Why Libertarianism Loses the Culture War
This article was made by Netanya Weinberger and edited by Michael Lopez. You can talk with them on our Discord!
There isn’t much I remember from when I was three years old, but I have some vague and blurry memories of meeting other children, playing with building blocks, some typical childhood mischief, and learning how to get along and play nicely with other kids. One thing that I remember clearly, however, is a set of universal rules that almost all children are taught at one point or another. Rules like “keep your hands to yourself,” “mind your own business,” and “treat others how you want to be treated” are repeated so often that they become instinctual to us. They were ingrained in me, and I took them to heart and still carry them with me as an adult. These lessons underline core values of inclusivity, respect, independence and kindness. Long before it is organized and structured as a political ideology, libertarianism exists as these natural lessons in a lived moral framework.
Libertarianism is not just a vote or an economic model; it is a moral compass, a social ethic, and a way of treating others. If you asked the average three-year-old what they thought about some core libertarian beliefs, they would likely instantly recognize them as what they had learned in school the day before. Bodily autonomy, nonviolence, privacy, independence, kindness, and responsibility are preschool lessons learned before children can spell their own names. Ideally, these are also the core beliefs of libertarians. Libertarianism has its roots in basic human decency that is intuitively learned and, at its core, does not require extensive literature or degrees in economics to understand.
This raises an important question, and really the crux of the issue we as libertarians face today. Around the world, illiberalism is on the rise, and libertarianism seems to be falling out of the conversation. If libertarian values are so widely taught and so intuitively understood, why does libertarianism struggle to persist culturally? And perhaps more importantly, how can we fix this?
We know libertarians have struggled to build a distinct and cohesive cultural identity compared to the far left and far right, even though our values are deeply embedded in childhood education. This is not a failure of ideas, however; it is a failure of culture. Libertarians, by nature and by principle, resist tribalism and coercion. We are skeptical of movements that demand unquestioning loyalty or enforce moral conformity. Unfortunately, cultures based on restraint and tolerance are frequently outcompeted by cultures built on outrage and uniformity. The outside observer often misconstrues libertarian restraint as apathy, when in reality it is a deliberate and logical moral choice. Many libertarians, especially those who are professionals, tend to hold measured and comparatively quiet beliefs. Tolerance is simply not as loud as indignation. However, in a quote (inaccurately) attributed to Peter Drucker, it is said that culture eats strategy for breakfast.
Why do inflammatory groups have so much success? The core reason is that they promote belonging and alignment with their cause and community among their followers. They offer their followers a sense of belonging and purpose, often framed in simplistic narratives. These movements validate grievances, reduce complex social problems to moral binaries, and divide the world into “us versus them.” In doing so, they provide identity, certainty, and emotional release. Libertarians largely reject these principles because we consider ourselves to follow reason and logic, not just emotional impulse; and indeed, restraint is harder to maintain than rage. It must be emphasized to others, and even among ourselves, that this is not apathy, nor is it cold disengagement. There are important differences between loud, large-scale politics and quiet, small-scale responsibility, between solidarity at gunpoint and voluntary cooperation. Libertarianism favors the latter, even when it is less visible and less emotionally satisfying in the short term.
The challenge for us then is not to abandon restraint, but to pair it with visible and active compassion. The next step for libertarianism is widespread voluntary civil service; to show that libertarianism opposes atomized and lonely individualism; that we are not cold or indifferent to the plight of our neighbors. We must all push for libertarian-led mutual aid, community response, and grassroots organization. And it must be recognized that this is not a compromise of libertarian ideology; it is the cultural expression of libertarian philosophy. We can make a significant difference in our communities by organizing food drives, disaster response efforts, neighborhood assistance programs, and charitable initiatives. These actions demonstrate that libertarianism is not anti-community, but anti-compulsion. We oppose forcing people to care, but do not oppose caring itself. Voluntary compassion carries moral weight precisely because it is chosen, not mandated.
Libertarianism in the local community becomes a political strength in elections. It is a fact that people largely adopt individual values before they adopt platforms. Libertarianism must be lived and practiced visibly in everyday life for it to be persuasive and to educate others on its principles. Being loved and respected in our communities is the best way to run a big-tent political campaign, bringing together people from all walks of life. Libertarians should emphasize helping others in their community, regardless of politics. And, in doing so, educate others about liberty, about justice, about those foundational childhood lessons some of us have forgotten.
