link to original reddit post by /u/drfunkburgermd
I find myself annoyed consistently when I hear mainstream media discussing social politics. And in the past have struggled to precisely define what the problem was. As I have delved deeper into the ethical underpinnings of libertarianism I've come to understand why there is such a massive disconnect.
On a surface level one could come to believe that woke culture is in fact parallel to the NAP: however, this is huge misreading of the NAP and misunderstanding of the woke narrative.
As libertarians we should unilaterally unquestionably have zero problems with non-aggressive personal choices from other people in our communities and societies. If a non-governmental actor would like to make their own arbitrary rules pertaining to their property I have no problem with their set of rules. I may find it silly but a property owner should be able to have their own standards within their property.
The rub does not then come from the positive actions of individuals with different social standards than myself. I am a Christian and hold myself to a standard that I would describe as a more rigorous morality than just the NAP alone (this is not a judgement on non Christians, by my own beliefs God made you and God is good). That is my sole decision based on my self ownership; however, I do not push my personal morals into the domain of public policy and advocacy. And I do not think to use "Christian" language in the framework of my libertarianism. And this is where the rub starts to become clear.
The underpinnings of broad swaths of woke culture redefine violence to encompass behavior that is NOT VIOLENT. By our own standards violence is only permissible as a defensive measure against illegitimate aggressive violence. When woke rhetoric claims that "words are violence" "cisgender norms are violence" "your joke was a microagression" etc it degrades and erodes our ethical framework. If non-violent behavior is classified as violence, the flood gates holding back true defensive violence are blown open and the foundations crumble.
To clarify the differences, I point back to my Christianity. I personally find that the concept of sin is real. I sin, you sin, every human sins. And within the Christian framework it is to us sinners to overcome our sins and to God to forgive and judge. It is therefor the case that I do find many social practices to be sinful. But being a sinner myself (and not God) I hold tremendous love and acceptance for all of us sinners out there. I do not however frame my personal religious beliefs within my political world. For me to change my definition of crime to the Christian definition of sin would be anathema. Yet this is the exact behavior we see in woke culture on the grounds of violence. Conflating their personal moral definitions of violence with long held common law definitions is corrosive and damaging to the ideas that we hold true in politics.
This same erosion of definitions is happening all around us to an Orwellian degree and it is happening under the pretense of kindness, compassion and (other than violence) worst of all tolerance (one of the most abused definitions). It is not for us to carry the banner of social justice but to carry the banner of human freedom. It is for us to carry the true banner of tolerance and the true banner of anti-violence. In so doing we must vehemently and unflinchingly defend the very definitions of these words or our love of humanity will unquestionably be lost to the unforgiving passage of time.
I believe we must love our neighbors and give them the utmost respect and compassion. Yet when our society claims our language we must stand firm and unwavering. Words are not violence, ideas are not violence, the existence or lack there of of genitalia is not violence. My skin color is not violence, my language and my sex are not violence. Unfortunately for the world, the woke morality does include or contain forgiveness for these original sins. As libertarians we must be the bulwark. And when my fellow Christians cross this line I stand firm as a bulwark with you (using the very words of christ as my shield and sword) in defense of liberty.
Peace, love and Dave Smith for president 2024,