HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to An interesting quality.

Its unfair to make inclusive statements about broad groups.

But I might also add to your list some observations which, to be fair, are not restricted to Libertarians. They are thoroughly human qualities we can all take some discredit for.

Self-made rugged individualists are proud of their accomplishments, and point to their resourcefulness and independence to explain them and to characterize those who they feel lack those sterling qualities as obviously substandard human beings. Their admiration of individual initiative is itself admirable, but their difficulty in recognizing the role of cooperation and community reveals a lack of empathy and an unwillingness to accept social responsibility. We all enjoy succeeding in crises where neither help nor hindrance from others plays a role, it demonstrates to us our value as human beings. But we are, after all, apes, social animals.

OTOH, they are just as liable to ascribe their failures and shortcomings to the faults or avarice of others, to assign blame to people, institutions and ideas that are always lurking in the background ready to plunder their loot, place obstacles in their path and steal what they have rightfully earned.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a very human attitude, and one not restricted to Libertarians, but in their case it so contradicts their professed ideals of self-reliance and independence that the contradiction only stands out the more.

Its a combination of narcissism and paranoia.

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