Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

Even though we’re routinely accused of being “angry”—I don’t see how anyone can look at the replacing of our constitution with the ideals of the French revolution, sometimes in its more Leninist or Maoist incarnations and not be outraged—I’ve very rarely seen real anger among conservatives and libertarians. Outrage, sure, particularly when our civil liberties are invoked or when they try to bring here the policies that have failed everywhere they were tried, but not anger. Not personal, seething anger that must find an outlet.

Honestly, the reason that hasn’t happened is for the same reason we’ve failed to do our own long march: libertarians and conservatives don’t tend to make politics their religion. We already have a religion, thank you so much, and other, richer sources of satisfaction and fulfillment than politics.

We have family and work, hobbies, and a rich life beyond politics.

Or should I say we did?

In the relentless drive of the progressives for a totalitarian society, one that controls every aspect of your life (because they think that’s why their paradise has failed to materialize. If only they can control everything we think, do, and every way we express ourselves, and all our sources of amusement or achievement, this time they’ll win for sure.), they have come for our families, our jobs, our hobbies.

I suspect I don’t need to expound on the hobbies, not with this crowd. Sure, this is my job too, at least for now, but it is also my hobby. I’m one of those weird people who don’t play games, don’t watch (much) TV, but read a lot, even while doing the other things I do, like furniture refinishing, art or sewing. Often in audiobook to leave my hands free.

And we know what is happening to our hobby. We’re not allowed to read (or write) unless we do it in a way that furthers the coming of paradise. And if we try to do anything about what is considered “good” or looked upon with respect in the field, all out war breaks out and we are vilified and our character destroyed in unimaginable ways via rumors and hate campaigns.

I understand it’s the same though, even in hobbies that though I engage in I don’t participate in fandom, like fiber arts. And I know why I dropped out of my last art class five years ago. It was an adult class, so a hobby. We won’t go there.

Then jobs… I don’t need to expound on that, do I? the latest was the scientist who pointed out that talents and INTERESTS don’t have the same statistical distribution in males and females.

Any of us, particularly any of us who are statistical anomalies, know that. I have always had mostly male friends because of my interests in space, politics (not of the females uber alas persuasion, but the individual freedom persuasion) and economics. I don’t dislike females, nor do I avoid making female friends. There are just a limited number of females who are interested in what I’m interested in. I’ve always had women friends but usually one or two at a time.

Is it culture or genetics. At this point, what difference does it make? The undeniable thing is that the distribution of interests and abilities is not equal across genders (or regions, or places of birth—science fiction readers were few and VERY odd in Portugal, even without adding in the female thing.) It just isn’t. To treat humans as though they were widgets and demand equal numbers (statistically) of everything is a form of insanity.

Sure, feminine interest in STEM—or lack thereof—could be a function of culture. Though so far the scandinavian cultures who’ve bent more out of shape to be gender-impartial are also the ones in which more women are turning their backs on stem. Because they can choose.

Is it a matter that can be debated. Sure. Is it a matter that should lead a scientist to be fired for expressing an unapproved opinion. No.

We’ve in fact reached the levels that if you express an unapproved opinion, you might as well be a recusant in Tudor England. They won’t tear you limb from limb and your entrails burned before your eyes while still living (yet) but they will make it impossible for you to earn a living (and have made it quite clear they’d do the other if they could.)

Families… The new generations have been poised, men against women, and the women convinced that all their reverses are because of men. The birth rate is plumeting, and gee, I wonder why. This is probably the most lasting wound from the philosophy that hates humans and wants us all gone. They won’t get their way. Barbarism will come first. But we don’t know how many people it takes to maintain civilization, and how many of those MUST be sane. They’re striking at both ends.

Then there’s the economy. Yeah, we’re doing fine. But how long can we continue improving and producing when companies all over have become convinced they have to hire statistically by exterior characteristics, because that’s the diversity that counts? Never mind. Every industry I know is teetering.

None of which means we’re going quietly into that good night.

Because we’ve awakened. Not too early. Probably not too late.

You see, there’s still more of us than of them. And we look at the world and people as they really are, which, as they spin further and further from reality, is almost like a superpower.

We’ll find ways. Like indie for publishing, other avenues will open. Because we’re strong, we’re creative, and we’re not going to give up.

It would be stupid to give up in the face of people so blinkered that they believe humans are widgets or that silencing people changes their thoughts—instead of making them angrier and more determined than ever before—or that if only they can control every aspect of our lives everything will be paradise, when they’ve failed to bring about paradise in their lives, their jobs or their hobbies. (On the contrary. There’s ever more place settings at the cannibal feast.)

And yes, now I’m seeing anger on the right. A lot of it. It’s a quiet, determined anger of the “this is mine, and you can’t take it” variety. It grows in the centers of our greatest loves in family and jobs and hobbies even.

The left is juggling lit torches near powder barrels and thinking they’ll somehow stay intact through the explosion.

And we’re trying to avoid the explosion, but also determined not to let them have their way.

This is ours. You can’t take it. Besides, you’d just destroy it.

We’re bracing, digging down, getting ready for impact. When it all falls down around our ears, we hope to have built enough around, over and under that things will go on with minor glitches.

This nation will survive. Civilization will survive.

Because this is ours. You didn’t build this. And you can’t destroy it.

 

Posted on According to Hoyt on October 4, 2018.