[19]THE EGO TRIP: a view of the libertarian dichotomy

by Groovy Goat

typed by Jilda Temuchin

The libertarian theoretician today generally falls into one of two categories: The technician and the academician. Technicians are businessmen and scientists, their source of ego satisfaction and objective judgement of worth falling both in their field of endeavor and their libertarian activity. The publishers of the Libertarian Connection and the Innovator are examples of libertarian technicians.

Academicians are professors, magazine editors, authors, school deans, whose only source of ego satisfaction and objective judgement of worth is their Libertarian activity. This group can be distinctly subdivided into two antagonistic subgroups: the educationalists and the revolutionaries.

Educationalists believe man’s nature is pliable and completely reformable, that his genetic predispositions are of little consequence. They operate on the thesis: , , . . . if only the truth were known. . . . Rand, Institute for Humane Studies, FEE, Rampart College, are examples of libertarians in this subgroup.

Revolutionaries believe many human beings are intractibly rotten(on a permanent unalterable power trip) and that most of the remainder of the human race are sheep. Thus to them the only means to freedom is violent overthrow of the State. Rothbard, Hess, Liggio, Hamoway are examples of libertarians in this subgroup.

Since libertarian activity is the only ego activity of the academicians, the state of society is a direct regulator, depressant or stimulant, to their self-esteem. The cause of freedom to them is more important than being free. Thus academicians attack the libertarian heads and libertarian opt-outers. As Bob Dylan stated in his Playboy interview(in regard to Joan Baez and her non-violent school): That's like wanting the chunk instead of the butter..

It is not a coincidence that almost without exception the technicians support retreat, black market activities, psychedelics, sabotage and disrupt and having fun, while academicians support mass education, grimness, revolution, and sacrifice to the cause( read Rothbard, LC #2). Thus an academician could not discover the new principle of warfare proposed by Skye D’Aureous — it had to be discovered by a technician.

Because the academician is a social reformer, he views the fight against the State in the terms of the collectivist: revolution, self-criticism sessions, use of courts, publicity-seeking compromises of principle, supporting Nixon(Rand), or running for the Senate (Rothbard)— to use the power only to fight power, of course.

[20] The libertarian technician views the fight in new terms. He does’t accept the collectivist groundrules. In opposition to the academician, he does not view opting out as ceding civilization to the state and the statists. Although the academicians cannot function without the current civilization, the technicians can. As long as he can raid libraries and equipment depots from time to time, it is possible to both maintain his standard of living and pursue his interests.

The libertarian technician does not mind ceding civilization to the collectivists even if it were so, as he feels no duty to liberate mankind — he feel a duty only to have fun. If he decides to fight, psychopharmaceutical warfare and the use of modern weaponry on a very libertarian and individual basis is his bag. He does not seek publicity for his anti-bureaucrat adventures; in fact, he avoids it. The technician receives his ego satisfaction from his vocation. The ends of his fight are not so much social reform as personal liberation, laissez-faire enclaves, or just plain FUN.

BECOME A MAGAZINE TYCOON or HOW TO BE A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR( to use a beautiful expression we first heard from J. M. Cobb, editor of the New Individualist Review).

Here’s your chance to put together your own magazine with none of the problems of publishing. You simply send in your one or two page circular on stencil(or you can send in the necessary number of pages—write the Publishers for further info). We will include it as part of the regular magazine. No worries about building up a mailing list. No expensive remailings through other established magazines. If you lose interest, just drop it and continue to enjoy the approximately 200 pages of material you’ll be sent, with no loss of money!!! You can sell ads in YOUR magazine or do anything else you wish as long as it meets the other general requirements for contributors as stated elsewhere in this issue.

LIBERTARIAN HAMS — Want to communicate with other libertarians via radio? Lets get something going. Write to the Connection giving technical information such as frequency, modulation, and power.

Does anybody know where I can get a copy of a record called L S Bumble Bee? Its by Peter Cooke, a 45, and came out in Summer ’67.

To interested Libertarians wishing to hear Nathaniel Branden’s side of the excommunication story. Write to: Nathaniel Branden, 1865 N. Fuller Suite 403, Los Angeles, California. 90046.