[ExI] playing psychologist

[SR Ballard]

>
> Yes, I am going to play a bit.  I was asked a question on Quora about what
> my parents did to me that was immoral or unfair, and my answer was
> 'nothing.'  I was the freest kid ever.  Went everywhere on bikes and buses,
> etc.
>
>
>
> I then reckoned that maybe that is what helped me to be a libertarian - no
> authoritarianism in my upbringing.
>
>
>
> So I just thought I'd invade your privacy and ask you what helped you
> become a libertarian, as I suppose most of you are, and when it happened.
> Few people just look at all the philosophies and pick one.
>
>
>
> bill w
>
>
>
>
>
> First to your point of kids running free.  BillW, I was part of the
> biggest generation.  We never worried much about weirdos stealing kids: if
> they ever wanted to do that, there were plenty of them to choose from,
> hanging around everywhere.  Go outdoors in nearly any suburb like the one
> where I grew up, or even that one, and ask the obvious question: wheeeeere
> are all the children?  Why don’t we see them everywhere like we did back
> then?  Answer: they have a loooot better more fun stuff to do indoors,
> compared to when we were that age, when being indoors at home was playing
> Monopoly or watching Gilligan’s Island.
>
>
>
> spike
>

My upbringing was almost directly opposite of this. I was never allowed
outside unless physically supervised but had a mother who was (is)
extremely agoraphobic. To the point where she will struggle to get the
mail. But, being raised very nearly close to true poverty, I had nothing:
no toys, no games. I was also forbidden to watch television. Having no
siblings I did not play with anyone. It was difficult to go to the library
with a mother afraid of the outdoors, so I would read all my school
textbooks and daydream, perform thought experiments, etc.

I don't know if I fit exactly into 'libertarian' because there are so many
competing definitions, some of which I agree with and others which I don't.
But I do think that my political philosophy was shaped a lot by my
upbringing and the friends of my parents. My parents are social democrats,
but most of their friends, (and my friends in school) are anarchists. I
tend to think, in the absence of clear and present danger, that there don't
really need to be restrictions on things. I think a lot of things which are
currently illegal should instead come down to personal responsibility.
However, I also think that things which involve the public trust need to be
taken more seriously and treated more harshly.

For example, should slapping or punching someone (when it does not lead to
any injury at all) actually be a crime? Sure it's anti-social and you
shouldn't do it, but does it really need to be something that will land you
in jail? Or does heroin really need to be illegal? Sure, it's bad for you
and you shouldn't use it, but how does prison time do anything for you?

At the same time, figures of public trust, such as cops, firefighters,
politicians, doctors, teachers, religious figures etc have the public
trust, and I feel like they should be punished for violating it. Such as
firemen stealing, cops abusing, politicians accepting bribes,
doctors/teachers/religious figures molesting. When these types of figures
abuse the public trust, they do a great injury to society as a whole.

And again, some libertarians I know what to dismantle and privatize
EVERYTHING which I just can't get behind. Pay a toll to walk on the
sidewalk? Privatized CDC? I mean, I think it's a bit too much. I think that
there is a place for "public works" and a place for private business, there
is a place for regulation and for individual judgment, a place for social
responsibility and individual responsibility.

But I also think that as automation and AI increase that social safety nets
are both more viable and important. If a robot can do everything from "go"
to "final product", then using money for basic needs such as housing, food,
clothing, etc, seems silly. There would be no more jobs if robots could do
everything, but people would still have needs.

So, to put it a long way, I don't think I count as a libertarian, but I do
think that my upbringing had a profound effect on my political outlook.
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