I don't think he has bad intent. I'm just saying his idiocy is so rampantly virulent anyone who reads one of his articles should be treated for brain damage; like Typhoid Mary he should be banned from his chosen profession in the interest of public sanitation; anyone who really believes ignorance is bliss should spend an evening with Friedersdorf's catalog and wake up the next morning happier for it.
> Friedersdorf has expressed his thoughts on drug laws elsewhere, and they are consistent with his other beliefs, in that he thinks drug laws as a form of regulation do not really work.
Our correspondence has regrettably required me to ingest Friedersdorf's oeuvre of articles on the war on drugs. You're right, he doesn't think it's effective, and he doesn't think the collateral is worth it. I agree! But he doesn't think we should put drug dealers in prison, which is nutso. He also doesn't have any plan for the additional treatment that would be required, which is irresponsible.
Let's imagine a world where tobacco is illegal, like cocaine. Some libertarian somewhere is like "hey, imagine a world where we don't terrorize an entire continent in service of proscribing tobacco; how do we get there?" And the answer, unbelievably, is that you decriminalize usage, treat users, and punish sellers. That is this regime. But Friedersdorf prefers merely to whine about the grotesqueness of it all. He's getting what he wants! Can't he see this is the entree? (Narrator voice: "No, he cannot".)
> Protected classes do not exist in Europe
You've been wrong about this for maybe 16 years or so: https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/workforce-and-hr-suppor...
> and yet where specific characteristics are enumerated, 'age' is one of them.
"birth date" is not "age".
> [libertarians] tend to believe people will consume drugs no matter what
Legalization advocates argue constantly equate relatively small numbers of users with huge numbers of users. Cannabis use has skyrocketed since legalization: https://www.addictiongroup.org/resources/marijuana-use-stati.... Imagine the effect cocaine legalization would have on a society that couldn't even handle Four Loco. Again the kind of rattling skull brilliance we get from the right.
I'd also love to hear a libertarian explain how we're gonna pay for all the treatment that'll be required, given that we won't have any taxes on anyone under their regime. Wait, no I wouldn't, I need to hang onto the few functioning brain cells I have left.
> There is not a person on Earth who's ever been convinced to turn their politics around by being called a moron over and over again.
Hey, I believe all people deserve love and respect, no matter their intelligence level. Friedersdorf clearly didn't find his calling, but that's OK! Maybe he could do better as a prompt engineer or something.
In seriousness, Friedersdorf isn't in conversation with anyone. Most people on the right are Clarence Thomases: they've made up their mind and they're not changing it. They are not in conversation with us; they're not looking to be convinced by us, they're not open-minded; they're not acting in good faith; they're in the town square solely to trumpet their ideas, not to hear ours. Again I don't think in Friedersdorf's case this is malign intent. I just don't think he has the mental flexibility to conceive of the world any other way.
> An effective politics requires a willingness to understand other viewpoints
I couldn't disagree more. Most viewpoints are pretty bad. Ideally you educate/persuade people out of them, but at some point you're fighting. I don't think in a million years I'll ever convince Friedersdorf or most libertarians they're wrong. My hope is I convince passersby that the ideology is bankrupt and foolish, a playpen for small minds with small dreams.
> I want to turn moderates towards my politics and build a lasting coalition to secure my rights
Vote Democrat. Leftists, MAGA, conservatives, libertarians, they all want to strip your rights in service of their weirdo ideology. Simple as that. Or, decide we're too rude and shamble into the gulag. Whatever I guess.