There is a subtle aspect to socialist thinking that liberty-practicing people find surprising: the "how does it affect you?" accusation. This question puts the liberty-seeker on the defensive to explain their reasoning for objecting to the actions of someone else, but liberty people are accustomed to the person impinging upon their liberty to provide justification, not the other way around. For example, I asked a Brit if they allow Call-to-Prayer, the tedious 5x day Islamic wailing over loudspeakers, in their city. Her response, "of course, how does it affect you?" I got the same answer from a male Brit when I explained the gender-pronoun controversy in The States: "so, they want to be referred to as 'Bunnykin' instead of 'Mr.,' how does that affect you?" These socialists were of the opinion that what other people wanted subsumed my own preferences if it was more important to them then it was to me.
Socialists reverse responsibility of who must capitulate; a person must submit to the wants of the group, whereas it's the opposite in America's singular Liberty Nation. I don't have to explain myself, my liberty is paramount. If you want to impinge upon it then you must justify yourself to me. It's up to you to get my permission, not my duty to accommodate you. With liberty, you recognize the wishes of others out of courtesy, not obligation, and you may withdraw your acquiescence at any time. You are my ally, not my friend, partner, or equal, and allies don't make unilateral decisions without violating the implied treaty.
How Does It Affect You?
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How Does It Affect You?
Shamedia, Shamdemic, Shamucation, Shamlection, Shamconomy & Shamate Change
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Re: How Does It Affect You?
Can the bunnykin example be viewed as a case of increased liberty for the addressee?
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Re: How Does It Affect You?
de officiis wrote:Can the bunnykin example be viewed as a case of increased liberty for the addressee?
No. It's initiation of violence against others.
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Re: How Does It Affect You?
de officiis wrote:Can the bunnykin example be viewed as a case of increased liberty for the addressee?
I don't think so.
Liberty should not require effort or resources to be taken from one person and given to a second person in order for that second person to exercise said liberty. I don't have to pay money for you to exercise your freedom of speech, and I certainly don't have to be coerced via state violence into being your mouthpiece.
That's not to say I agree with the libertarians that these are the only things worth considering. I think public service is necessary. For instance, we have juries of our peers, which is a right we all are afforded by requiring society to sometimes serve on a jury. We sometimes require people to serve in the military in times of war.
Yet I don't think some woman wanting to be called bunnykin instead of Miss rises to the level of jury duty or conscription.