Is Libertarianism anti-Community?

By Dr. Henry Flores, Newstaco

Did you know that July 30th is International Friendship Day celebrated globally?  On Sunday, July 20th, Día del Amigo was celebrated in Argentina.  Every restaurant in Buenos Aires was packed with friends enjoying each other’s company and celebrating their friendships.  I don’t think that this day or concept is celebrated in the United States.  Instead we get crowds of people shouting hatred at each other.  Recent images of angry, shouting mobs in Murietta, California, the passage of anti-immigrant laws in Lewsville, Texas, and the forming of armed militias in South Texas to “repel” the immigrant invasions from the south have left me angry, flabbergasted, embarrassed and perplexed.

My Confusion 

My perplexity is caused by an administration that appears to fear the hateful, racist mobs and lawmakers.  Instead of standing up and dealing with these “bullies” the administration appears to react with deportations and increased spending on “border security” measures.  My perplexity, however, goes even deeper in that I don’t understand why, a country that passes itself off as the bastion of democracy and the champion of liberty and justice for all can project such a hateful and racist image globally?

Individualism is to Blame 

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that individualism is wrong.  I like individualism; it’s what makes us all our own personalities.  What I am referring to is the infusion into almost everything political of the concept of “individual liberty.”  Libertarians, that strange group of individuals who want government out of every part of life, see any governmental program regardless of its stated intent as an infringement on an individual’s liberty.  The problem with this concept is that it militates against the development of a sense of community because it sets everyone against each other.  Libertarianism, which has become the core philosophy of today’s Republican Party, is not a philosophy appropriate for issues and problems confronting the contemporary world.  It may have been appropriate in the 17th Century but it is an outmoded way of looking at issues or offering solutions to any current social or economic problems.  Worst of all, some of the most nefarious politicians of today use it as an excuse to put forth their own selfish agendas.

 The Problem 

An example of what I am referring to is the current hatred being spewed over the complex immigration issue. As I’ve noted here before, immigration is not a simple issue, it’s complex and the little minds in Murietta, California, Lewisville, Texas and the armed militia groups on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas don’t understand or don’t want to understand the issue beyond what they see as their perceived interests.  Murietta was founded as a “bedroom suburb” to attract individuals who wanted to get away from urban blight and the crime it spawns.  Lewisville, Texas is also a bedroom suburb like Murietta and founded for the same reasons.  The anti-immigrant positions of both these communities are designed to keep immigrants from despoiling their pristine living environments.  The armed militia groups are simply a bunch of  racists who are using immigration as a recruiting issue to grow their own ranks and protect their perceived right to bear arms.

Selfish Interests and Libertarianism 

Connecting anti-immigrant behavior with libertarianism is simple, hate and racism fuels selfish interests.  The anti-immigrant folks claim that the right to live the way they wish, which to them is an expression of the exercise of individual liberties, is being infringed upon by the government’s insistence to pander to immigrants.  The good folks of Murietta and Lewisville did not want centers for processing of immigrants anywhere close to their communities while the armed militias were using the arrival of young Central American immigrants as an opportunity to strengthen their claims to owning and carrying any type of gun they wanted.  These folks didn’t care about trying to solve or understand immigrant issues they only wanted to preserve their little part of the world.

What we need is to eliminate selfishness and self interest in the way we view public policy issues and begin to care for the plight of our fellow humans.  Americans need to act like the exemplars of democracy and humanness we like to think we are rather than the cold, hateful and racist country we really are.  We have to stop thinking of our own false individual liberties and begin thinking of our greater community.  We need to start treating the people of the world as friends.  One way of celebrating International Friendship Day would be by declaring war on the immigration problem and making meaningful strides toward comprehensive immigration reform in this country.  I want our country’s politicians to stop acting like politicians and begin acting like human beings and caring for their fellow humans.

Henry Flores, PhD, is a Distinguished University Research Professor, Institute of Public Administration and Public Service; Director, Masters in Public Administration (MPA); Professor of International Relations and Political Science at St. Mary’s University.

[Photo by Fibonacci Blue/Flickr]

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