Aside from some theoretical differences in the realms of political theory and economic theory, the main problem I have with US libertarians is the way in which they have not been able to stand apart from mainstream US politics. It seems that virtually all libertarians feel compelled to take one or another “culture war” side, making themselves into just another faction of either the Red or Blue tribe. My criticisms of the Left (including left-libertarians and left-anarchists) are well-known.

But I’ve also seen plenty of libertarians going in the direction of the standard right-libertarian “wokeness sucks so we need to become conservatives/Catholic traditionalists/NRxers” direction. This  Matt Erickson guy they’re discussing seems to also have the fetish for Eastern Orthodox religion that is common among many among the US alt-right/lite/NRx/traditionalist/whatever milieu. I’ve seen plenty of libertarians go in this kind of direction over the past decade, but I can’t say I’m much impressed with it. To me, it’s just a rightist inversion of the left-libertarian “woke is libertarian” perspective.

Both are ultimately just another tribe or religious sect, and it is beside the point when it comes to what I consider to be the most important aspects of anarchism/libertarianism, i.e. the critique of power. Serious anarchism criticizes systems of power regardless of who holds it, irrespective of how “traditional,” “woke,” “socialist,” “capitalist,” religious, secular, whatever else they may be. I will work with anyone who criticizes this or that system of power. I recently had an article published in a paleocon journal attacking “rainbow capitalists” and I recently worked with the Green Party on attacking the Green New Deal as a corporatist scam.  But any ideology, philosophy, value system, or set of cultural norms can be co-opted, subverted, or perverted by power elites.

Adam Patrick is the host of the Yer Talkin Over Me Podcast. Adam invited Pete back on his show to continue their conversation from a couple weeks ago and to ask questions specific to Pete’s conversation with Matt Erickson and to start the conversation of what Post-Libertarianism looks like.