2006-04-20 The Grand American Consensus

2006-04-20 David Brin Libertarian Reform Caucus \political ideology\archive.org/links\libertarianism\America\consensus http://web.archive.org/web/20071010175901/www.reformthelp.org/rights/moderation/consensus.php The Grand American Consensus The Grand American Consensus  It is a cherished belief, among many of those calling themselves "Libertarians," that present-day American society is a monstrosity – one created either by grand stupidity or the machinations of scoundrels in high places. It is dogma that, despite the high-sounding rhetoric of the Declaration of Independence, "the system" today serves to suppress individual creativity and freedom. To a great many Libertarians, the uprising of 1775-1783 was a revolution betrayed.

Ironically, this is exactly the way numerous American leftists would also describe today's United States. In each case, the pictured demon is authority, imposing a rigid system that constrains opportunity and limits human potential. Pushing aside the awkward details, it's astonishing how similar these two movements are in one respect—the nature of the dream world they would have their distant descendants inhabit.

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In my last article, I gave a thumbnail sketch of one fictional utopia which elicits pleased responses from most Americans I describe it to... people of such diverse political backgrounds that I feel certain the image harkens to something much more basic than dogmas of left or right. It speaks of a society in which all children are raised healthy, independent-minded, and taught such calm maturity, that their culture requires almost no authority, law, or coercion. It is a fantasy shared across a wide spectrum, by a diverse range of dreamers.

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Both libertarians and anarcho-socialists might agree upon a vague, distant goal, and further agree that contemporary American culture is decadent, corrupt, and requiring desperate surgery if that ideal tomorrow is ever to be reached, but they disagree over the nature of the operation needed. Meanwhile, a third point of view – again sharing the same notion of utopia – suggests that radical intervention may be the last thing that's needed. Complete text: David Brin/The Grand American Consensus

&ldquo;Both libertarians and anarcho-socialists might agree upon a vague, distant goal, and further agree that contemporary American culture is decadent, corrupt, and requiring desperate surgery if that ideal tomorrow is ever to be reached, but they disagree over the nature of the operation needed. Meanwhile, a third point of view – again sharing the same notion of utopia – suggests that radical intervention may be the last thing that's needed.&rdquo;   