The Mindcrime Liberty Show with Dobson and Patton

Ep. 160: The origins of privilege: why the left-libertarian understanding fails.

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses Kevin Carson and the broader left-libertarian movement. The left-libertarians would argue that legal and economic privilege is the cause of inequality in the world. The problem is why did certain individuals, families, societies or firms put themselves into a position to achieve privilege in the first place? If Trump, Bezos, Gates and Musk are rich because their father gave them a bunch of money and privilege, then how in the first place did those fathers (or fathers-fathers) acquire their fortunes/positions? If certain states and firms have the kinds of legal privileges as Carson and left-libertarians describes than how did they acquire them? If you do away with these in a one-time “power” jubilee what is to stop new dynasties from emerging? To be fair to the left-libertarians they aren’t as idiotic as the social democratic reformers who think somehow the state will control and reign in the powerful - on the contrary Carson makes the point that organizations like the FDA were created to help the powerful dominate other smaller firms. Nonetheless, the fact that some people are more powerful than others and it isn’t merely reducible to IP, regulations, or state criminalism, this is a problem for the left-libertarian understanding of the broader society.

Ep. 159: Is Caleb Maupin's Innovationism possible?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses the thought of Caleb Maupin. Maupin recently declared that he is no longer a Marxist. We can get into weeds about whether ex-Marxists were ever Marxists, but what exactly is the trajectory of Maupin’s thought, especially in the US? Maupin calls himself a US patriot but what would Maupin’s innovationism look like in the US? Is Maupin merely an advocate of socialism in one country with a conservative pro-family position? Is that even possible in the USA in the 21st century considering the fact that the US is the center of both the global military industrial complex and financial industry? 

Ep. 158: When ought life legally begin?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses, when ought life legally begin? Do the pro choice advocates prove too much? Aren't babies and young children as helpless as fetuses? When do children cease to be helpless and dependent? It clearly doesn't begin at day 1 - thinkers like Peter Singer who condones infanticide are much more consistent. On the other extreme, when does bad parenting become a crime?

Ep. 157: Is social media social? W/Rik Storey

 

The Mindcrime Liberty Show is joined by Rik Storey to discuss whether social media is social or anti social? Has social media “improved” things if indeed one can believe in improvement? Is it not the case that social media is radically superior to the network television era of the 1950s to 2000s? What are the downsides of social media usage? Is social media more truthful, if indeed truth exists, than previous forms of technology for the production and dissemination of information? Is engaging in certain forms of “lifestyle anarchism” (such as giving up social media for a period of time) useful? What are the downsides of social media compared to previous technological paradigms?

Ep. 156: Why anarchism means antifeminism and why antifeminists should be anarchists.

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses why abolishing the current existing managerial state will decrease the prominence women have in society. The modern managerial welfare bureaucratic state with its highly regulated economies are a boon for the feminist movement. In five key areas including family law, justice, education, economic regulation and welfare, the modern managerial state helps the feminist cause while robbing men, particularly young men, of rights and opportunities. A curtailment of this bureaucratic managerial regime would strengthen the position that men have in society and weaken women’s position. Hence, only right libertarians who are opposed to feminism can sufficiently call themselves anarchist if one thinks through the consequences of the curtailment or abolishment of the current existing state.

Ep. 155: Should dissidents and anti-war people h@te veterans?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses whether servicemen ought to be hated since most recent wars are pointless, if not outright criminal, and leave western home countries both poorer and more insecure. Are veterans merely just doing a job and following orders? In the US since Vietnam it has been an all volunteer force. What should be done about these men (as well as woman) and how should dissidents treat them? For better or worse in the US there exists some amount of veteran worship especially amongst the so-called normie right. You could say in a healthy society which doesn’t engage in pointless wars this might be worthwhile; however, these conflicts tend to make the US/West both poorer and less secure. The destabilization of foreign countries is a huge contributing factor to migration to the West. The economic costs of the wars and maintaining this expensive gargantuan standing army means less money is spent on building out the home country. One of the few areas which gets huge taxpayer subsidies is the arms industry which Western Elites for obvious reasons don’t want to outsource. A dollar spent on missiles, F35s, and air craft carriers is a dollar which can’t be spent on flood relief, children, nice houses and consumer goods. How should libertarians, paleoconservatives and anarchists view the people who staff these organizations? Would a statement that your sacrifice was pointless and made the US worse off be a good response?

Ep. 154: Our beef with declinism. #Tradcats#Libertarianism#Apocalypse

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses the blind spots of declinism. Recently Bob Murphy was interviewed by Reason magazine’s Nick Gillepsie about whether libertarians, or more broadly people on the so-called “right,” are unduly pessimistic. The first question is whether the areas such as economy, culture and fertility/family formation are in decline and when did they start? If it is in decline, what can actually be done about it and what are the social and psychological implications of living in a declining society? Bob Murphy’s answer to the question was he was a Christian which is a robust answer but why get out of bed in the morning, let alone start a family or a business, if indeed the pessimists are right?

 

Ep 153: Did Julian Assange or the Deep State win?

The Mindcrime Liberty show discusses whether the State and the Pentagon “won” against Julian Assange. First of all, we here at this show think Assange is a hero and he will be remembered as a hero by most right thinking persons; however, did the State accomplish what it wanted? The state managed to get Assange, who is in poor health thanks to his time in prison, to plead guilty to the Espionage Act. On top of that he was confined to the Ecuadorian embassy and spent 5 years in one of Britain’s worst prisons. Will this deter both whistleblowers and the publishers of classified material? This is on top of the fact that Assange never even set foot in this entire ordeal on US soil until his short stopover at Saipon. What is the future of whistleblowing and publishing materials against the US as well as larger NATO military-security state?

Ep. 152: Are we all criminals before the State, International law & God?

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses whether anyone is innocent on various levels. Do any innocent people exist in the eyes of god, international law (if such a thing exists) or the managerial state bureaucracy? On the theological level, why do people baptize children if indeed children are considered cute and innocent? When do children become adults? Why do antiwar activists stress the death of children in war considering that they have the potential to become future soldiers if the conflict is long enough. If the Chinese or the Russians were to wage war on any NATO country would we (or most people) be considered accessories to the regime or collateral damage? If the prominent anti war activists/critics including Julian Assange, Norman Finkelstein and Scott Horton, are “right”, are most Americans or British "innocent"? On the most petty level don’t “law abiding” citizens break all sorts of “petty” laws everyday which only rarely/selectively enforced? Are we all guilty of something?

Ep. 151: Is Plato's Guardian model of the family right? Cutrone, Fraser & Caplan.

The Mindcrime Liberty Show discusses whether Plato is right in his guardian family model where children are raised without knowing their precise parents. Will keeping parents anonymous cut down on favoritism (as well as disfavoritism) and make society more cohesive and less individualistic? Why are intellectuals so boring and traditional when it comes to family and marriage? Isn’t gay marriage “conservative” as opposed to free love or the platonic guardian system outlined in Plato’s Republic? If any kind of "Heaven" or Kingdom of God exists would monogamous marriage exist in that place or would it be more like Plato's proposed system?