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David McElroy

An Alien Sent to Observe the Human Race

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This is why people are confused about what anarchists really are

By David McElroy · May 14, 2011

Some anarcho-capitalists have asked me why I shy away from using the word “anarchist” to describe anti-state views. In this excellent takedown of the Washington Post, David Boaz provides the evidence. Because most of the people who call themselves anarchists are simply trying to tear down society — and because the media almost universally believe this is all the term means — it’s come to be representative of people who simply want chaos and to destroy property. I don’t want chaos and I don’t want to destroy anyone’s property. I want order, but I want voluntary co-operative order. But since the word “anarchist” has come to mean the kinds of people who loot and destroy, it’s become pretty useless to those who believe in property and freedom, regardless of what it really means. What do you think?

“Anarchist” Idiocy | Cato @ Liberty.

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What’s the best word for those of us who just want to be left alone?

By David McElroy · May 12, 2011

In one of my favorite science fiction novels, author F. Paul Wilson calls the guiding philosophy of the heroes Kyfho. In reading the book, you just accept the label without thinking about it, only later learning that the word had originally been an acronym in an old Earth language for “Keep your freaking hands off.” (I’m cleaning up the meaning of the F from the book.) Since the people in the book — “An Enemy of the State” — didn’t understand English, they had no idea what the words had originally meant, but their actions made it clear that they believed something very much like what we do. They just wanted to be left alone.

Over time, I’ve used a number of words to describe my political/social beliefs, but I’m not really happy with any of them now. I’ve called myself a libertarian, but that word carries the implication of being someone who wants to use the existing political system to elect people who will (hopefully) be more inclined toward individual freedom. Since I want to avoid the system entirely, the connotation doesn’t seem right. Then there’s anarcho-capitalist, which has seemed the most technically correct, but is loaded with misunderstandings, to put it mildly. The word “capitalist” itself has come to refer to the kind of corporatism that is practiced in the United States today, rather than the laissez-faire that it originally meant. Anything with the word “anarchy” in it implies chaos to most people. Even if we see it as meaning a lack of rulers rather than a lack of rules, I’m afraid the word has been ruined by people who’ve used it for too many other purposes — including the nutcases who attack businesses during protests.

Others have suggested “voluntaryist,” but that seems really forced to me. Another label is “agorist,” but that one sounds even stranger to me. Do you have a better label that I’m overlooking? I think it’s important to have a quick way to tell people what I believe, but I don’t have one. Any ideas?

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Does the ocean offer the best chance of escaping the state?

By David McElroy · May 12, 2011

Most people associate heading out to sea with vacation cruises, but what if a floating platform in the ocean could be home rather than just an escape to a beach? With all of the available land on Earth claimed by one state or another, some people believe that the oceans offer the best chance to escape the control of coercive governments. The Seasteading Institute is an organization devoted to pursuing such a future. (Its founder is the grandson of the late free market economist Milton Friedman.)

I’m a little skeptical that a huge percentage of people will ever want to live without solid land underneath them, but I see a strong possibility that if something such as this happened, it could put pressure on governments not to tax productive people so much if those productive (aka wealthier) people have an alternative to pursue. What do you think? First, would you ever be interested in living on such a floating platform? Second, do you think it would pressure governments to be less coercive? And, third, do you think governments would band together to try to stop it?

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Tonight’s sunset was very soft and delicate, lik Tonight’s sunset was very soft and delicate, like something from a painting with pastels. #nature #naturephotography #sky #colorful #clouds #sunset #birmingham #alabama
I am endlessly fascinated by the beauty of bare tr I am endlessly fascinated by the beauty of bare tree branches against a night sky, but my photos of such scenes never seem to quite match the loveliness of what I see in person. #nature #naturephotography #tree #night #sky #birmingham #alabama
I stopped at the Cahaba River bridge on I-459 just I stopped at the Cahaba River bridge on I-459 just south of Birmingham to catch this sunset shot on the way home from work Tuesday evening. #nature #naturephotography #sky #colorful #clouds #sunset #birmingham #alabama
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I love the way the moon looks through the bare bra I love the way the moon looks through the bare branches of a tree in my front yard tonight. On a cold night such as this one, it can sometimes seem as though the winter will never end and spring will never arrive. #nature #naturephotography #sky #night #tree #moon #birmingham #alabama
Ever since a neighbor strung some decorative light Ever since a neighbor strung some decorative lights in his back yard a year or so ago, I’ve been trying to figure out how to photograph them. In person, the effect is stunning on the yard, but I’ve struggled to figure out any sort of perspective that would be interesting. I’m still not entirely happy with this, but it’s th best I’ve been able to come up with so far. #lights #backyard #birmingham #alabama
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As I was getting into the car after work just afte As I was getting into the car after work just after 5 p.m., I looked up and saw this beautiful full moon shining through the bare limbs of a nearby tree. #nature #naturephotography #tree #moon #birmingham #alabama
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Merlin has just learned the joys of little bits of Merlin has just learned the joys of little bits of cheese coming from the sky and landing next to him — and he’s licking his chops as he looks around to see whether there’s any more of this manna from heaven that might be coming his way. #cat #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cute #cutecat #pets #petstagram #petsofinstagram #merlin2024 #instacat #ilovecats #birmingham #alabama
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I’m not sure what to make of this pose, but Moll I’m not sure what to make of this pose, but Molly seems pretty pleased with herself. #cat #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cute #cutecat #pets #petstagram #petsofinstagram #greeneyes #instacat #ilovecats #birmingham #alabama
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Merlin wants to know if someone has come to bring Merlin wants to know if someone has come to bring his dinner very early — and if not, why not? #cat #cats #catstagram #catsofinstagram #cute #cutecat #pets #petstagram #petsofinstagram #merlin2024 #instacat #ilovecats #birmingham #alabama #caturday
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Have you ever wondered how the social media world works for so-called “influencers”? I find it comical, so I thought I’d share with you. I frequently get offers such as what I’m about to describe. And if I’m getting such offers — as a relative nobody in the online world — you can only imagine what people with huge audiences are offered. It starts with an email appealing to my ego: “We came across your online presence and we LOVE your style. We’d love to have you as one of our Brand Ambassadors. To celebrate our new [Brand Name] collection, we want to give you a FREE Watch so you can post a picture of you wearing it and drive more exposure to our brand.” Did you hear that? They love me. They want me to be seen wearing their cheap $59 watch so other people will think, “If this amazing influencer wears that, surely I should buy one.” They even offer me commissions on the watches sold from people clicking from my site. So the next time you see some alleged “influencer” touting something online or on social media, remember that this is what it’s probably all about. It’s laughable.

Modern culture is going insane. The latest evidence comes from the effort to redefine children’s author Dr. Seuss as a racist whose books should be banned. Why? Because a few images in those books don’t meet modern political standards. The drawing you see here is one of those “dangerously racist images,” and it comes from the Dr. Seuss classic, “And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street.” The book catalogs all the wild diversity seen by a child on one street, including the offending drawing of a Chinese boy. What’s racist about it? Apparently, it was racist to show the boy eating rice, wearing a funny hat, using chopsticks and (worst of all) having eyes represented by a slit. (The bearded man near him has dots for eyes, but that’s apparently OK.) In other words, the stereotypes are considered racist today. (Oddly, the culture warriors who fret over such things are never concerned if a white southerner is depicted as ignorant trash living in a trailer. Some stereotypes are great, especially if the left hates those people anyway.) Theodore Geisel — the name of the real-life Dr. Seuss — was a product of his time and nobody at that time would have seen any of this as racist. Using stereotypes and exaggerations is how artists depict differences in simple ways. You can argue that it’s better to achieve the end result in a different way, but it’s insane to pretend that everybody from the past should have his work erased because it doesn’t match the preferences of modern leftists. Unfortunately, the company that publishes Dr. Seuss books has caved to the insane people — and six of his popular works will no longer be published. The world has simply gone insane.

Tyler Barnes will never be a basketball star. He probably peaked as a star high school player in Louisville, Ky. But for the last four years, he’s been a walk-on player for the University of Alabama. He’s a chemical engineering major with lots of academic honors who rides the bench because he loves being part of a team. He sometimes gets into games with a minute or two to go, but only if Alabama has a big lead. This Saturday, it was senior day for Alabama basketball, so it was his last chance to play in Coleman Coliseum. Alabama Coach Nate Oats says that one of the team starter’s came to him an hour before the game started — and fellow senior Alex Reese asked Oats if Barnes could start in his place for this one game. Even though the game was huge for Alabama, which is ranked No. 6 in the country and trying to wrap up an SEC title, Oats agreed. Barnes started and played the first three minutes, grabbing what was only the fourth rebound of his career and missing his only shot. Barnes has a great future as an engineer, but you’ll never again hear from him as a basketball player. For three shining minutes Saturday, though, he was a starter for a top-10 college basketball team — and his parents were in the stands from Kentucky to see it. There’s a lot of ugliness in college basketball right now, but this story makes me happy.

It was five years ago tonight when Lucy first rode in the car with me. She was on her way to her “forever home” with me that night, but she didn’t know it, so she was terrified. It was a much happier and braver girl who took a ride in the car tonight so we could go through a drive-through window and order a hamburger for her — to celebrate five years with me. She had a great time. If she could remember five years ago tonight, she would be proud of how far she’s come, too. If you’d like to know more about Lucy’s journey from scared dog to brave queen of the household, here’s something I wrote after her first year with me. I’m hoping this girl will have many more happy years with me.

I’ve never been attracted to skinny women. There’s nothing wrong with someone who’s naturally thin, but it’s never been my preference. What has shocked me, though, is the judgment I’ve heard from women all through my life — about themselves and others — about who’s “fat.” I concluded long ago that most women in our culture have been brainwashed to believe that skinny is attractive — and that anything other than skinny is ugly. I first assumed that I was the oddball — for preferring women with bigger and heavier bodies — but I’m coming to the conclusion that most men naturally feel this way to one extent or another. I just ran across new research by a couple of Northwestern University psychology professors that shows that women seriously overestimate how much a straight man will be attracted to a skinny woman. In a perfect world, we would all be at a healthy weight, but when it comes to attractiveness, too heavy is more attractive than skinny. At least to me — and to a lot of men, too.

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