Mike Christ

Legendary



Offline



Activity: 1078

Merit: 1003









aka snapsunnyLegendaryActivity: 1078Merit: 1003 Re: POLL: Would you be a Libertarian if it wasn't for the Internet? August 12, 2014, 12:04:37 AM #2 I think it helps tremendously; it's hard to accept other views when you've never been exposed to them. I realize many libertarians existed prior to the Internet, but their works aren't taught in school which is primarily where people get their views in adulthood from (alongside their parents, most of which aren't libertarian), so it was a miracle that someone be exposed to them. In fact, I never knew libertarianism existed until I was 21, and I only learned about it through this bitcoin community here; before that I was your typical liberal, but not necessarily out of choice, merely because the alternative was conservatism which is painted as sexist and racist and all the other things no young person likes (of course, they're both like that, but the left is better at obfuscating it.)



Going by odds alone, and assuming I continued to assess politics rationally, I would've probably wound up calling myself non-political until something that made sense came along, in the scenario that I'd never heard of libertarianism. I've always had an aversion to formal politics, citing "it makes no sense" as the reason, so I doubt that would've changed. Digital Painting, Illustration, Character Art

Kluge

Legendary



Offline



Activity: 1218

Merit: 1011









DonatorLegendaryActivity: 1218Merit: 1011 Re: POLL: Would you be a Libertarian if it wasn't for the Internet? August 12, 2014, 01:42:05 AM #5



It's hard to say, though. I grew up with the Internet. I can't even imagine how slow everything must've been prior... driving to town just to get information, having to pay a fee and fish out a special ID card. I'm pretty stupid, but my God, I'd know, at most, half as much if I grew up without the Internet. Maybe I'd be more humble, though. Probably not. GWB cured me of "conservatism," but I didn't know where to go from there, really, and I never would've discovered relevant communities and related books without the Internet. I likely would've never even known what a libertarian really was. I'd never even been around anyone who didn't make it known they were Allah-fearing Christians until high school. It's possible I'd still have access to Trotsky, and likely Rand, possibly (unlikely) Nietzsche, but that'd be about the extent outside people I near-wholly disagree with. I'd guess I'd be a very confused "utilitarian communist-sympathizer."It's hard to say, though. I grew up with the Internet. I can't even imagine how slow everything must've been prior... driving to town just to get information, having to pay a fee and fish out a special ID card. I'm pretty stupid, but my God, I'd know, at most, half as much if I grew up without the Internet. Maybe I'd be more humble, though.