As voluntaryists, we've all had this conversation:

Me: "Government is immoral because it takes your wealth by force"

Them: "Social Contract"

Me: "I never signed a social contract, a contract that states your responsibilities from birth is slavery, find me a copy of this contract and I will immediately concede" (As an aside, I made a copy of the social contract here)

Them: "If you don't like it you can leave"

"If you don't like it you can leave" is a cliche that is often used to counter a political argument that one does not agree with.

I have been a voluntaryist for over 5 years, and I have found voluntaryism's response lacking in convincingness. So I wrote up this blog as help for myself and others when we inevitably encounter this cliche.

Firstly, note that it is designed to throw you off the moral high ground. It does not address the point that government action is immoral. It is a "Thought-Terminating Cliche" in other words- a way to shut down the conversation.

In order of least convincing to most convincing, here are some arguments against the love it or leave it cliche:

"Property is acquired through trade or homesteading", the government didn't acquire it this way, so it does not truly own the land and therefor me leaving doesn't have anything to do with the immorality.

While technically true, this is not convincing to a layman. No one wants to get into the nitty-gritty of homesteading, neither do most voluntaryists either. This is the worst argument to make to a layman. There is no where in the world that exists that embraces voluntary interactions- so until it exists, there's little point leaving one state for another.

This isn't very convincing to someone who believes in democracy, and it allows the person you're talking with to side-step the issue of morality. However, if a free society ever does become a reality in my lifetime, I'll be one of the first to move there (eagerly anticipating http://freesociety.com) Is this something you would say to a wife complaining of an abusive husband? Is it something you'd say to someone complaining of a stalker?

In other words- apply the logic of "if you don't like it you can leave" to other areas. Many will respond with "no" because it sounds cruel to tell to a victim that they are at fault. But some will respond with yes. You absolutely can leave bad situations, it might be the ideal way to deal with bad situations. However, it does not excuse the stalker or abusive husband from their bad behavior. "Does it matter if I can leave? The immorality still exists if I leave".

This is much better, stick to the moral high ground, don't forget that the point is the immorality, and NOT how one might mitigate it. "Is this something you would say to Martin-Luther King? Is it something you'd say to Ghandi?".

Apply the logic of "if you don't like it you can leave" to a moral hero that advanced human civilization.

The winner is a 1-2 punch of #4+#5 something along the lines of:

If I leave, the immorality continues. I doubt you would say "If you don't like it, leave" to Ghandi or Martin-Luther King in the face of the wrongs they fought?

The greatest moral advancements in history have been due, in large part, to individuals who don't back down from the immorality if the issue they are fighting for.