As I look back on my early work, I see too many cases of trying to accommodate hostile opponents… too much effort spent on making my arguments unassailable. And I see that it was wasted effort.
It’s time to unchain ourselves from apologetics. It’s time to accept that we are right and to act like it. We’ve already explained ourselves quite publicly and quite well. Those who want to know will know; those who prefer not to know will maintain their shells.
Yes, of course, we’re not right on every detail, yadda, yadda, yadda. We’re adults and we’ve understood such things for a long time. But we also know that the golden rule is right, no matter that agents of confusion demand otherwise. We know that freedom of speech is right, that religious toleration is right, that decentralization is better than congealed power, that honest trade is better than legislated trade, and so on.
We need to act like we know we’re right. We need to ignore people who get off on fighting.
Now, before I close this short post, let me add a few points that are pertinent to the moment, as crazed elites try to brow-beat the world into living out their twisted fantasies:
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- If you think mocking the beliefs of Christians is hateful, say so without apology. Don’t “try to understand their motives” or give them the benefit of the doubt: That’s how they line you up to be beaten again.
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- If you think men beating up women is disgraceful and cruel, say so plainly. Give no ground to the delusion that men aren’t really men, so long as they repeat a few incantations and get a few injections.
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- If you think families are the natural units of an ongoing human race, say so, and don’t apologize for it. We’re not forcing anyone into anything and we must not apologize for living our way. Without us humanity ends.
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- If you like your beliefs, stop apologizing for them and stop wasting your time on religion-haters. By all means improve your beliefs, but don’t spend your energies on people who wish to tear you down. Turn and walk away.
End Rant
**
Paul Rosenberg
freemansperspective.com
This is not a response on the entire rant, but if you’d humor me I’d be curious on your take:
On honest vs legislated trade – how about tariffs on farm-produce to strengthen local agriculture?
The distance some produce travels today that could be produced locally is insane, as is the scale required for profitable farming. I agree the root cause of economic imbalances causing this situation probably lies with the state, but it feels like it lies deep enough that I’m prepared to support efforts to stop certain goods crossing borders.
Also on trade – what to do with big pharma?
Legislation hasn’t done wonders so far, but something has to be done… and there I go reaching for the state again. (Maybe we can figure out a non-legislative way to strongly incentivize whistle-blowing/information-about-side-effects-spreading).
“We” live in the present world, we are a minority, we can try to ignore the others but they won’t ignore us. I agree we should be the change we want to see and should not apologize, but there is some tension here.
Good rant!
“If you think mocking the beliefs of Christians is hateful, say so without apology.”
I’m definitely “live and let live” when it comes to religion, and the only time I make an exception is when someone tries to sneer at atheism, as if professed belief in God confers virtue in and of itself, or as if declining to adhere to belief in a supreme being equates to certain moral depravity. I do admit to being somewhat perplexed at the religious choices many people make and the texts considered important in support (example: the Old Testament of the Bible), but if someone deals with me honestly, that’s what counts, not what god(s) he or she does or does not believe in.