American libertarians are misguided at best and fascist at worst
this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2025
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Libertarianism is a vague ideology with numerous schools of thoughts. Ancaps & classical liberals do not hold a monopoly on the libertarian title nor the gadsden flag.
I do not assume everyone who uses the hammer and sickle is some tankie... All i ask is the same respect.
Are you a libertarian socialist? Or an American “libertarian”? The convolution of the term in the US has really done a disservice to understanding what people mean when they say they are libertarian, I’ll grant you that
I’ll be honest though, I’ve never seen the Gadsden flag used by any flavor of libertarian that I find agreeable
Neither.
The reason I use the general term libertarian is because if I called myself a consenualist nobody would know what that means. After all I'm the creator and sole adherent of the school of thought.
I think the "left" & the "right" are equally insufferable. I'm tired of both of them constantly trying to police everything. (My use of the snek flag included)
Lol ok
I’m not here to tell you what to believe, but the Gadsden flag is pretty closely associated with right-wing American libertarianism. If you want to keep using it, go right ahead, just don’t be surprised when that’s what people assume you stand for
Ok. From now on I'll assume all socialists are Nazis. I'll match the energy. 👍
You’ll be incorrect, and people will think you don’t know what you’re talking about as a result, but you’re certainly welcome to do that.
you understand how this is absolutely silly, right?
the equivalent to your situation is not calling all socialists nazis, because "see nazis had 'socialist' in their name".
an equivalant would be to assume that someone who calls themselves a communist, and uses the flag of the soviet union or china, is indeed authoritarian (or maybe just very misinformed or edgy?), when they really are their own new kind of communist, who rejects all other communists and who uses the flag and name because they "just like the aestetic" and want to "reclaim it from the authoritarians".
i think it should be clear how the assumtion is in one case unjustified and either born out of ignorance or malice, and in the other case the only possible assumtion to make, untill the communist in question provides additional information.
now consider that many here probably experiance right libertarians a threat to their own safety and freedom, in their actual lives, and you might understand why they might not give people using the symbolism of right libertarianism much benefit of the doubt.
Yeah... The silliness was the literal point.
Actually it's a 1:1 comparison
The word "socialism" was co-opted The word "libertarian" was co-opted
If you assume all libertarians must be those who co-opted the term, then I assume all socialists are those who co-opted the term.
But whatever. Echo chamber going to echo.
it's not about the word "libertarian". its about the flag (in combination with the word). the flag was not coopted to be a right libertarian thing, it has always been. you cant reclaim that. if you want to reclaim the word "libertarian" it's probably smarter to disassociate it from right libertarian symbolism
ask for respect
mention ancap unironically
lmao
100% agree. Politics is very much a label and judge arena. It's sad that the American Right has claimed the libertarian label and the gadsden flag, seeing that their authoritarian ideology couldn't be further away from the real meanings of either actual libertarian philosophy or the flag itself.
Real libertarianism in my opinion is closer to the writings of John Locke than it is to the current American Right. It's sad that it's been twisted to be seen in that way, and consequently hated that way too.
I hope all the commenters in this thread please read some Wikipedia before posting unrealistic opinions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_flag
i think if u try to single person (re)claim a flag (and a label, which in combination with the flag) is otherwise uniquely used by people on the right, on a spectrum from misguieded, to anti-social, to fascist, i don't oppose you trying, but you have to expect that most people will assume you associate yourself with the ideology these symbols commonly belong to (since that is usually the reason people use them) and that you will get backlash in anti-authoritarian spaces, like a rightist who is trying to invade them would.
you can't even compare this to hammer and sickle, because those are at least not exclusively used by cunts, but actually by a wide spectrum from authoritarian cunts to adherents of more libertairian ideologies (like council communism). here the assumption that someone who uses them must be a tankie is far more unfounded and worthy of criticism than in your case, i believe.
what i am trying to say is, it seems to me like you are setting yourself up for being misjuged, and i'd don't think you can blame anyone but yourself for it. you picked this hill yourself, and you should know by now where it positioned you. good luck
No.
This meme is absolutely correct, which is why it makes me so happy that that California is making real strides in repatriating looted ancestor graves and cultural items with CalNAGPRA. Thousands have been returned to tribes, sometimes to be cared for locally, sometimes reburied, and sometimes the tribe maintains ownership but allows the university/museum to display it. Ie, the same fucking rights they should have had from the beginning. It’s about half a century late, but at least it’s finally getting underway.
From Augustine:
“Indeed, that was an apt and true reply which was given to by a pirate who had been seized. For when that king had asked the man what he meant by keeping hostile possession of the sea, he answered with bold pride, "What do you mean by seizing the whole earth; because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a robber, while you who does it with a great fleet are styled emperor.”
OP was smart and got ahead of my “but do you have a flag?” question
The reason I like the Flashman books is that he's the only Victorian era hero who actually acts like a Victorian would have. He's a slaver, rapist, and murderer.