Sean Haugh writing for Liberty For All on Libertarians and Race:
Libertarians have a problem with racism. No, not that problem, thank God. It’s actually a much better problem. After some thought, I’m beginning to wonder just whose problem it is, anyway.
Our racism problem is simply that we don’t understand it. It doesn’t fit in with our paradigm. Sure, we can develop an intellectual understanding of racism, if we must, but we have a very hard time really feeling it, unless we already brought that experience with us to the party.
This puts us at a disadvantage in public debate. Those who innately perceive racism in our society are looking for something from us that we aren’t prepared to provide. And those statist leaders who understand racism can manipulate it to their own advantage, with deft and calculated linguistic moves that leave the average Libertarian bewildered.
As a libertarian and a leader in the “multiracial” movement breaking down the one-drop rule and battling “racialist” collectivism in its many forms, I get tons of criticism and hate mail from people involved with “racial” and ethnicity advocacy groups for my choice of ideology. Well, contrary to the venom soaked words of some of my statist detractors and others in the “multiracial” movement who see anyone not a registered Democrat as “racist”, I would like to point out that there are many “multiracial” individuals and “interracially” married libertarians and Libertarians. Some have run for public office as Libertarians, some have founded public policy organizations and publications and others have served in leadership positions in local and state party organizations. Still others write nationally read columns and commentaries.
Racism simply does not compute for us because Libertarianism focuses on the individual. We spend very little time thinking about the collective, any collective. On the other hand, racism is necessarily a collectivist philosophy. Since we are so wrapped up in the rights and responsibilities of the individual, we usually fail to take any information into account that would help explain racism to us.
As we gain experience with living Libertarianism as a lifestyle, we find that being racist in any way is nearly impossible. We have written it entirely out of our conscious thought. When racist stuff happens, we get that puzzled look, like, why would anybody want to do or say that?
There are, of course, some idiots who call themselves libertarians, yet are worried about preserving the “white” population or culture in America and bellow endlessly about such topics, all the while failing to notice that they’ve willfully adopted the “racialist” collectivism of the left. The Birdman is one such example, as well as some paleolibertarians who ought to know better. These idiots are not true libertarians, although they may profess many libertarian beliefs. Their collectivist approaches to issues such as the skin color of your neighbor or railing against some forms of immigration are truly telling. True libertarians care more about the liberty of their neighbors, than their visible melanin content.
Of course, not all libertarians who speak out in favor of immigration controls are “racist” or “racialist”. As an open borders immigration true believer I’ve seen enough on this topic to know the difference. Let’s be clear, I am only referring to those who want to limit SOME immigration, but not ALL immigration. These sellouts are concerned about shutting out only those immigrants not coming from Europe. Individuals with anti-libertarian collectivist mindsets such as these, who would make bullshit distinctions based on skin color, are only hurting the libertarian cause by falsely claiming a label they don’t deserve. They need to be educated or purged. I don’t really care which.
When we do notice those externals, it is almost always with appreciation. When that which is different stops being threatening, it can become quite interesting. Libertarians celebrate diversity the best way we know how, not by pointing to it and idolizing it, but simply by gladly accepting it as a sign that freedom is working.
This isn’t to say that the party and the ideology respectively don’t need to further their reaches into other demographics in this nation, but that is not a result of “racism” or any other ism. It is a result of group identity politics perpetuated by “racial” and ethnic advocacy groups that have for too long been telling people what to think and why – and getting away with it. The elitist power structure in such organizations has recently begun to publicly crumble, to the betterment of all concerned. Over time, there will be more Libertarians and libertarians of varying degrees of skin tone as the message spreads further. I’m doing my part in my little corner of cyberspace. Sean Haugh is clearly doing the same on his end.
We’ve a long way to go. We will get there.