The Lonely Ones

Mike Rappaport on the perils of being a Libertarian:

Libertarians are in a tricky situation. Being neither liberal nor conservative, they must navigate in a world in which they are a small minority. For those in the academy, there is a strong temptation to emphasize the distinction with conservatives, so that they can “pass” for non-conservatives. Back in the day, which I was less conservative than I am now, I was invited to a wedding of a guy I knew in law school. His bride admitted to me at the wedding itself, that I would not have been invited, had I been a conservative. A libertarian could pass, but not a conservative.

Libertarians who are in other circles dominated by conservatives — say in Republican politics — have the reverse situation, where they are treated badly by social conservatives. Sadly, the Weekly Standard for many years was quite unfair to libertarians.

I have seen this from different perspectives over the course of my life. In my early years as a libertarian, I equally resisted the conservative and liberal labels. (Hence, I was invited to the wedding.) But over time I came to move a bit to the conservative side, and often was viewed as a conservative — I still am to this very day.

There is, whether we like it or not, a social side to politics, and people — being both social and political animals — respond to both.

You shall know them by their leanings. And if you do, do you cast them out?