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Hot take: Libertarians are the state’s most dedicated enemies and, in true Girardian fashion become its most faithful imitators.

Rene Girard observed that enemies often become mirror images of each other. The more fiercely they oppose, the more they mimic. The obsession breeds resemblance. This is the trap of mimetic rivalry: we become like the thing we hate.

Libertarians see the state as the ultimate enemy. But in their desire to escape or overthrow it, they begin to reflect its mindset. They study its structure, anticipate its moves, simulate its power in miniature. They build parallel institutions—private courts, private currencies, private defense—as if reconstructing the state from scratch, but with different branding.

Their deep paranoia, their obsession with sovereignty, even their fetish for rules (so long as they’re voluntary)—these are all echoes of the very system they claim to reject.

Like the revolutionary who dreams only of becoming the king he deposed, the libertarian is haunted by the shape of the state. He cannot stop thinking like it, preparing for it, becoming like it in opposition.

So yes—libertarians are closet statists. Not because they love the state, but because they hate it with such intensity that they’ve begun to mimic it.

The enemy has colonized their imagination.

halalmoney 8mo ago

Interesting!

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René Girard's mimetic theory asserts that enemies often become mirror images of each other due to mimetic rivalry—a process where competing parties unconsciously imitate each other’s desires and behaviors, escalating conflict. Key points include:

1. Mimetic Desire and Rivalry: Girard argues that human desire is imitative ("mimetic"), meaning we unconsciously adopt the desires of others. When two parties pursue the same object or status, rivalry intensifies, and they increasingly mirror each other’s actions and motivations. This imitation erodes perceived differences, making rivals "doubles" locked in reciprocal hostility.

2. Escalation to Violence: As rivals become more alike, conflict often spirals into violence. Girard describes this as a "metaphysical" struggle where each party seeks validation through the destruction of the other, whom they ironically resemble. The closer the relationship (e.g., siblings, ideological peers), the fiercer the rivalry.

3. Scapegoating as Resolution: To resolve crises, communities historically united by scapegoating a common enemy. However, Girard notes that scapegoats are falsely blamed, and their expulsion only temporarily restores peace. The underlying mimetic rivalry remains unresolved, perpetuating cycles of blame and violence.

4. Biblical Revelation: Girard contrasts archaic myths with biblical narratives, which he argues expose the scapegoat’s innocence. This undermines the efficacy of sacrificial violence, forcing humanity to confront its mimetic nature and seek nonviolent resolutions.

In summary, Girard’s framework posits that enemies mirror each other because desire itself is imitative, binding rivals in a destructive symmetry that only conscious awareness can dismantle.

<https://www.perplexity.ai/search/rene-girard-did-he-assert-that-jagJ7Ze9TnW3FWAa2bhCOA>

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