No Result
View All Result
SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES
  • Login
Saturday, October 4, 2025
TheAdviserMagazine.com
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal
No Result
View All Result
TheAdviserMagazine.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Market Research Economy

Individualism and the Violence of the Identitarian Left

by TheAdviserMagazine
2 hours ago
in Economy
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
Individualism and the Violence of the Identitarian Left
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LInkedIn


Many people were shocked to see the identitarian left erupting in ghoulish celebration when news broke that Charlie Kirk had been assassinated. Students who despised Kirk’s political views were seen chanting, “We got Charlie in the neck.” The British sociologist Frank Furedi argues that these students are not confined to a radical unhinged fringe, nor do they merely represent “the acts of a few morons” as many people suppose.

Rather, the celebrations reflect a broader “fetish of savagery” on the left, driven by academic theories that treat violence as “an act of self-care” for members of venerated identity groups. Furedi warns that, “reactions such as these are not merely the actions of a few infantile or radicalised individuals, it is baked into the modern Leftist world-view.” The left has become so preoccupied with its own sense of moral fervor that today “leftism – especially in its identitarian, post-colonial form – is an explicitly violent ideology.” It regards violence as a “cleansing force” that will help it to purge the wrongs of colonialism, capitalism, and all forms of historical injustice against which modern academics rail. Furedi explains:

They have internalised the sensibility of victimisation, and from this identitarian perspective the so-called victims of the system are thought thoroughly justified in embracing the politics of violence. Just look at their response to the callous cruelty of Kirk’s murder, and observe how the conservative activist has been cast into the role of a non-person and how others are fair game to be targeted.

As the ideological standard bearers of the left descend into openly endorsing the death of their opponents and the destruction of what they see as an oppressive civilization, it becomes increasingly difficult for libertarians to defend the doctrine of individual liberty without being cast into the same ideological camp as the identitarians. The individualism of the “me, me, me” left has helped to drive the poisonous identitarian philosophy in which “misgendering is violence,” “racism is violence,” and “silence is violence.”

The term “individualism” has in any case always been viewed with wariness by conservatives, due to its overtones implying selfishness and hubris, and its seeming disregard for social norms and traditional values, and this only gets worse when the self-obsessed left endorse violence against anyone they perceive as conservative. In this context, defending individual liberty seems to many conservative observers to be nothing short of suicidal, as it seems to require them to “tolerate” the values and lifestyles of the communists whose goal is to destroy Western civilization. Some conservatives are already expressing doubts as to the value of protecting free speech when it extends to the free speech of the ghouls rejoicing in Kirk’s assassination.

The fact that the notion of individualism is now tarnished by its associations with selfish and violent identitarian groups therefore poses a challenge for modern libertarianism, especially since individual liberty with its doctrines of free speech and freedom from state control lie at the heart of the libertarian creed. In his 1971 New York Times op-ed “The New Libertarian Creed,” Murray Rothbard characterized libertarianism as “the tradition that once established America as the proud beacon-light of freedom, the tradition of Jefferson, Paine, Jackson and Garrison.” The byline read, “A renewed faith in the individual is the basis of the new doctrine.”

He depicted this focus on individual liberty as “a burgeoning split in the right wing” as neo-conservatives grew increasingly preoccupied with “militarism and empire.” Today, the split in the right wing is growing even deeper, as nationalist conservatives launch a campaign to impose “consequences” on their ghoulish opponents by getting them fired from their jobs. In this context they have little patience for the doctrines of individual liberty.

Rothbard concluded his “New Libertarian Creed” with an important point which may help to explain why the notion of individual liberty has gone so disastrously astray—he explained that the goal of libertarianism was “raising the standards of freedom and reason on which this country was founded.” His emphasis on the individual’s right to self-ownership was explicitly linked to these foundational standards. When individual liberty departs from reason it becomes grotesque, a sinister parody of itself, and fuels the deadly notion that violence is justified if anyone feels his individuality is being “disrespected” by his ideological opponents. This is now the hallmark of the identitarian left—that failing to respect their stated pronouns, or failing to respect their legacies of oppression and pay them their “reparations,” amounts to “erasing” them and thereby justifies them in being violent.

History reveals this problem to have deep roots. William Lloyd Garrison—who was admired by Rothbard for his commitment to abolitionism—was also violently attacked by mobs who were outraged by his declaration that the Constitution was “the most bloody and heaven-daring arrangement ever made by men for the continuance and protection of a system of the most atrocious villainy ever exhibited on earth,” namely, slavery. Garrison’s denunciation of the constitution was deemed to be outrageous as it challenged the belief that America is a nation founded on the ideal of liberty. Hence, the abolitionists were often subjected to violent attacks. But many abolitionists, for their part, also embraced aggressive violence as a justified means of advancing their cause. John Brown—who committed cold blooded murder in the cause of abolitionism—was funded by New England liberal intellectuals, one of whom was a friend of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. They believed violence against the Southern states was necessary to promote the cause of justice.

Even the pacifist libertarian Lysander Spooner, in his 1858 pamphlet, “A Plan for the Abolition of Slavery, and To the Non-Slaveholders of the South,” defended the right of slaves to seize the property of their masters “by stratagem or force.” Today’s social justice warriors—schooled in critical race theories which treat “slavery” as synonymous with “racism”—believe that the violence of the abolitionist cause applies with equal justification to the enforcement of their own anti-racist ideals.

It is clear from these historical examples that violence permeating the cause of liberty is nothing new. But, as Rothbard explains in the Ethics of Liberty, violence is only justified in self-defense. Confusion has arisen because the boundary between aggression and defense has become blurred by convoluted identitarian theories in which violent mobs all believe themselves to be fighting “defense” against aggressors. As they see it, if violence is only justified in self-defense, that is their cue to don the mantle of social justice warriors fighting defense against tyranny, ignoring the fact that they are the ones committing aggressive acts against others. This problem of violence applies to all identity groups who believe they are fighting for the right to “live as who they are” and the right to bring “their real self” wherever they go. They want to be seen, heard, affirmed, celebrated, and even worshipped by everyone who has the misfortune to cross their path—or else.

Libertarians would agree that each person has a right to self-ownership, to live his life as he wishes without interference from the government or anyone else. As Rothbard put it, “Every individual as an independent acting entity possesses the absolute right of ‘self-ownership’; that is, to own his or her person without molestation by others.”

But problems begin when identitarians, many of whom identify as liberals or left-libertarians and claim to uphold individual liberty, forget that the right not to be molested by others also entails the duty not to molest others. They aggressively demand to have their individuality “respected” and issue edicts and ultimatums as to what they require from others as a mark of respect, on pain of violent consequences for non-compliance. It is difficult to think of a more perverse departure from “the standards of freedom and reason on which this country was founded” than a culture of individualism rooted in violence against one’s ideological opponents.



Source link

Tags: IdentitarianIndividualismLeftviolence
ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

Colleagues Retiring Younger Than You? How to Stay Relevant or Find Purpose Again

Next Post

Apollo Global, Citi, Robinhood among week’s biggest financial movers

Related Posts

edit post
Henry Moon Pie: Time to Support a Reader-Supporting Site

Henry Moon Pie: Time to Support a Reader-Supporting Site

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 4, 2025
0

By Henry Moon Pie I started getting my news online twenty-five years ago in the wake of Bush v. Gore...

edit post
Market Talk – October 3, 2025

Market Talk – October 3, 2025

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 3, 2025
0

ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: • NIKKEI 225 increased 832.77 points or 1.85% to...

edit post
The job market slowdown is hitting recent college grads hard

The job market slowdown is hitting recent college grads hard

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 3, 2025
0

Students wait in line before the start a career fair at the New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering in...

edit post
The shutdown meant no jobs report. Here’s what it would have said about the economy

The shutdown meant no jobs report. Here’s what it would have said about the economy

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 3, 2025
0

Recruiters speak to job seekers at the Appalachian State University internship and job fair in Boone, North Carolina, US, on...

edit post
Coffee Break: Vaccines Continued, Ancient Art, Renewables, Ignis Fatuus Explained, Good Sleep, and Jane Goodall

Coffee Break: Vaccines Continued, Ancient Art, Renewables, Ignis Fatuus Explained, Good Sleep, and Jane Goodall

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 3, 2025
0

This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 752 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct,...

edit post
Inflation and Economic Growth | Mises Institute

Inflation and Economic Growth | Mises Institute

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 3, 2025
0

What is the Mises Institute? The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in...

Next Post
edit post
Apollo Global, Citi, Robinhood among week’s biggest financial movers

Apollo Global, Citi, Robinhood among week's biggest financial movers

edit post
Hot Stocks: KW 40 / 2025 – Elektronik-Komponenten-Aktien!

Hot Stocks: KW 40 / 2025 – Elektronik-Komponenten-Aktien!

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
edit post
What Happens If a Spouse Dies Without a Will in North Carolina?

What Happens If a Spouse Dies Without a Will in North Carolina?

September 14, 2025
edit post
California May Reimplement Mask Mandates

California May Reimplement Mask Mandates

September 5, 2025
edit post
Does a Will Need to Be Notarized in North Carolina?

Does a Will Need to Be Notarized in North Carolina?

September 8, 2025
edit post
DACA recipients no longer eligible for Marketplace health insurance and subsidies

DACA recipients no longer eligible for Marketplace health insurance and subsidies

September 11, 2025
edit post
‘Quiet luxury’ is coming for the housing market, The Corcoran Group CEO says. It’s not just the Hamptons, Aspen, and Miami anymore

‘Quiet luxury’ is coming for the housing market, The Corcoran Group CEO says. It’s not just the Hamptons, Aspen, and Miami anymore

September 9, 2025
edit post
Tips to Apply for Mental Health SSDI Without Therapy

Tips to Apply for Mental Health SSDI Without Therapy

September 19, 2025
edit post
Individualism and the Violence of the Identitarian Left

Individualism and the Violence of the Identitarian Left

0
edit post
Apollo Global, Citi, Robinhood among week’s biggest financial movers

Apollo Global, Citi, Robinhood among week’s biggest financial movers

0
edit post
DexCheck Hires Pudgy Penguins NFT Artist As Lead Creative

DexCheck Hires Pudgy Penguins NFT Artist As Lead Creative

0
edit post
Colleagues Retiring Younger Than You? How to Stay Relevant or Find Purpose Again

Colleagues Retiring Younger Than You? How to Stay Relevant or Find Purpose Again

0
edit post
Hot Stocks: KW 40 / 2025 – Elektronik-Komponenten-Aktien!

Hot Stocks: KW 40 / 2025 – Elektronik-Komponenten-Aktien!

0
edit post
Earnings Preview: Fastenal poised for another positive quarter, despite tariff woes

Earnings Preview: Fastenal poised for another positive quarter, despite tariff woes

0
edit post
Hot Stocks: KW 40 / 2025 – Elektronik-Komponenten-Aktien!

Hot Stocks: KW 40 / 2025 – Elektronik-Komponenten-Aktien!

October 4, 2025
edit post
Apollo Global, Citi, Robinhood among week’s biggest financial movers

Apollo Global, Citi, Robinhood among week’s biggest financial movers

October 4, 2025
edit post
Individualism and the Violence of the Identitarian Left

Individualism and the Violence of the Identitarian Left

October 4, 2025
edit post
Colleagues Retiring Younger Than You? How to Stay Relevant or Find Purpose Again

Colleagues Retiring Younger Than You? How to Stay Relevant or Find Purpose Again

October 4, 2025
edit post
NATO ally warns of ‘hybrid war’ threat from Russia as drones plague European military bases and airports

NATO ally warns of ‘hybrid war’ threat from Russia as drones plague European military bases and airports

October 4, 2025
edit post
Instacrops will demo its water-saving, crop-boosting AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Instacrops will demo its water-saving, crop-boosting AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

October 4, 2025
The Adviser Magazine

The first and only national digital and print magazine that connects individuals, families, and businesses to Fee-Only financial advisers, accountants, attorneys and college guidance counselors.

CATEGORIES

  • 401k Plans
  • Business
  • College
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Economy
  • Estate Plans
  • Financial Planning
  • Investing
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Legal
  • Market Analysis
  • Markets
  • Medicare
  • Money
  • Personal Finance
  • Social Security
  • Startups
  • Stock Market
  • Trading

LATEST UPDATES

  • Hot Stocks: KW 40 / 2025 – Elektronik-Komponenten-Aktien!
  • Apollo Global, Citi, Robinhood among week’s biggest financial movers
  • Individualism and the Violence of the Identitarian Left
  • Our Great Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use, Legal Notices & Disclosures
  • Contact us
  • About Us

© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
See articles for original source and related links to external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal

© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
See articles for original source and related links to external sites.