Sheldon Richman on Libertarian Straw Men
The latest cheap shot is David Masciotra's piece at Alternet, '"You're Not The Boss of Me!' Why Libertarianism Is a Childish Sham."
We must face the fact that criticism of the libertarian philosophy in the mass media will most likely misrepresent its target. That's painfully clear from what critics publish almost weekly on self-styled left-wing and progressive websites. How refreshing it would be for someone to set forth the strongest case for libertarianism before attempting to eviscerate it.
The latest cheap shot is David Masciotra's piece at Alternet, '"You're Not The Boss of Me!' Why Libertarianism Is a Childish Sham." Reading the article, it's hard to believe that Masciotra consulted anything more than an essay or two by a high-school senior with no grasp of modern libertarianism's long, rich liberal tradition. In other words, Masciotra makes no attempt to take on the strongest case for libertarianism. Instead, he does what so many of his allies do: take the easy way out, counting on his readers' confirmation bias to immunize him against skepticism. Sheldon Richman samples, and demolishes, his straw critique.
