Do libertarians have a sense of humor?
That’s a relevant question because many people think of us as unhappy curmudgeons, or perhaps as dorky Randians.
While I think those stereotypes are unfair, I also confess that I can only think of a few examples of explicitly pro-libertarian humor.
Libertarian Jesus scolding modern statists.
This poster about confused statists.
The libertarian version of a sex fantasy.
Since I could only find three examples, does this mean libertarians are hopelessly dour and lacking in humor?
I think the answer is “no” and I think there are two reasons to justify that response. First, libertarians are always making fun of oafish and moronic government. I like to think, for instance, that my UK-vs-US government stupidity contest contains some amusing satire.
Skeptics may respond that you can mock big government without being a libertarian, and that’s a fair point.
But this gives me an opportunity to list the second reason why it’s wrong to accuse libertarians of lacking a sense of humor. Simply stated, we have the ability to appreciate anti-libertarian humor. This not only shows that we have funny bones, but it also demonstrates that we have considerable confidence about the strength of our ideas.
So with that build-up, here’s an example of anti-libertarian humor I received from a fellow traveler in Illinois.
I think you’ll agree that this can be added to our collection of anti-libertarian humor.
- A video portraying Somalia as a libertarian paradise.
- Cartoons on libertarian ice fishing and libertarian lifeguards.
- A mosaic showing 24 types of libertarians.
- A poster showing how the world sees libertarians.
- A 23-photo montage of libertarian problems.
- The answer to the riddle of why the libertarian chicken crossed the road.
P.S. Since I am a dorky libertarian, I can’t resist responding to the above cartoon by noting that we actually don’t need government fire departments. The folks at the Reason Foundation have been working on this issue for decades and have a study explaining the benefits of private fire departments.
But there’s a lot more evidence. Here’s what one expert wrote in 2012 for Cato Unbound.
…my town contracts out its entire fire department to the company Rural/Metro, a pioneer in privatized fire services. Their trucks are shiny, red, and full of water, just like a “traditional” fire department’s. Their firemen train just like their municipal counterparts do in neighboring jurisdictions. They respond to fire and EMS calls just like the government-run systems do. The main differences I’ve discerned are that: (1) their logo—which otherwise looks much like other fire department logos—notes the name of the company underneath the name of the town, and (2) workers are covered under a private sector 401(k) plan, so our town is not on the hook for a massive future pension payout. Neither of these differences is relevant from a service delivery standpoint.
And an article in Capitalism Magazine the same year pointed out that privatized fire protection exists in hundreds of communities.
…nearly half of Denmark’s municipalities contract with Group 4 Falck to provide firefighting and ambulance services. In America, more than 450 communities contract with Rural/Metro Corporation for fire protection service, EMS, or both. Unlike government fire services, which focus on fire response, Rural/Metro focuses on fire prevention. A former mayor of Scottsdale, Arizona, which has used Rural/Metro for more than two decades said, “Scottsdale citizens are offered a much better balance between response and prevention than is available in most communities.”
Why are so many communities looking at private options?
Most likely, it’s because unions have conspired with government officials to push labor costs to absurd levels, as humorously depicted is this somewhat off-color video.
P.P.S. Returning to the topic of humor, I have a serious request. Can anybody provide examples of self-deprecating humor by leftists?
I don’t think statists have much self-confidence in their ideas, so they probably don’t have much ability to poke at themselves, but I imagine there must be some examples.
[…] goods since they can be – and sometimes are – privately provided (see examples for fire protection, money, roads, education, health, air traffic control, and […]
[…] Likewise, it’s a no-brainer (at least for me) to answer that I want government limited to core public goods (though fire services easily could be privately provided). […]
[…] libertarian views on fire departments can be seen here and […]
There were countless variables I enjoyed regarding Ron Paul, he’s the most genuine
[…] More Amusing Anti-Libertarian Humor […]
[…] Alleged libertarian views on fire departments can be seen here and here. […]
[…] Alleged libertarian views on fire departments can be seen here and here. […]
[…] are, of course, some libertarians who persuasively argue that we don’t need government fire departments. And some who even argue that we don’t need any […]
[…] Another option, of course, is to contract with private companies, which is another approach that is very successful. […]
[…] remember, libertarians also have the self confidence to enjoy self-deprecating humor, so we must be good […]
[…] P.P.S. Shifting gears again, I’m a big fan of political humor, even when libertarians get victimized. […]
[…] I’ve shared many examples of anti-libertarian humor (several links available here), in part because I appreciate clever jokes and in part because I think libertarians should be […]
[…] I’ve shared many examples of anti-libertarian humor (several links available here), in part because I appreciate clever jokes and in part because I think libertarians should be […]
[…] But I still appreciate good political humor. I like it when Obama is the target, and I like it even when it’s directed at people like me. […]
[…] […]
[…] how privatized bridges would improve transportation (just as I couldn’t stop myself from pontificating about private fire departments when sharing some libertarian […]
Isn’t Rachel Maddow an example of self-deprecating humor from the left? 😉
Daniel Greenfield shares some insights into the alternate universe that liberals have created with the help of academia… I like the part about reconstituting Marxist gibberish into teleprompter-ready Obama policy…
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2014/01/academics-in-wonderland.html
libertarians are creepy… prone to wearing aluminum foil headgear… and talking about their time on the mother ship… but they are not hateful… mostly they just want to be left alone to search for happiness in their own unique ways… leftists are hateful… they are motivated by hate… hate of guns… hate of the 1%… hate of capitalism… hate of an unfair system lacking compassion… with so much hate… there is little room for lighthearted frivolity… let alone self reflection… doubt… or good humor… they are the death eaters of our day… sucking joy from the world and leaving a diminished society in their wake… self-deprecating humor by leftists? …………………………. there is no such thing…
Reblogged this on Neverending1's Blog and commented:
This has nothing to do with gang stalking, but I thought you’d enjoy it, Neverending1
Reblogged this on JohnnyAngel Advocacy Group and commented:
via International Liberty