The Free Talk Live BBS
Free Talk Live => General => Topic started by: Pizzly on April 05, 2011, 06:45:36 PM
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Star Trek is a horrible, awful show for libertarianism, but I love it. I can't help but wonder what species embodies us most though, it's hard. Right away the big ones are thrown out, humans, Vulcans, Klingons, Romulan, Cardassian, Borg. The center of each society is a powerful, worldwide government. There are elements of the humans, Vulcans and Klingons that may seem attractive (like the Klngons need to hold even their leaders accountable to the law by killing them in combat), I think they aren't on a whole very freedom loving.
The obvious choice seems to be Ferengi, but they have a pretty powerful regulatiory organization, and they are extremely misogynist.
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I'd like to think of Libertarians as Tribbles. A pain in the ass to all governments............ even in space.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_With_Tribbles
(http://blastr.com/assets_c/2009/07/StarTrek_Trouble_With_Tribbles-thumb-550x412-20718.jpg)
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Liberals are the borg. They want to assimilate everyone, and they have a hive mind.
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That depends on what type of a "libertarian" you're talking about:
- Some peacetard "shire" libertarians would probably consider any of the numerous happy little settler / native humanoid villages featured throughout the shows to be idyllic.
- Some libertarians are misogynist, in the sense that they believe gender roles are rational and produce an optimal family environment as well as optimal economic / demographic growth. So the Ferengi would qualify.
- DS9, while probably the most flawed series, had some "oppressed people under imperial occupation" episodes that some would consider libertarian. (Of course Babylon-5 did all of that so much better that DS9 as a whole is hardly worth remembering, but it did have a few good episodes. Like the one dealing with 20th century racism - though mishandled, still very powerful.)
- Risa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek_planets_(R%E2%80%93S)#Risa) - a pleasure planet. :P
- Data has always been my favorite Star Trek character, and with better writers he'd be a lot more Objectivist. Capitalist androids / AI FTW! (http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?topic=22858.0) At least in theory...
- As for me, IRL, I'm this guy:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/STOkona.jpg) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outrageous_Okona)
8)
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I actually use Star Trek as a middle-ground when talking about liberty issues with "left-wing" type friends. By pointing out the fact that the Star Trek universe is essentially a Socialist utopia, and indicating why it could work in those circumstances, I illustrate the reasons it cannot possibly work in reality. The biggest difference between the two worlds is we don't have limitless energy and resources. If everyone could just go up to a machine and basically say "let there be food," or never have to worry about paying any kind of energy bill, then we wouldn't have to worry about how productive people were, would we?
I had more, but I got distracted and lost my train of thought. That's a good basic thought, though.
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I actually use Star Trek as a middle-ground when talking about liberty issues with "left-wing" type friends. By pointing out the fact that the Star Trek universe is essentially a Socialist utopia, and indicating why it could work in those circumstances, I illustrate the reasons it cannot possibly work in reality. The biggest difference between the two worlds is we don't have limitless energy and resources. If everyone could just go up to a machine and basically say "let there be food," or never have to worry about paying any kind of energy bill, then we wouldn't have to worry about how productive people were, would we?
I had more, but I got distracted and lost my train of thought. That's a good basic thought, though.
Even then, why would only some people fix the machines? Why would only some people defend against the Klingons? Even then, I think you'd have to force people into "service."
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Two words: Harry Mudd.
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I'd like to think of Libertarians as Tribbles. A pain in the ass to all governments............ even in space.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_With_Tribbles
Oddly I've seen two or three of the movies but that is the only episode I've ever seen.
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Can we just start calling each other "tribbles" from now on? I already refer to the state as "that cyborg block thingy from Startrek" .
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Im tellin ya. EVERYONE had problems with the tribbles. The Klingons considered them their mortal enemies over all others.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_With_Tribbles
On a sidenote, probably the most popular and famous Star Trek episode ever, written by the author of The Man Who Folded Himself (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Folded_Himself), though it's affectionately referred to by hardcore fans as The Man Who F***ed Himself.
Eakins repeatedly meets himself; has sex with himself; and ultimately cohabitates with an opposite-sex version of himself.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_With_Tribbles
On a sidenote, probably the most popular and famous Star Trek episode ever, written by the author of The Man Who Folded Himself (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Folded_Himself), though it's affectionately referred to by hardcore fans as The Man Who F***ed Himself.
Eakins repeatedly meets himself; has sex with himself; and ultimately cohabitates with an opposite-sex version of himself.
Man, I'm suprised nobody has made a full lenth feature porn out of that book already.
Shaw, you're the movie guy around here. What says you? I'll help finance it. Dale, you could play the part of the time traveler.
Imagine all the horn-dog sci-fi fans who would totally be into that.
It could be worth millions.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NUZ_fM-TQKQ/SP38AyoEcSI/AAAAAAAAIEI/wFIu5Bz-S-8/s400/robin_hayes_dollar_sign_eyes.jpg)
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I wanna be lieutenant Ilia
(http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/8400000/Lieutenant-Ilia-star-trek-movies-8475818-475-870.jpg)
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Hot Carbon Unit looooove.
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Two words: Harry Mudd.
Cyrano Jones
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090225054003/memoryalpha/en/images/thumb/a/a1/Cyrano_Jones%2C_2268.jpg/292px-Cyrano_Jones%2C_2268.jpg)
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I know its not libertarian at all (especially TNG), but I can't help but watch and enjoy TOS and the movies. Now, in the new movie, there is the part where Spock gives a big "fuck you" to one statist organization (only to join another). That counts for something, right?