youtube and democracy

I have recently discovered a wonderful place for dialogue: youtube. I know, I'm a bit behind the times, however, the power of youtube is self-evident. It is a forum for voices that usually go unheard. I realize there's a lot of crap on youtube, too. But, there's serious discussions of serious issues going on.

I recently participated in a discussion on the presidential candidate Ron Paul. Paul is currently a representative from Texas. He is smart, idealistic, anti-war, and libertarian Republican. I tought it would be educational to engage Paul supporters on youtube, so I visited one of the video postings of the Republican debates. The video featured Ron Paul's comments.

While it was refreshing to hear a Republican berate fellow Republicansabout their support of the Iraq war, I still had my doubts about libertarians. My comment on youtube was "I am pleased to see Ron Paul is against the war. However, I wouldn't ever vote for Ron Paul." I figured someone would bite, and they bit like an alligator.

I have studied libertarianism and political philosophy, so I had some background. However, I was not prepared for the barrage of defenders that would do everything from call me an "ass" to others willing to debate. The debaters, I took on.

We had a lively discussion. One thing that stood out was that they are anythig but a homogenous bunch. They vary in many ways, but most agree that the Federal government has too much power. And, they also believe that a free market, ala Milton Friedman, would bring America out of the dark ages of capitalism into the bright light of...uh...capitalism? Well, they were assured that the market corrects all problems--global warming? Leave it to the market! Pollution, corporate corruyption? leave it to the market! Unsafe working conditions, low wages? Leave it to the market! and so on.

After days of exhausting debate, I threw this letter together for one of my more friendly debaters. It is as follows:

Mattes50A05, I want to thank you for your polite patience with me. You are truly a respectable person, and I offer my hand to you. I keep forgetting that I can send a longer message this way. Still, I like the public nature of my comments. I've never been afraid to say what I need to say in public. By now, you may have read my comments on line. I said, I've declared that I'm a socialist/libertarian.

Here's a critique of much of what I heard from Paul supporters.

I don't know how old you are, and I would never assume you're unwise because you're younger than me--there's nothing an older person ever taught me that was any worth. Nonetheless, I was commenting to someone ellse about how pessimistic and cynical, even angry, most younger people are today. look at many of the responses on youtube. They seem to have little hope, and that lack of hope, I think, comes from a cynical/pessimistic culture and cynical, pessimistic, even nihilistic leadership in our country--that goes for Clinton, too! Dems and Repubs both.

There's much to be cynical and pessimistic about. Young people have to work twice as hard to get half as much as their parents did 25, 30, 40 years ago. Indeed, when I graduated from high school in 75, I was able to pick from 5-6 factory jobs that all paid between $12-15.00 an hour, back then! Today, you're lucky if you can find a job paying $7- 9/hr. out of high school. That would piss me off too.

But, young people's response is, not to question that loss of real wages, but to glorify the coming of an era where you're worth less (not worthless) to your corporate masters, even while CEO's today are being paid 400-500 x's their predecessors. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and yet, libertarians seem to blame the poor for (your and) their problems. "I don't want my tax dollars going to help some lazy SOB!" I hear libertarians say, but not once did I hear them/you complain about corporate welfare, which far-exceeds personal welfare in every material and economic way.

Your response is that of Friedman, who I have read, by the way, with different eyes, along with Adam Smith, among others, that a truely free market will correct itself, that it will somehow create this utopian world. Like IO told this old friend of mine who is a PhD in economics, This is very naive, because it underestimates how powerful and manipulative and corrupt the wealthy of this nation are.

Meanwhile, you guys cry for individual freedoms, all the while you get your cheap products from people who work like slaves for slave wages to make your cheap products, or froil from countries we steal it from or pay off leaders to give to us cheap.. What freedom do they have? Working 12-16 hours a day for subsistence wages. They were happier when then were self sufficient farmers on their own land, which was taken by corrupt governments and rich corporations.

Empathy for others is hard, and I know you may have worked hard to get what you have: amen to you, brother. However, until you walk a mile in a poor person's shoes, you can't understand their situation. I grew up poor. I know. But, also, I read...a lot. Like, I never understood slavery until I read Frederick Douglass' Narrative of a Slave. I have since read at least 6-7 others. They say you have to know history to keep from repeating its mistakes. Well, it's no mistake that slavery has taken on a new face: it's called sweat shop labor.

Empathy, Mattes! I say this to you because you seem like a nice enough guy, but I sincerely believe you ignore certain facts in order to maintain your libertarian perspective. And, let's face it: Why should you pay attention to what happens to "others". You're white and male, so everything you were taught in school made you feel good about your whiteness and maleness, since all the heroes in history books are white and male, with a few women and a couple blacks thrown in to make you feel good about how whites helped blacks and women. Everything you see on TV, in the news, most of the political leaders, CEO's, nearly everyone in power is white and male. That's very reassuring.

Jesus said, Blessed are the poor, not blessed are the rich. Jesus, himself, knew poverty. He didn't totally despise wealth, though. He just expected those of us with the means should share with those who don't have enough.

I'll end with this: Until you have thoroughly run the rounds with literature about people other than yourself, people who think and live differently than you, you're probably going to continue to think I'm full of shit.

remeber, peace is only a mind away--yours!
peacelf

I think this summarizes much of how I feel. I understand the gulf between me and them and I don't blame or judge them in anyway other than I disagree with many of their views on the grounds I mentioned above. Nothing personal. I mean it when I say I love humanity. And, to think we are all fortunate enough to share the same planet in this broad and wide universe! Well, I wouldn't want it any other way. It keeps life interesting.