilette’s opinions on politics, or Pamela Anderson’s thoughts about the ethical treatment of animals.
The fact that these people are justifiably lauded in their respective fields, does not in any way make them authorities in other, unrelated fields.
I concur with the happy juggler’s comments.
Feel like passing, juggler? I’ll bring the machetes if you bring the torches.
Russ R,
Whatcha think of Walter Cronkite’s opinion of the War on Drugs?
This is reminiscent of Bono’s activism on social causes, Penn Jilette’s opinions on politics, or Pamela Anderson’s thoughts about the ethical treatment of animals
Just how is it that you know about these opinions? It’s because they are famous and people listen to them because of that fame. They have the power to open minds that otherwise would have been closed. Only a masochist who loves liberty but also loves to be governmentally coerced wouldn’t want fabulous free advertising like that to help the libertarian go mainstream somehow, someway, sometime.
The fact that these people are justifiably lauded in their respective fields, does not in any way make them authorities in other, unrelated fields
Ok, I can’t resist. What field exactly is Pamela Anderson justifiably lauded?
It takes time, and almost always some help, either in the form of a book or face to face discussions, or something else, before people come around to becoming a more-or-less libertarian. (In my case it was reading Free to Choose about fifteen years ago that made the lightbulb go “ding”, with some follow up research on my part).
This reminds me that a big part of Christianity is the “conversion story” as a compelling way to help others relate to how you “gave up your life to Christ” or whatever. Maybe we could make the same prinicple work for libertarianism? Without all the God stuff, that is.
So happyjuggler believes that Scott Adams could be a great tool, while several others think he already is a huge tool?
“In other words he is like most Americans who have never been forced to debate the intellectually inconsistent philosophy they hold, even if they don’t recognize they actually have a philosophy.”
I agree, and would add that most people don’t even see a reason to have an intellectually consistent philosophy in the first place. Although the posters here probably shudder at the idea of carrying around this kind of cognitive dissonance, most people (when you call them on it) will simply shrug and be annoyed at you.
I haven’t read Dilbert for over ten years, but that blog post made me laugh; maybe I should go to Borders and look at some of those old Dilbert books.
Timothy,
Yea, verily, we all have traveled that road to Damascus a time or two.
I do think libertarians need to consider why people would assume that Scott Adams is a libertarian, when he clearly isn’t.
Is there some flavor of “ignorantselfishertarianism” in the positions of your average libertarian? SA’s positions are backwards from the (schematic) libertarian… ban what I don’t like instead of “let me do what I like”
Sounds the same to many people’s ears. The question is whether it is really a different position, or just positions that require different rationalizations.
Pam Anderson is lauded in the fields of nudity and big breasts, Juggler. These are, mostly, justifiable accolades.
Being a selfish populist wouldn’t be as much of a problem if people fought as hard for the things they like to do as those who fight to make sure they can’t do them.
I always wonder why the banners are so much more motivated than the bannees?
I wish people who favor using the power of the state to kill other people would just stop calling themselves libertarians.
You don’t have to be a pacifist to be a libertarian, you know. There are circumstances where a legitimate core function of the state (protecting its citizens from force) entails killing some people.
He calls himself a “Ignorantselfishertarian”. He never tries to steal one of our secret decoder rings and claim to be on our team. I gotta respect him for that.
I don’t know that I respect him for that so much as I am relieved that he did not desecrate the word, “libertarian”. The last thing libertarianism needs is to be portrayed incorrectly by people with no consistent value system, like Scott Adams.
…. SFW? He’s a cartoonist. A incredibly gifted cartoonist, but still just a cartoonist.
Incredibly gifted? Hardly. I wouldn’t call his artwork “incredibly gifted” in any sense of the word, unless you mean “gifted” like “special”, as in “Special Olympics”. I could’ve probably done artwork as good as his as a wee 4th grader. A pointy-haired boss? Come on. Give me a break.
The inside of your nose is your own property, and if you don’t want smoke on your property
you should take reasonable precautions against it, like wearing a mask or staying away from places where you are likely to get smoke in your nose.
The last thing libertarianism needs is to be portrayed incorrectly by people with no consistent value system, like Scott Adams.
That might be an upgrade from the blue colloidal silver man.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Jones
Penn and Teller may be skeptics, but they are hardly informed skeptics regarding good vs. bad science on the issue…despite the cool card tricks.
Start here:
http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/tcrb/monographs/10/m10_complete.pdf
Yep this is put out by the government, but it summarizes hundreds of studies that converge on the same result, and reviews the critics and advocates.
I like the protection of my nose property argument…
It is the same logic as right to choose…;-}
I never thought of it that way. The inside of your nose is your own property, and if you don’t want smoke on your property…
Yeah. Health risks have nothing to do with it. I don’t like being where people are smoking because I don’t like breathing smoke.
On the other hand, some people like breathing smoke. This is one of those situations Coase worries about. If a smoker and I are in the same room, one of us is going to be unhappy about it.
The libertarian solution is easy when the room is private property: Whichever one of us owns the room gets to decide, subject to bargaining and contract. In Scott Adams’ analogy, you can litter all you want on your own property (unless it’s wetland, but that’s another argument).
It’s only on public property that the situation gets fuzzy…
Second hand smoke is like litter in my nose.
So is any scent you don’t like. Shall we ban flowers, scented soaps and perfume?
And people who go more than 48 hours in the winter or 24 hours in the summer without bathing.
And Aqua-Velva. Man, that’s nasty stuff.
I wish people who favor using the power of the state to kill other people would just stop calling themselves libertarians.
Well now, I’m a pretty extreme libertarian, and I’d like to abolish government-run roads, but for now I have to use them.
The problem is, sometimes there are people who just need killing. And the state has pretty much monopolized the people-killing industry. Eventually, I would like to see it privatized, but for immediate needs, sometimes you have to hold your nose and use the state-run people killers, objectionable as using government facilities may be.
“There are circumstances where a legitimate core function of the state (protecting its citizens from force) entails killing some people.”
And then you can define “force” as advocating a ban on anything, and kill all the liberals. I love the intellectual consistency of libertarianism.
That first part about roads was supposed to be an analogy. I didn’t mean to say that government-run roads are people-killing facilities.
Although, come to think of it…
Actually he’s a humorist. He’s pointing out the ironic nature of his politics for comedic effect. He’s also deflecting a question that is really nobody’s business. It’s called not taking the world so freaking seriously. Some of you guys should give it a try.
People just got an idea in their heads that Scott’s a libertarian because his personality fits how people think a libertarian acts. The curiosity was not political at all.
Personally, I suspected he was somewhat of a leftist actually. Considering the point of his comic strip for all these years has been “the corporate world just may be worse than hell”, & he hasn’t expressed anything beyond that that would point towards an individualist-anarchist streak, when I cared to think about it I assumed the extent of his politics was supporting anything that he thought would piss off people like the pointy-haired boss.
you should take reasonable precautions against it, like wearing a mask or staying away from places where you are likely to get smoke in your nose.
Or extinguishing things in your vicinity that are on fire.
PS: Smoke is not a “scent,” Jennifer. Smoke is, like, an actual, physical think. The odor of smoke is a scent.
From the Dilbert blog
In an interview published 4+ years ago, Berkely Breathed (“Bloom County”, “Opus”) was asked about his politics and said this: “If you’ll read the subtext for many of those old strips, you’ll find the heart of an old-fashioned Libertarian. And I’d be a Libertarian, if they weren’t all a bunch of tax-dodging professional whiners.”
7.2.6 Summary Despite the compelling biologic plausibility of an effect of ETS exposure on risk of lung cancer, detection of an effect has been difficult because a small excess in risk is difficult to establish in a single epidemiologic study. The U.S. EPA (1992), NRC (1986), and Surgeon General (U.S. DHHS, 1986) all undertook comprehensive reviews of the literature and determined on the basis of the overall evidence that ETS exposure causes lung cancer. Since the publication of the most recent authoritative review of lung cancer and ETS exposure (U.S. EPA, 1992), three large U.S. population-based studies (Stockwell et al., 1992; Brownson et al., 1992; Fontham et al., 1991 and 1994), a smaller hospital-based case-control study (Kabat et al., 1995), and a cohort study (Cardenas et al., 1997) have been published.
The three population-based studies were designed to and have successfully addressed many of the weaknesses for which the previous studies on ETS and lung cancer have been criticized (i.e., small sample size, possible selection bias, possible misclassification biases, inadequate adjustment for potential confounders). Results from these studies and the cohort study are consistent with the conclusions of the U.S. EPA (1992), NRC (1986), and Surgeon General (U.S. DHHS, 1986) reports. Each of the three population-based studies shows a statistically significant increased risk of lung cancer in nonsmokers associated with long term exposure to ETS as well as increasing risk with increasing ETS exposure. The smaller hospital-based study lacked the statistical power to find the effect observed in the other studies.
The results of the cohort study, though not statistically significant, were similar to the risk estimated by the U.S. EPA. Taken together, the recent studies provide additional evidence that ETS exposure is causally associated with lung cancer. The consistency of the findings in the five recent studies and the meta-analysis result of the U.S. EPA indicate about a 20 percent increased risk of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
Just a thought . He is a comic strip creator who states that he is PRO-DEATH. Perhaps he is just pulling all your chains and having a good laugh at everyone else’s seriousness.
…if they weren’t all a bunch of tax-dodging professional whiners.
I really resent that. I’ve never been paid for whining in my life!
And I’d be a Libertarian, if they weren’t all a bunch of tax-dodging professional whiners.
Or blue druids and whatnot. For now, I stick with being a libertarian and hope the Libertarians go to Hell.
MainstreamMan (and Berkley Breathed),
I, for one, am not a professional whiner. It’s more of a hobby with me.
Hey, I posted a comment and it’s not postin’. (Am I on the posting crime watch list now or something?)
*kicks pebble*
smacky, didn’t you sign up for the “Trusted Poster” program? It’s simple. Send Reason a brain sample, and they’ll clear you for unlimited posting.
In other words he is like most Americans who have never been forced to debate the intellectually inconsistent philosophy they hold, even if they don’t recognize they actually have a philosophy.
Ayn, is that you?
Actually, if you don’t recognize you have a philoshophy then you probably don’t — just a collection of random ideas some wrong and others more wrong.
Is libertarianism a philosophy or a personality trait? Discuss.
In which case I posit that libertarianism could be genetic and therefore easilty identifiable with laboratory testing. Those that do not carry the “libertarian gene” can then be liquidated.
OTOH, those with it would more likely be the ones liquidated by the state.
I say take your logic even further, and say that “Children should stay indoors all the time to keep from being molested.” And “Women shouldn’t go to work, because they might be sexually harrassed by coworkers.”
Geez, putrimalu, its like you didn’t even see the words “reasonable precautions” in my post. Not going outside and not working go considerably beyond “reasonable precautions.”
The fact that the first things that pop into your mind when you think about these issues are sexual molestation and harassment is a little concerning, but hey, as a libertarian, I am comfortable saying that’s your problem.
smacky, didn’t you sign up for the “Trusted Poster” program? It’s simple. Send Reason a brain sample, and they’ll clear you for unlimited posting.
SRSLY. First, I didn’t get any credit for the police abuse thread; now this. Which Reason deity have I pissed off, and how do I regain my good graces so that my as-of-yet unposted post will appear?
Is libertarianism a philosophy or a personality trait? Discuss.
Go fuck yourself!
…
.
..
.
Its a personality trait.
PS: Smoke is not a “scent,” Jennifer. Smoke is, like, an actual, physical think. The odor of smoke is a scent.
If you are smelling anything–perfume or a kid’s dirty diaper, for example–that means that microscopic quantities of said substance are physically entering your nose. So any scent can be said to be a physical thing as well.
A fun thought to keep in mind next time you smell dog poop on a hot summer day.
back at ya josh 😉
The results of the cohort study, though not statistically significant, were similar to the risk estimated by the U.S. EPA. Taken together, the recent studies provide additional evidence that ETS exposure is causally associated with lung cancer. The consistency of the findings in the five recent studies and the meta-analysis result of the U.S. EPA indicate about a 20 percent increased risk of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
Therein lies the rub. A 20 percent increased risk is nothing in the world of cancer risk; that’s hardly above background. To be really signficant a chemical has to double or triple the lifetime risk of cancer, and even then that might not be that big of a deal over a 75-year lifetime.
The objection that many libertarian-minded scientific folk like me have is that politicians are using anti-smoking prejudice to pass all sorts of laws that significantly infringe on private property rights. The above studies and data are used to whip up the necessary hysteria to allow such laws to pass.
I’m not saying that ETS isn’t a carcinogen. But it’s no more dangerous than burning-leaf smoke or fireplace-fire smoke or Doobie-in-a-crowded-concert-hall smoke. The key to all of them is the amount of exposure over time. And just occasionally whiffing cigarette smoke from someone 25 feet away isn’t a significant health hazard, and does not justify any government action.
A fun thought to keep in mind next time you smell dog poop on a hot summer day.
[chemistry nerd]
It’s really not that big of a deal. The only things you’re smelling are the volatile organic amines and mercaptans. Thankfully, the viruses, bacteria, and parasites in it do not evaporate, so unless you touch or eat it you won’t get exposed.
[/chemistry nerd]
It’s really not that big of a deal.
Oh, I know it’s not a big deal; I’m just pointing out that there IS a physical component to scent, so when you are smelling dogshit that means the inside of your nose is having actual, physical contact with something that came out of said dog’s ass.
I have almost no sense of smell, and I still disagree with those who claim that this is a reason to feel sorry for me.
Holly,
Regardless, you’re still getting microscopic bits of shit in your nose.
I posted 7.2.6 without comment because I was curious as to what others might say. I’ll probably comment later.
For anyone who is curious, it’s from the PDF science posted a URL for.
I was tempted to add “disclaimer: I’m a pack and a half a day smoker (down from two). My kids are only slightly smaller than average, but it’s not due to second-hand smoke.”
Dammit! I am determined to have my post posted. Even if I have to paste it in in parts. (holy alliteration, Batman!). Here’s part one:
If you actually want to laugh (no, these comics are *not* about how much work sucks!), then here’s a good cartoonist for ya:
http://www.bitterfilms.com/election11.html
http://www.bitterfilms.com/bean11.html
And here’s the rest of my post:
http://www.bitterfilms.com/galactic11.html
If you still insist on reading cartoons about how much work sucks, at least try reading something mildly funnier than Dilbert — i.e., My New Filing Technique is Unstoppable:
http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/filing.001.html
smacky,
I think that the server automatically block posts with too many outside links to prevent the thousand links to porn spam posts.
David,
So what if I did sneak a few porn links into my post? It’s Friday. Relaaaax.
Captian Holly,
I am suprised you didn’t bother posting the paragraph above that as well.
Each of the three population-based studies shows a statistically significant increased risk of lung cancer in nonsmokers associated with long term exposure to ETS as well as increasing risk with increasing ETS exposure.
Put simply, the more you breath for more time the more risk up to a ‘statistically signifigant’ 20%.
Sorry, I am not a smoker, I don’t like smoke but this ‘statistically signifigant’ risk just doesn’t do it for me.
According to the American Lung Association, 3000 people die from ETS lung cancer every year. That is approximately 1 for every 97,000 people. I have a higher risk of walking down a road and being killed by a car hitting me (4700 ann. according to the IIHS).
I say if you want to ban smoking to protect me, then you should ban cars to protect me while I’m walking too. That or I can avoid bars that are known for smoking and walk off of the road.
Smacky,
I wouldn’t mind at all (although I suppose that would depend on what you’re into), but then, it’s not my server. I read in a thread a few days ago that posts with a lot of links get examined(lost) by the server.
They should just ban cars in places where people have to work, dammit.
Don’t forget Scott Adams got a whole book written about how he’s a corporate tool.
There are volatile compounds in feces that are used by food scientists. Now THAT is icky.
The smoking bans are all backwards. It should be illegal to smoke in public, and legal to smoke in your own home, car, or a private place of business.
The fundamental problem with Libertarianism is that it’s vulnerable in the real world. A loose society of Libertarians is quickly overrun by the police state next door. The US is as Liberal (classic) as it is, only because we were formed in a land of enormous natural resources (e.g. Pamela) far away from organized competition.
Were the Native Americans more Libertarian than the USA?
Wearing a mask around all the time is a “reasonable precaution”?
Well, if you think trying to keep any and all unwanted scents/odors/particulates off your nasal property is a reasonable goal, I would say this is a reasonable precaution.
Pamela may be enormous, but she sure as hell ain’t natural.
If you don’t want to die from second hand smoke it would be a mistake to ban cars. Having cars around increases your chances of dying from something else first. 😮
Pamela is Canadian by the way.
I agree, and would add that most people don’t even see a reason to have an intellectually consistent philosophy in the first place. Although the posters here probably shudder at the idea of carrying around this kind of cognitive dissonance, most people (when you call them on it) will simply shrug and be annoyed at you.
If I may express an unpopular opinion, I’ve never placed much value on a perfectly consistent philosophy. I don’t believe it’s possible, first of all, and second the people who are always playing the point hardest always seem to be the ones who can’t tolerate any sort of pragmatic deviation. I’ve always found an open mind to be much, much more important than a set philosophy.
There is only one comic strip. The rest are filler or catbox liners.
“Ok, I can’t resist. What field exactly is Pamela Anderson justifiably lauded?”
She has two enormous talents, if you know what I mean, and I think you do.
I wish people who favor using the power of the state to kill other people would just stop calling themselves libertarians.
I wish all those other Christians would shut up too, because they aren’t real Christians. Nosiree.
I would like conservatives and liberals so much better if they were as honest as Scott Adams.
Nah. You’d be even more livid than now, because the assholes would go around openly admitting how stupid they really are.
I think he should call it “assholitarianism” instead.
I’ll drink to that.
Ruthless,
As some of you know, I’m also pro-death, but I’m with speedwell that I don’t want the state doin’ the killin’.
Hmmm. A curious idea indeed.
So what, that means commando training is part of every good education.
Well, at least it might be fun. Until you graduated and entered the real world….
Were the Native Americans more Libertarian than the USA?
What? Without our natural resources? The American Indians did NOT have Pamela.
No way could they have been more libertarian that us. One cannot conceive of being “liberated” without first having something to inspire such a vision.
Scott Adams may not be a libertarian, but knows how the free market works better than most people. He recently produced what might be the best (and possibly only) comic on the issue of energy economics, available here.
Some folks are taking the obviously-not-too-serious ramblings of an entertainer way too serously…as if its some sort of gospel to be worshipped, dismissed or attacked.
Lighten up. As for the philosophical inconsistencies, when the rubber meets the road every person who claims to follow a system of political thought, at some level, has to contort themselves to deal with internal consistencies and outright hypocrisy.
Cases in point: “Free speech” liberals who embrace politically correct restrictions on free speech. “Freedom of religion” conservatives who embrace restrictions on other religions (check out Missouri). “Free market” conservatives who embrace protectionist subsidies and tarrifs.
Compared to them, Adams views are relatively tame.
Nah, he’s not a populist. He’s a fucking asshole.
Felix: he may be an asshole (true, as far as I can tell) but he has a better understanding of how corporate america actually works than most people nominally running it. (and then he distorts that for laughs, of course…)