Libertarians Should Not Indentify As Capitalists

==Rasmussen Poll== =Those over 40= wjmelements: "A Rasmussen poll that didn't define capitalism found that "adults over 40 strongly favor capitalism" (although it didn't give a statistic, the number is implied to be between 61% and 87%). " And this proves my point! Adults over 40 certainly do NOT "strongly favor" the Free Market. This can be said with certainty. This proves that what is called Capitalism is not the Free Market and this shows why we should distance ourselves from Capitalism. Those rebellious youth, red meat for libertarian recruitment, see that the current system sucks, though they may not fully understand why, and see that this system is called Capitalism and that their parents favor it and so they rebel against it. They agree with the libertarians! Why then do the libertarians make them their enemy by holding high the banner of the youths' oppression and exploitation? It is nonsensical. =Republicans= wjmelements: "Even more importantly, "Republicans - by an 11-to-1 margin - favor capitalism" Even worse! Libertarians have been trying to shake off the "pot-smoking Republican" label that has been pinned on them. They should be distinguishing themselves from Republicans! For Republicans, like people over 40, do NOT favor the Free Market. Republicans and libertarians are as different as night and day and trying to further confuse the two will bring libertarians nothing but woe. =Supporters= wjmelements: "Therefore, there is a target audience for libertarianism that loves the term capitalism, and using it would attract more supporters. " It would attract supporters of the name libertarian, perhaps, but not of libertarianism. And that would not be a victory at all. In fact, it would be a setback as more non-libertarians would call themselves libertarians, thereby changing the popular conception of the word and damning it to the same fate as "liberal". There are plenty of people that identify as liberal, nowadays. [1] ==Free Market== Then, my opponent argues that the term Free Market has the same problem that Capitalism does. That is, that it is not clear and does not in fact mean Free Market to everyone. To prove this he cites figures that show that some Democrats must claim to favor Free Markets and increased governmental regulation, at the same time. It is indeed true that the term, in the popular imagination, is not as crystal clear as would be ideal. Because of this, the libertarian may pick a different term other than Free Market to show his commitment to, well, Free Markets. For instance, the term Freed Market has been gaining a bit of traction lately and is used to distinguish the true Free Market from the Republican "Free Market". Nevertheless, the term Free Market suffers from much LESS confusion than does Capitalism and should therefore be preferred between the two. [2][3] Furthermore, Free Market has a more positive connotation. [2][3] ==Libertarian Capitalism== Wjmelements: "Lastly, because "two-thirds (65%) of voters agree, however, that government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors", and because this statistic is even higher amongst Republicans, making the distinction between crony capitalism and libertarian capitalism would be a winning point for libertarianism. " It is certainly important to point out that what we have now is not a Free Market, indeed. In fact, the main problem with the terms Free Market and Capitalism result from such a confusion. However, as stated in Round 2, libertarians have limited resources and the path of least resistance should be taken. Free Market means what it says on the can and is viewed more favorably than Capitalism. Though the libertarian could try and save the term Capitalism, which did not originally mean Free Market anyway, by calling what he supports libertarian or laissez-faire Capitalism and contrast it with the present Crony or State Capitalist system, he need not and quite frankly it is more trouble than it is worth. All he must say is, "I support Free(d) Markets and oppose the current (State) Capitalist economy". ==Conclusion== Capitalism is a Randian anti-concept. It does not clarify, it obfuscates. The word means different things to different people but is generally linked with the current economy of the United States, in particular. The libertarian, who opposes the current economic system in the United States, as he is a champion of the free market, should therefore distance himself from the term. By calling himself a supporter of the Capitalist system, the libertarian immediately makes plenty of radicals his enemy, despite the fact that they have much more in common than not. There are plenty of terms that are more agreeable, clear and do not have as polarizing an effect, such as Free(d) Market. The resolution is affirmed. ==Sources== [1]. http://www.gallup.com... [2] . http://www.rasmussenreports.com... [3]. http://www.rasmussenreports.com...