Ism, ism, ism. I think what has pissed me off the most about all this Ron Paul hubbub as of late is the fact that we’ve now got another ism to deal with. That’s right folks, just in case you weren’t sick enough of liberals and conservatives yelling at each other as loud as they possibly could, we’ve now got another label to slap onto our own foreheads and shout ourselves hoarse in the name of. And yes, I’m well aware that libertarianism existed long before Ron Paul came into the centre of the public eye, but you can’t deny that he’s given the ideology a lot of steam and additional popularity. Until recently, I’d never heard anyone call themselves a libertarian, and now it’s all over the fucking place! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t outright object to libertarianism. I agree with quite a number of the principles it’s based upon. I also agree with a few of Ron Paul’s stances (just the typical drugs/anti-war stuff). That’s not my point, though.
Can’t we all just shut the fuck up, stop labeling people, and let them be what they are? I had this exact same rant about feminism months ago. Why are we all so eager to put ourselves into boxes? Why do we strive to make it easier for people to judge us? We already make hella assumptions about each other at every given opportunity, so why do we have to invite people to make assumptions like that? You can easily say “it’s not my problem what other people think about me,” but if you want them to take you seriously, then it kinda is. As soon as you give yourself an ‘ism’ you give other people a reason to shut you down and not take you seriously. You call yourself a libertarian? People are going to assume you’re a Ron Paul nut and agree with his stances on things that have nothing to do with your reasons for identifying as libertarian. I’ve found this myself, when I’ve said that I’m a feminist, or a vegetarian, or even that I identify as left wing. People who disagree with any of these things will assume the worst possible things - I’m a man hating, bra burning, PETA-style crazy lady. And a communist. I’m none of these things. And, when some one tells me they’re a conservative, my knee-jerk reaction is to think that they’re a homophobic, racist dick who doesn’t understand that taxes can be a good thing. I don’t think that all conservatives are like this by any means, I know some incredibly intelligent ones who don’t have a scrap of racism in them, but because of the very vocal conservatives who have this view point, it’s hard not to make these assumptions. I’ll scold myself for making them, but you’ve got to see my point. And when it escalates, you see people calling some one a liberal/conservative/libertarian to devalue their claims, or to justify/credit to them. It’s fucking stupid and it pisses me off. It shuts down argument and intelligent discussion. I’m sure it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy and like you’re part of a movement, but it’s not going to win anyone over. And if all you’re doing is making yourself feel good, rather than giving yourself any chance at making a difference, regardless of your cause, you may as well be shouting slogans and buzz words at a goddamn brick wall.
