Parallel Structures Are the Only Way to Freedom by
Titus Gebel for MisesIn virtually all Democratic states, there is a tendency for larger organizations to drift to the left over time. This applies equally to television stations, newspapers, political parties, state authorities, universities, and other associations.
Why is this so? The explanation is twofold:
First, if you like to create things or projects on your own, or prefer to work for making a living and then enjoying private life with your family, you are probably less inclined to join any of these institutions. On the other hand, if you like to manipulate other people and control them, you are very much inclined to join these institutions.
The first position correlates rather with conservative positions, the second rather with progressive positions. And precisely because the most fundamental characteristic of Progressive ideas is that they do not work, Progressives concentrate in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive. That is why Progressives are disproportionately found in professions where economically measurable results do not have to be achieved.
Thus, Progressives are often media people, teachers, professors, politicians, or otherwise employed in government service or tax-funded nongovernmental governmental organizations. This has the additional effect that they can then use this position to agitate and discredit permanently, while their victims are busy proving themselves on the market, earning their own living and also supporting their Progressive opponents through taxes.
Second, conservatives and libertarians tend to be more tolerant toward differing political positions. If someone is known as a leftie in their organization, mostly they would allow this person to stay. Not so with the Progressives: They want to missionize and force all nonprogressive fellow citizens, whom they consider either unenlightened or bribed, to a happiness defined by them. Progressives only give a position in an organization to those who have the same world view and kick out dissenters by all means.
And this is how it has been going on for decades in newsrooms, broadcasting stations, universities, and authorities. Whoever is not of their opinion is defamed, suppressed, slandered. As a result, most of these institutions have been irreparably destroyed and can no longer be reformed with reasonable effort.
Can Free Private Cities Replace the State? interview with
Titus Gebel by MisesTitus Gebel: Successful private cities would offer economic growth and value to surrounding areas. Violent intervention from other states would be damaging to this value. This is no different, however from the situation we see with many small states today. Only very few states can act total independently of major powers. Nevertheless, even powerful states cannot simply occupy other territories at will. Such aggressive actions tend to invite the intervention of other powers onto the scene which is a disincentive to violations of sovereignty. If this were not the case, none of the small states of today would exist.
Mises Institute: Aren’t the managers of the city like little dictators? Wouldn’t the inhabitants of the city be at their mercy?
Titus Gebel: The city operator is bound by contract between the city itself, and the residents. This limits the city managers’ prerogatives to only a few areas. Furthermore, the operator has submitted to an independent arbitration of disputes outside its own control. Of course, because of the territorial monopoly of force within city limits, he would in fact be able to exercise what some might call a “dictatorship.” However, given the ease of leaving a private city, city managers are under pressure to not abuse power. If managers did become abusive, most citizens would then leave the city and it would be impossible for the operator to successfully found new private cities elsewhere due to the loss of reputation. In this respect he is no different from the captain of a cruise ship on the high seas or the head of a remote holiday resort. Both theoretically have the possibility of acting as dictators, but they refrain from doing so because of their commercial interests.
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