In a time where naked parasitic leftism is running wild, libertarians are faced with a choice. They can either stand and fight against this menace, or wave the white flag of surrender. This seems like it would be an easy choice for any lover of liberty, but if you listen to certain voices within the movement, cowardice is the most noble of options.
“The left-wing combatants claim to be anarchists, and yet are furthering the state,” commentator Dan Sanchez wrote in a FEE column. “The right-wing combatants claim to be for liberty, and yet are putting liberty in danger. If these conflicts continue to escalate, no matter which side “wins,” liberty will lose.”
Sanchez’s commentary is indicative of the academic, elitist, ivory tower mindset that plagues the libertarian movement. This mindset fosters passive inaction and stagnation. It has gotten especially pernicious since Ron Paul retired from public life. Isolated in his bubble, Sanchez and others like him have forgotten what the people need right now. They don’t need a piddling crybaby making excuses for inaction; they want a brash, decisive leader. Political street fights are where these leaders can arise.
One ascendant libertarian leader has already emerged from these battles. Kyle Chapman a.k.a. Based Stickman is a Ron Paul-loving libertarian. He showed his love for liberty by slamming a stick into the skull of a communist thug amidst a chaotic violent mob, and is now a beloved national icon as a result. He is working closely with Liberty Hangout, with whom he recorded a podcast last month. He has also started a legal guild with Libertarian Party iconoclast Augustus Invictus to protect the rights of patriots against ANTIFA and their allies. Stickman has big things prepared, and he is emboldening people to stand up for their rights when it matters most.
While Stickman makes power moves, other libertarians are more tolerant of stagnation. They are not only intent to sideline themselves, but also want to inspire young minds to join them in their craven inaction. A textbook example of stagnatarianism comes from the Chief Executive Officer of Students For Liberty, Wolf von Laer. At his organization’s international conference this year, he repeatedly told the impressionable audience, “More Milton, Less Milo.” This incredibly dull catchphrase did not even come close to going viral. It is a slogan that gives a glimpse into the entire pathology of the phony Beltway astroturfed “libertarian” movement.
Although he is still laying low after a nasty media hit job tried to derail his career, Milo Yiannopoulos is relevant, hip, interesting, charismatic, funny and controversial. He has the skill set desperately needed to grow a right-leaning political movement with young people in this day and age. On the other hand, Milton Friedman peaked in relevance over three decades ago, served as a regime economist, supported all kinds of government interventions into the private economy, and there is not a kid on Earth who could give a damn about what his supposed accomplishments are.
Perhaps Wolf’s lousy advice was disingenuous blather meant to pigeonhole youthful activists to keep them from becoming too dangerous for his corporate masters. That seems to be the usual modus operandi of Koch-funded organizations, but I digress. Thankfully, a charlatan like von Laer never got the ear of Stickman when he was college-aged. Otherwise, he would have likely wallowed in isolated intellectual bubbles listening to stuffed shirt bores pontificate endlessly and eventually been swallowed up by the establishment like so many other well-intentioned libertarians have throughout the years.
Having not been properly indoctrinated, Stickman failed to understand that it was improper for him to do anything but sit on your hands in the face of virulent leftism. He didn’t realize that the big money donors come first, and fighting for freedom comes second. He simply acted like a man, and heeded the call to stand up for his rights. By inflicting righteous violence onto the skull of a lowly communist, Stickman emboldened many others to stand with him as well. Now, he is branching out with “Alt Knight” chapters across the nation. He is sparking a revolution in the hearts and minds of the American people.
It’s worth noting that Stickman has accomplished more for the cause of liberty through his bold leadership in three weeks than Jeffrey Tucker has for three decades as a booze-addled scribbler. While CATO Institute analysts produce white papers that will sit on shelves and collect dust for eons, Stickman rolls up his sleeves and makes an immediate impact. His in-your-face leadership style exposes the true colors of leftists, who regularly attack women and the elderly while hiding behind masks. Stickman’s leadership also exposes weak, cosmopolitan libertarians for what they are. By sitting on the sidelines, they pretend as if they are above the fray; but really, they are just cowards.
Libertarians needs to realize that the public demands strong leadership. They can whine and complain about that reality, or they can work to fill that void. Some libertarians are satisfied with being uninfluential but self-important outsiders accomplishing jack squat in actual terms. Others have had enough of tyranny and are willing to fight back. This is the line in the sand. It is time for libertarians to become more realistic, and realize that Jeffrey Tucker’s idea to “float away to a beautiful anarchy” is the liquor-soaked delusion of a washed up old sophist. To regain lost liberties, we all must get our hands dirty. That may very well mean heading out to the streets and taking on the enemy face-to-face.
STOP WITH YOUR THIN LIBERTARIAN BRUTALISM OMG.
Kyle Chapman AKA #BasedStickMan is the hero we need at this point in time. Libertarians, Conservatives and Republicans have sat idly by for far too long and allowed Leftists, Communists, Socialists and their various direct action groups to operate too long unopposed. I am proud to call myself a friend of Kyle Chapman.
Based StockMan is my hero!
Way to say it! Wonderfully done piece! The leftists have been rioting for roughly a year. Stickman shows up, provides leadership, and suddenly Berkeley has free speech again, free from the attacks of the Commie thugs.
Where are the hooded rioters in Berkeley now? They aren’t coming out to try to stop Stickman, they are cowering in the shadows and choosing softer, easier targets elsewhere. Further, this bold action has made college rioters pause, as they choose different methods than direct, violent confrontation to shut down speech.