Dialogue found on the internet (not written to me, incidentally)

[Deja Q]

What do you mean by "society" anyway? This term is never given a solid definition by those who would like to control "society" and impose their world view on everyone else. Get over your self and let every one else get a grip on their own "self-image".

We're all responsible for our own lives and what we do with them and how we see ourselves. But I'll grant you this, I won't stop you from trying to help all the ones who can't seem to cope. But please don't ask me to help you... in any way. I have enough to keep me busy with out trying to "heal-the-world". Of what, I'm not exactly sure. It seems to be just the way it's supposed to be. If it wasn't, it would be someway else.

How would you respond to this person? I know a thing or two that could be said. We won't need to give him help. Any. Of any sort. And the moment he asks anyone, for anything ever, he becomes a huge hypocrite. Even a penny of taxpayer money.

[dbonds]

1. Kick them out of the village if they don't want to help the tribe.

[ColbertWatcher]

2. I always thought society was the forest. n/t

[Chulanowa]

3. Ah, Libertarian philosophy

There's really no arguing. They're basically fanatics to selfishness, a monument to ignorance.

We are responsible for our own lives, yes. However, our lives are inevitably woven into the lives of those around us, who are of course deeply involved with people around them, so on and so forth. You may not personally know some guy at the West end of Papua-New Guinea, but I promise you, follow the person-chain seven links and you'll have found at least one person who does., who is a friend of your friend's friend, etc. There are selfish gains to altruism, as well - Peace of mind and relief of stress at the physical level, and the gratitude of others on the social - which may lead to altruism being visited to us when the time comes. It's not karma, so much as that chain of people

if I know my Libertards, he will then try to change the argument about taxation being theft, forcing him to help out people, when he'd much rather use his money to help people his way. At this point, you need to explain to him that the community as a whole - including himself - benefits from tax money collected. Roads, police, sewers, disaster relief, fire departments, all of it benefits him, as a sort of insurance. Everything in his home, his home itself, the money he used to buy that home and all that stuff, the roads he travels on to get to his job to make that money, and even the job itself are PROVIDED BY OTHER PEOPLE. All of this stuff is protected by the insurance net paid for by the tax dollars of all these people

Following the Libertardian rulebook, he'll likely then start talking about hiring his own private police force or something. At which point you can point out that if he's poor enough to give a fuck about taxes, then he sure as hell can't pay even one rent-a-cop's wages. Then you can go on to ask him if he lives in a cave in the wilderness, hammering away at a keyboard he fashioned himself out of rocks, bark, and moose turds.

[rrneck]

4. Well, the most appropriate

response has already been posted, but idiots like that tend to bring out the redneck in me. What I would like to do is give him a rap in the mouth and tell him "that's just the way it's supposed to be, and I'm good with that."

But that wouldn't be nice.