RoR: Forum

Dear Mr. Stolyarov,

That was a very good vlog.

I don't agree that everything bad in my life comes from the government, but I do agree that everything good in it came about from consensual behavior and free enterprise. I think that socialized K-12 (re-)education is less about labor protectionism than it is about indoctrinating children with the latest politically correct doctrines.

Will you be posting this video on your YouTube channel? :-)

Post 1

Saturday, June 28, 2008 - 2:48pm

Dear Mr. Hayashi,

Thank you for your comment. I am glad that you watched and enjoyed my video.

Of course, it is quite possible to point out aspects of one�s own life which are not due (or at least not directly due) to government interference. I, in particular, am keenly aware that some of my flaws and errors originate from my own deficiencies and not from any external force. If I make a mistake on an exam or when working for someone, the government certainly did not make me do it!

My intention was to aim this video at a general audience of young people � whose particular foibles and personality flaws would, of course, all be different, and therefore I could not make reference to them generally. The more precise way of stating my message would have been, �Everything bad that afflicts all young people today stems from government, while everything good that benefits the lives of all young people today stems from the free market.�

You wrote, �I think that socialized K-12 (re-)education is less about labor protectionism than it is about indoctrinating children with the latest politically correct doctrines.�

Of course! The politically correct indoctrination is a huge part of public education today � and having sat through years of it, I can attest to this personally. The labor protectionism is more a reason for having public education in the first place and having it for a much longer time than is needed to teach students the material commonly available in K-12 schools. But the political correctness, surely, is responsible for much of the content of public education today.

I will be posting my video to my YouTube channel eventually, after the Today.com video contest is over.

Sincerely,
Gennady Stolyarov II
Editor-in-Chief, The Rational Argumentator: http://rationalargumentator.com
Writer, Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/46796/g_stolyarov_ii.html
Author, The Best Self-Help is Free: http://rationalargumentator.com/selfhelpfree.html
Author, The Progress of Liberty Blog: http://progressofliberty.today.com/

Post 2

Sunday, June 29, 2008 - 5:15am

I will be posting my video to my YouTube channel eventually, after the Today.com video contest is over.

Terrific! That way, I can put it in my YouTube Favorites. :-)

By the way, I appear in a YouTube Video about the initiation of physical force entitled "The Invisible Gun." I hope that can count as free-market activism on the part of a young person. ;-)

Post 3

Sunday, June 29, 2008 - 10:48am

Dear Mr. Hayashi,

I watched �The Invisible Gun,� and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think you presented a clear, easily understandable argument as to the true nature of the law � an understanding that most people miss but that most of them can also obtain if somebody takes ten minutes to explain it to them, as you have done.

I gave this video five stars and will promote it on July 1 on The Progress of Liberty. It certainly counts as an excellent act of free-market activism.

Sincerely,
Gennady Stolyarov II

Editor-in-Chief, The Rational Argumentator: http://rationalargumentator.com

Writer, Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/46796/g_stolyarov_ii.html

Author, The Best Self-Help is Free: http://rationalargumentator.com/selfhelpfree.html

Author, The Progress of Liberty Blog: http://progressofliberty.today.com/

Post 4

Monday, June 30, 2008 - 7:59am

Wow! Thank you very much. :-D

Post 5

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 - 12:47am

Dear Mr. Stolyarov,

I applaud your efforts. The concept of teaching about the nature and value of the free market and your choice of a young audience both make so much sense.

I would only have the following minor quibbles:

1. Unless one is an anarchist, there is a distinct value in the right kind of government: By outlawing the initiation of force, fraud and theft, it creates the "free" in "free market" - free to interact voluntarily. (Obviously this is called a quibble since our biggest problem now is in having so much of the wrong kind of government.)

2. Political Science and Economics are two key areas of philosophy but not the only ones. There are a plethora of goods and evils that arise from other areas. Just as an example, I would say that more Americans damage their own lives with flawed psychology than are serious victims of government abuse. We all garner less happiness than we would otherwise have enjoyed from errors that found their way into our culture from epistemology and metaphysics. Government is only one of the possible impediments to having less joy in the pursuit of our careers and romances.

-------------

I only mention these two quibbles for two reasons (other than enjoying the occasional quibble):

Casting statements as absolutes can undermine your argument. I like absolutes - they speak with authority and power - they can illustrate with striking clarity. But they are dangerous. If your listener can rationally imagine just one exception you may lose them and not even know it.

Second, it can lead to utopian thinking to imagine that a) we can achieve a perfect state of political freedom before we get much nearer a perfect state of understanding all of the areas of philosophy, and b) it is misleading to think that political freedom might automatically bring about happiness - a condition requiring more complex inputs.

p.s., Should you agree with my points, please don't let them deter you from continuing to drive home the essentials in strong, clear language. And relegate any caveates to minor clauses at most - the small print.

Best Wishes,
Steve

Post 6

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 - 6:29pm

Dear Mr. Wolfer,

Thank you for your comments. I will keep your caveats in mind, as I agree with them in essence. I am not an anarcho-capitalist, and I do believe that some kind of government is necessary for protecting individual rights and preventing a Hobbesian �war of all against all.� I do, however, think that the present government and virtually all historical governments have not only failed miserably at this task, but have actually done the exact opposite. Thus, while I think that government could and ought to be a good, real-world governments up to our time have almost always been unmitigated evils � with a few exceptions scattered throughout history, including some American administrations of the past.

I also agree with you on the existence of other evils. This is why I am writing a self-help treatise to help correct some people's mistaken notions about how they ought to live and perceive the world. I do agree with you that happiness will not come automatically from a fully limited government and fully free markets � although attaining the latter will certainly help a lot of people become happier.

This particular video has been doing quite well so far � over 2300 views! I think I was able to reach a decent audience with this one, but I will make an effort to qualify my statements in the future and to ensure that sufficient distinctions are made to prevent any misunderstandings.

Sincerely,
Gennady Stolyarov II

Editor-in-Chief, The Rational Argumentator: http://rationalargumentator.com

Writer, Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/46796/g_stolyarov_ii.html

Author, The Best Self-Help is Free: http://rationalargumentator.com/selfhelpfree.html

Author, The Progress of Liberty Blog: http://progressofliberty.today.com/

Post 7

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 - 7:22pm

Dear Mr. Hayashi,

As promised, I made a post promoting �The Invisible Gun� on The Progress of Liberty:

http://progressofliberty.today.com/2008/07/01/invisible-gun/

Sincerely,
Gennady Stolyarov II

Editor-in-Chief, The Rational Argumentator: http://rationalargumentator.com

Writer, Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/46796/g_stolyarov_ii.html

Author, The Best Self-Help is Free: http://rationalargumentator.com/selfhelpfree.html

Post 8

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 - 10:39pm

Thanks again. :-D

Friday, August 22, 2008 - 11:44am