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Why Are So Many Nerds Libertarians?
BrendanMcGrail writes "Why do so many nerds seem to lean toward the Libertarian end of the spectrum? As a leftist, I know there are many people who share my ideological views, but have very little in common with me in terms of profession and non-work interests. Is the community's political bent directly tied to our higher than average economic success?"
While at the same time ignoring human nature and the fact that people aren't rational actors motivated solely to maximise profit.
I guess that the fucked-up american medical system is the reason that so many canadians and europeans come here to get the procedures done that they can't have done in their own country, because if they waited on those ridiculously long lists they would be dead before they got the treatment they need.
Don't believe movies made by fat self-hating assholes for your only view of the system that brings in all of the best doctors in the world and gets all of the research done for the cures that you want to get from your useless socialist system.
Yeah, every space craft, car, CPU, dish washer, software, etc. is designed by a secluded individual genius.
Oh, and yeah, I have read the Mythical Man-month, have you? Large parts of it are about how to structure a successful team.
"When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
And that's undeniably a solo effort.
You musical horizon must be very limited. There is a huge number of collectively-composed pieces out there. Just as one example, look at Animal Collective, or much of Jazz after the 40ies.
"When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
So are you suggesting we abolish all classes and force everyone to learn from books in rooms by themselves? Sure sounds like it.
Libertarianism is just anothe over-simplistic political category which appeals to the young, individualistic and idealistic of which there are many in the Nerd world.
It appeals because it promotes simple moral black-and-whites, encourages self-centred success and the expense of society and persecutes those less apparently intelligent (those who bullied us at school).
Stick Men
And politics, or society, or local communities aren't science either. QED.
"When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
If the continent that started two world wars, nazism, and communism thinks I'm a nutcase then I can live with that.
When I see people spell the word 'Shudder' like that, I shutter too.
I'm confused. Is this "story" about nerds being social libertarians or economic libertarians? Because the former would generally go along with a higher degree of education (formal or otherwise) and the latter is usually the result of ignorance, stupidity, and greed.
The Farewell Tour II