It’s interesting and troubling that the American right/conservative has in many ways co-opted libertarian stances around a small number of supercharged/controversial political issues.
Classical liberalism (the predecessor of libertarianism, as I understand it) is about maximizing each individual’s freedom and potential while maintaining just enough socio-political structure to protect the rights and freedoms of everyone else.
That, I think, is a noble ideal, and one that most rational people tend to agree with. But in many ways, the notion of fighting for freedom has become associated with “but I want guns” and “you can’t make me mask up” which are so NOT the core questions around human flourishing and freedom. Does gun safety and public heath matter? Of course. But it’s like a memeification of the idea of what makes society free and healthy.
I guess you could point to the uni-party culture war nonsense as the reason for this?
