February 22, 2024
Americans are captives, conditioned to love their captors.
Most Americans even get their own bodies confused on this matter, operating under the myth that they are the rulers of this country.
That’s an old fairy tale. That’s why this episode of Gracearchy is titled “Are Americans Brainwashed Into Submission?” The concepts we covered match some of our Zero Aggression Project “Mental Levers” especially the one on…
This installment also features plain, blunt talk about…
…borders.
…the U.S. civic religion.
…how little your vote matters.
…how you don’t even have choices about who governs you.
OR…
Positive Rights, Positive Evil
What is a right? Are healthcare, housing, food, and clean water rights?
Recently, I had a conversation with a man who thinks that anyone who doesn’t believe we have the collective duty to provide these things is…
EVIL!
That’s backward.
These items require someone to labor for their production. This next part is very, very crucially important…
What is the funding mechanism? Donations or free-will purchases? Great. Taxes? Terrible.
So I led this man through some thought exercises. Instead of moral arguments, I focused on practical lines of reasoning.
Positive rights are terrible products!
And that involved a discussion of the following concepts…
– The extraordinary overreaction companies go through to protect their customers, while the State passes the buck and embraces inaction. You’ll want to steal my arguments about Flint Water and safety caps!
– The truth about government budgets.
– The double-barrel question that exposes how little the state moralist cares.
And all of this led to the following profound insight: “You have more power as a customer than you do as a citizen.” And that, coincidentally, is another ZAP Mental Lever.
Of course, it would be wrong to conclude that you and I oppose solving social problems. That’s why I concluded by offering Five Graceful Guides to do much, much better at social spending without resorting to the evil of positive rights.
You can listen while you work or drive on these podcasting platforms: Pandora * iHeart * Spotify
We’re featuring today’s episode on…
The Zero Aggression Project sponsors and promotes this podcast. In April, we intend to announce big, new plans for this program. So, we’re asking for your financial support — please, start a monthly pledge or make a one-time contribution. Contributions to our parent organization, Downsize DC Foundation, are tax deductible if you itemize.
ZAP The State and have a nice day,
Jim Babka
Host, Gracearchy with Jim Babka
Co-creator, Zero Aggression Project
Gracearchy is hosted by Zero Aggression Project’s co-founder, Jim Babka, but the views expressed in the show are not necessarily those of the board, staff, or supporters of the Zero Aggression Project (Downsize DC Foundation).