“Libertarian” versus “libertine”: two confused concepts

My brother often calls himself “libertarian”, but tends strongly to disagree with what is generally referred to as “libertarian”, such as:

• a minarchist government dedicated only to protection of people against violence
• a tax system without direct personal or corporate income taxes
• a complete absence of regulatory bodies
• no public welfare and reliance by those unable to work on savings or private charity
• private provision of traditional “government” services such as:
• defence
• intelligence
• scientific services (meteorology, agricultural research etc.)

James Poulos, whom I do not know despite having frequently read Front Porch Republic, points out that in fact most of the “Millennial Generation” who call themselves “liberatarian” are in fact politically big-government, supporting what Poulos calls the “pink thought police” (the pink being a reference to the use of pink as a symbol for homosexuality).

Recent polls agree with Poulos’ point that:

“It’s not death to the state these libertarians want, it’s the state as cool parent, with a stripper pole in every pot.”

This is vindicated by the recent study ‘Individualist Millennials and Communitarian Conservatives’, which shows clearly that the Millennial Generation of the Enriched World, nurtured by the late Boomers who came of age in the Bush Senior Era, are not libertarians but radical individualists, who wish to eliminate any moral standards and place trust only in those institutions which they can manipulate to this end.

The correct word for such radical individualism based on

“refusal to admit limits to the gratifications of the self”

is libertine. “Libertine” is a word scribes appear reluctant to use of the emerging Millennial Generation in the Enriched World despite the evidence of polls, perhaps because they feel it a little derogatory and that they might have no reason for their radically individualistic values.

It is true that for many school kids (as I can testify) a community of fans of AC/DC – the band who more or less invented modern libertinism for the masses – does give a sense of belonging and one which I lacked as a child. However, the immaturity inherent in supporting a band preaching such violent messages as “I shoot to thrill and I’m ready to kill/I can’t get enough and I can’t get my fill” (which can be nothing except a desire to be a serial killer for the sake of it regardless of what AC/DC’s apologists have you believe) means that mature relationships must be tough for those brought up in such communities, and such seems to be showing in today’s Enriched World.