The talk I gave at last year’s Anarchapulco was recently posted publicly. I’m quite pleased by how it came out. If you can make it to the next Anarchapulco (www.anarchapulco.com), do. Here is the link for last year's talk:
But the reason for this article is to study one particular response to my talk, in the form of a comment posted in a Facebook group by someone going by the name of “Jeff Payton.” (I don’t know if that’s his real name, and there are a lot of people named that, so be careful who you judge.) Here was his comment, in its entirety:
“This post of Mr. Larken Rose saddens me. Couldn’t make it half way through the video. America, our fore fathers and the men and women that died for our right to have this freedom of speech is everything that he is FUCKING. This man needs to be hanged for being a traitor to the United States of America.”
I debated whether to use his name, but I think wishing for me to be murdered probably earned him a little recognition. And hey, if he believes what he said, shouldn’t he be proud to have the world hear his message, and know it was him saying it?
This is by no means the first time, nor will it be the last, that a true believer in the god called “government” has wished for my demise. That’s mostly just worth chuckling about. But Mr. Payton also gives us a very telling look into the psychology of statists. Here are a few things about his comment that are worth noting:
1 - My talk “saddened” him. Statists become so emotionally invested in their belief in, and loyalty to, the mythical deity known as “government,” that they are literally sad when they see someone who is not mentally and psychologically enslaved to a parasitical ruling class.
2 - He admitted that he didn’t, and couldn’t, watch the whole video—which is barely over half an hour long. The idea of not mindlessly worshiping the ruling class is such blasphemy to his ears that he couldn’t continue to listen.
3 - Then he does the obligatory worshiping of “our fore fathers” (sic). He probably didn’t make it to the part where I pointed out that plenty of those “forefathers” were vehemently opposed to the Constitution, predicting it would quickly create a tyranny worse than a king. (And they were right.) Instead, he just represents them as some vague category of infallible gods that no one should ever say anything negative about.
4 - He also repeats the looney notion that the mercenaries of the U.S. ruling class (“the troops”) died for our rights. No doubt he shut his ears tight when I was explaining how silly it is to think that anything other than the U.S. “government”—which the military works for—poses any real threat to the freedom of Americans.
5 - Notice how he addresses “America,” showing both his collectivist mindset, and his trained-in loyalty to a big slave plantation. He basically did the equivalent of saying, “My fellow slaves, look how this one uppity slave is insulting our brave, wise, and noble master!”
6 - This may be a technicality, but the “Bill of Rights” (the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution) does not even pretend to create the right for a person to speak his mind. The First Amendment simply says that the U.S. “government” should not infringe upon that already-existing natural human right. By analogy, if I wrote down on a piece of paper, “Jeff Payton has the right to live, and should not be killed for having stupid opinions,” would that piece of paper be the reason that he shouldn’t be murdered? Would I have given him the right to live by writing that down? Of course not. Likewise, the people who penned the First Amendment weren’t pretending to give anyone a right they didn’t already have. But that doesn’t stop the parchment-worshipers from crediting some scribbles of ink as the source of individual liberty.
7 - He asserts that I am a traitor “to the United States of America.” And, as I explained in my talk, he obviously has no clear idea—only vague, blurry mush—what the hell he even means by that. I am absolutely and proudly a “traitor” to the ruling class here—the parasitical crooks who violently dominate and extort the American people. But how am I a “traitor” to anything or anyone else—to the people, for example—simply because I oppose the enslavement of my fellow man? The Stockholm Syndrome is strong with this one.
8 - I had to save the best for last, even though a lot of calm, thinking people would have noticed it first: Mr. Payton thinks I should praise various statist people and institutions for (supposedly) granting me my freedom of speech …….. which I should then be murdered for exercising. Beyond the glaringly obvious stupidity of that, the guy obviously does not at all believe in individual liberty, and yet he has been thoroughly trained (again, as I explained in my talk) to confuse enslavement with freedom. I oppose the state victimizing him (and everyone else), and his response is to wish me dead, in the name of freedom.
When Russians, or people in China, or North Koreans show that level of bat-shit crazy loyalty to their political masters, Americans rightfully mock them. Well it’s high time the same lunacy be mocked when it infects the minds of Americans. So that’s what I did in my speech. And I will continue to do so, unless and until some brain-dead slaves like Mr. Payton decide to kill me for it.
(To anyone who hasn’t yet read it, my book, “The Most Dangerous Superstition,” gives a far more detailed explanation of how political mythology transforms otherwise decent people—which I assume Mr. Payton to be—into raving, pro-violent lunatics.)
The Jones Plantation was one of my first exposures to ancap philosophy.
A brilliant piece of work, as was your presentation.
Great to see you posting somewhere I can tip you for it.
thanks for hard working of the great post.
I watched your presentation from the link on Jeff's recent post, having never heard of you before! I refer you to my post in reply. I didn't realise it but you expressed most of what I think too but it takes courage to say this publicly so for that I salute you (hope you're not insulted by the military reference?).
One thing that concerns me is how we can prevent the huge void created by abolishing government from being filled up by more statist nonsense?
Great message - would hold even more gravitas without the swearing - just a suggestion as I know how passionate you are about these issues.
As it happens, I wrote a different article on Steemit about the "power vacuum" issue.
https://steemit.com/government/@larkenrose/the-power-vacuum-argument
(Most of the time I don't swear in my talks, but for this one I decided to make an exception.)
That is interesting because the talk made me consider the power of swearing more than anything else. I do not think anything you said was that inflammatory, but it seemed at odds with "listening" so it gave me some introspection.
Thanks for the link - good article, summarised well by your Steven Biko quote. Voluntarism has a huge hill to climb to overcome over 7 billion mindsets entrenched in a statist belief system - we will need to reach a tipping point in general thinking to get there.
Very informative! thank you sir
I get so annoyed when I watch American TV shows for two reasons:
I do not deny that the individual solders are brave in difficult situations, but the lust for oil, not the oppressed civilians, is the driving force of the American Military Industrial Complex.
Forgive me Fred703, but the (north) American military and Law Enforcement "complexes" are comprised of volunteers - men and women who seek and/or are willing to be trained to co-erce, restrain, imprison, inflict violence, and possibly murder others - or turn a blind eye to the co-workers who do.
I did.
Statism is servitude.
Interisting
Feed the government!
Or was I looking for a different f word?
Absolutely 100%, fuck the government.
It's so difficult trying to deprogram blue-pill-popping, plugged-into-the-matrix, people who believe they are already 'free'.
cool picture..
I read your whole post i really liked it i appreciate your hard work keep it up
Larken, thanks for this video! I loved it :)
I think those pushing NVC and that sort of thing are confusing being empathetic, caring and compassionate with NVC.
I see NVC as a way of trying to manipulate someone or a situation for personal gain. It should be used in certain scenarios, like when you're being threatened or trying to sell a product. When it comes to confronting someone with the truth, however, I don't see how it falls in line with NVC.
When you use communication to appeal to what someone else needs and wants you can bend and twist your reactions with sugar coated nonsense that soothes the other person and makes them feel comfortable with your communication. Is that the goal when they might have a totally false and warped world view?
Self sadistic, mind controlled, slavery loving statists don't need their emotions appealed to and people to kindly meet their needs. Sometimes they need to be confronted with truth that doesn't usually fall in line with using NVC.
NVC is about meeting the other persons needs. What if they are fucking evil?
What's your stance on it?
"...violently dominate and extortion [extort] the American people."
Other than the typo, excellent as usual!
Oops. Thanks.
Nice post
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it's a great post thank's for all this informations ^_^
I got my 3¢ worth in.
Well articulated. Such irrational behavior. Thanks for your contribution to the community.
I hope to see more from you here on $teemit.com. Upvoted, re$teemed & following!
You are a well-educated scientist understanding of how societies democratic or totalitarian or any other kind are organized and work out to survive in modern not simple world should keep in consideration that not everyone is about to realize the whole complexity of the issue. He didn’t mean to offend you I believe.
Wait, did you just claim that the guy who said I should be murdered .... didn't mean to offend me?
Well, I suppose, if you are dead?, you can no longer be offended?
Life doesn’t belong to us, that’s God possession. To kill somebody or to be killed by someone is forever a sin. I’d rather be not involved in such a Hell.
Would anyone be good enough to link info on how (or where) this kind of society could (or is) being implemented?
Here are the 2 main problems I'm having:
-if it's not a nation-state then what is it? A commune-ity?
-how would this commune-ity not be based on natural hierarchy's? Wouldn't 'leaders' eventually arise and implement their version of how things should be run?
There are other issues like managing sociopaths and psychopaths who are anywhere from 1 to 5 people out of 100. That's a lot of problem people even in a town of 10,000.
What say you, anarchists? Should it be anarcho-capitalism or anarcho-syndicalism?
Read this book.
https://mises.org/system/tdf/The%20Market%20for%20Liberty_2.pdf?file=1&type=document
I spent a few years over at Mises and can't say I'm all that impressed. But thanks for the link.....
I argue for my own idiosyncratic take on mutualism. NVC would be the foundation alongside with what I call The Golden Rule economy--end all unnecessary coercion and exploitation of other humans and life forms for personal gain and profit. I've reduced religion to a practical methodology of doing business. I also espouse the end of private property for rents and replace it with A One House Per Person policy based on the idea of personal property.
It should also be noted that Darwinism is exactly the same if not better than the Golden Rule economy in that no animals pay for homes and food! The earth provides homes and food freely to all animals! So whether a proper understanding of religion or a proper understanding of Darwinism we get to the same place where private property in the capitalist sense is a universal fiction perpetrated on humanity by sociopaths, or what I call The Archons!
This should count toward a "greatest hit" of some mention.
Have watched it thrice... and forwarded to several "liberty minded" statsist.
As for Mr. Payton's remarks - we'd suggest he research the definition of Stockholm syndrome - and treason - then re-watch the video in it's entirety prior to posting what equates to an unqualified opinion (by his own admission).
Seems like snowflakes are on both sides of the washington zoo.
As ACDC said, you've got big ballz. No beating around the bush, straight to the point, tell it how it is, don't sugar coat it, Larken.
I was honored to be there live, Larken!
Great post, thank for information
It saddens me that people can't think for themselves. As much as people hate the government or the ruling elite we put them there. They are an reflection of a majority of us. All the reality shows focused on material things. Yep that is merica. In order to change you have to start with yourself. There is a certian amount of reality that government deals with and we can't get rid of them out right but we do need a change and that starts with the way we think.
Congratulations @larkenrose!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
Hi Larken, I look forward to chatting with you again at Anarchapulco.
I am the man who spoke at last years conference on Human Rights.
Please post on Steemit more frequent and I will help support the cause with my up votes.
Thanks again for everything you have done for mankind.
Many blessing to you sir.
You have brought up some very good points. For instance the words of the declaration state that, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
These rights are not given to us by any man or government, but by our creator. Included in these is the right to free speech, which means the freedom to say things that other people do not like. Now I am not going ot go out and read Hustler magazine but the same rights that I have to write my opinion here allow Larry Flynt to publish his magazine.
Well said, and keep fighting the good fight.
Very good response to a lunatic statement made by this guy. We must expose such people and their sick world views. Got an email from a California business man and he said: "US has now a much better government than before". Well, what can you say... Some people live in their bubble until a big storm hits them and even then they will pray to the government.
The volume on this video has been tainted and masked. Is there a good copy somewhere? Watch it from the beginning to the end. You'll see how it gets quieter and quieter and even disruptive sounds embedded on Windows.
Yup the amount of brainwashing someone must posses to wish harm and death on another person for wishing them to be free is amazing. Unfortunately the guy seems like he is obsessed with death, judging by hit avatar.
Very good invormation.
I like your post
I am not sure if i have told u this before, but thought you should know.
You and your wife was the first people who through a Youtube video made me aware that Anarchy was a serious political platform.
Before that i was brainwashed as most people to believe that it simply was another word for chaos.
That made me do more research, and i must say that changed my life and view of almost everything.
Even if it is not directly related, it made me start to doubt most of the things i have learned, and to do a lot of research on other things.
The western media`s use of Reuters and so on, that made me realise how controlled they are and so on.
So if you in your darkest hour ever start to think that all your efforts to spread information is useless, there is many people like me out there that had their eyes opened by you.
And most of us then see it as our duty to make all our friends understand the same.
I never trust one single person in all matters, but if i was religious, you would be my Jesus.. lol
I hope you have a great day when u read this. :)
Question: have you considered publishing a Kindle version of your book? Curious.