Ask a Libertarian 2012 with Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch: How Can I Talk Politics With My Earnest Lefty Friends Without Them Screaming at Me?

Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch | 6.12.2012 2:02 PM

Welcome to Ask a Libertarian 2012 with Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch. They are the authors of the book, The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America, coming out in paperback with a new foreword covering Occupy Wall Street and more, on June 26.

In this video, they answer the question:

"How can I talk politics with my earnest lefty friends without them screaming at me?" - Sent by Scott Ross.

Produced by Meredith Bragg, Jim Epstein, Josh Swain, and Tracy Oppenheimer with help from Katie Hooks.

To watch answers from 2011's Ask a Libertarian series, go here.

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NEXT: Ask a Libertarian 2012 with Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch: What Happened to the "Libertarian Moment"?

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heller 13 years ago

You can't.
1. JW 13 years ago
  
  GET OUT OF MY HEAD
heller 13 years ago

Also, I like the shirt Nick.
1. Sudden 13 years ago
  
  Nick may have the shirt, but Warty has the awesome TBTF men's thong.
Chloe 13 years ago

That is 5 costume changes for Nick, 1 for Matt.
Kaptious Kristen 13 years ago

They don't want poor people to get richer faster. They want rich people to get poorer faster. Every single item on their agenda speaks to stripping the rich of their assets, not getting more assets to the poor.
Paul. 13 years ago

Carry your legally obtained firearms before you speak to them.
Episiarch 13 years ago

If one of my friends starts screaming at me over my beliefs...they won't be my friend any more.
1. Paul. 13 years ago
  
  WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF ATTITUDE IS THAT?!!
  1. Episiarch 13 years ago
    
    You're excluded from that attitude, Paul. Because of that stuff you know about me and promised never to reveal. That promise is still good, right?
    1. Paul. 13 years ago
      
      Define 'reveal'.
      1. Episiarch 13 years ago
        
        (starts clearing out freezer, assembling surgical tools)
o3 13 years ago

i just tell my libtoidz friends that ABT is insane that the somali navy hauls ass when shot at. they tell me to shut-up and take another hit
1. Pip 13 years ago
  
  As if you had friends.
Drake 13 years ago

No earnest lefties. They are all retards or lying envious douche bags. Either way, you should make new friends.
T 13 years ago

When they start screaming, laugh at them and mock them for acting ridiculous. They'll either calm down or go away.
1. Sudden 13 years ago
  
  *Note: this strategy works with men, but will result in women accusing you of misogyny and male gaze.
  
  **Addendum: It is unclear what effect this would have with Rachel Maddow or Ezra Klein due to the considerable androgeny.
Nando 13 years ago

Just call them shithead.
1. heller 13 years ago
  
  Shut up shithead
  1. Mr. FIFY 13 years ago
    
    Don't call him that, heller... he obviously deserves better derision than that.
    
    I vote for "shut up, pigfucker".
GILMORE 13 years ago

How Can I Talk Politics With My Earnest Lefty Friends Without Them Screaming at Me?

Libertarian: "I find a ball-gag effective in at least *muffling* the screams."
Pip 13 years ago

"Ask a Libertarian 2012 with Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch: How Can I Talk Politics With My Earnest Lefty Friends Without Them Screaming at Me?"

By keeping your gun trained on them?
Loki 13 years ago

I can't even talk to lefty sister without getting into an argument. Although we can usually stay at least civil enough not to scream at each other. Although I did recently tell her that socialists were "full of shit" 5 seconds after she said she was a socialist (although she doesn't believe price or wage controls, which makes her not realy socialist at all).

As for talking to "earnest lefty" friends, you can't because there's no such thing as an "earnest lefty".
1. Drake 13 years ago
  
  So she's actually a fascist.
Warty 13 years ago

If you have earnest lefty friends, then you have too many friends.
PaganPriestess 13 years ago

I had an earnest lefty friend once, but we stopped being friends when I slapped her for voting for Obama.
AlmightyJB 13 years ago

Typically I don't talk politics with them, but they're usually so bad at it anyways. If I criticize Obama, their natural response is to say something snarky about Bush and I just agree and say yeah, he was an asshole too. And then they look puzzeled and shut up.
ant1sthenes 13 years ago

The same way you win an argument with a woman.
1. Jesus H. Christ 13 years ago
  
  Gonna be a run on duct tape...
  1. Tejicano 13 years ago
    
    Silence is golden... duct tape is silver
2. Cavpitalist 13 years ago
  
  You give them money?

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Ask a Libertarian 2012 with Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch: How Can I Talk Politics With My Earnest Lefty Friends Without Them Screaming at Me?

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