Surely you’ve had this experience: You use evidence and logic to persuade a friend to drop some statist myth. But the next time you see them, you find that he or she has readopted the myth!
Are you discouraged? You shouldn’t be. Here’s what happened…
Your friend returned to a world flooded with statist propaganda. Your friend tried to explain what they had learned from talking to you. But they encountered objections they didn’t know how to answer. They started to second guess themselves. Your arguments were forgotten. Your friend reabsorbed old arguments and mental habits. This is… 
The Rubber Band Effect
We’ve seen the Rubber Band Effect happen in as fast as three days. But the longer it’s been, since your last conversation with this friend, the more likely they are to snap back to the pull of statism.
The cure for the Rubber Band Effect is to have your voluntaryist values heard at greater frequency. Amazingly, we don’t even need to match the frequency of statist schemes! But one conversation, with just you, won’t be anywhere near enough — no matter how persuasive you seemed at the time. Time and repetition are the greatest persuaders, which is why we have a plan called…
Operation Everywhere
We want to recruit enough supporters and funders that we can afford to make our ideas seen and heard by everyone, everywhere, every day. This will cure the Rubber Band Effect. If you want to be a part of this effort please subscribe to our free email newsletter below.
Perry Willis
About the Author
Jim Babka
About the Author
Does this way of thinking intrigue you? Want to learn more or participate in creating such a society? Then join the Zero Aggression Project using this subscription form…
Show Comments 3
Friends, this is a kernel of truth packed in a small space; it is great that your mental levers are both succinct and expressive. Thanks.
(Looking over this one sentence, I think you could better drop the comma after “been” in the second sentence.)
Forge ahead.
And, stretch my stay here on your site, let me add that in time things happen quickly, not “fast.” Happen as quickly as three days.
“The Rubber Band Effect
We’ve seen the Rubber Band Effect happen in as fast as three days. But the longer it’s been, since your last conversation with this friend, the more likely they are to snap back to the pull of statism.”
Also, not to belabor the point, but “snap-back” requires no hyphen; they are two separate words.
I hope we are still friends . . .
PJ, your critique is good; however, there is no need for a space before the ellipsis.