My Internet Odyssey: Not a Bogus Adventure
A Year of Posting in Review
by Wilton D. Alston
by Wilton D. Alston
DIGG THIS
"Fate
is what you do next."
~ Linda Cohn, ESPN Anchor (20Aug2002)
"No
fate but what we make."
~ Sara Connor (Linda Hamilton), Terminator
2: Judgment Day
It dawned on
me the other day that it has been almost exactly a year since I
submitted, and got published, my first ever piece to LRC. That was
my "Where
Have All the Black Libertarians Gone?" essay. (What? You’ve
never heard of it? Shocking! You’ve got to get out more.)
Over the last year, I’ve been fortunate to be able to "scratch
an itch" to say what’s on my mind at not only LRC,
but also at Strike-the-Root,
and even on a blog
or two.
(The amount of cross-information-pollination on the Internet is
truly awesome.) If you had told me, those twelve months ago, that
I’d have published some twenty-three pieces here and another five
or so elsewhere, I’d have laughed in your face. If you’ll kindly
indulge me, I’d now like to consider how we all got to this place.
Let me begin by sharing a little anecdote that shows just how ironic
my presence here is.
At least two
years or so ago, I was engaged in a debate with a close friend of
mine. He and I routinely muse about the meaning of freedom, black
people and racism, life as we know it, the evil of the state, yada,
yada, yada. Additionally, he always seems to have some greater plan
in mind, and I really enjoy being around people who are reaching
for more and believe in its possibility.
As we chatted
about the state of U.S. democracy, he said something along the lines
of, "One day soon, I’m going to publish some of my thoughts
to the Internet, so that more people can be exposed to what I’ve
discovered." I looked at him like I thought he had lost his
mind. "Who gives a rat’s booty what you’ve discovered?"
played in the back of my mind, although I managed, barely, to keep
the words in my head.
The black folks
in our studio audience will no doubt think of a relatively well-worn
phrase we use when a person has uttered something of questionable
veracity. The phrase generally ends with a variation on the word,
"please" and while it only contains two words, they are
often stretched into four distinct syllables. Then I said, and I’m
not making this up, "I have no desire to publish anything
to the Internet. I couldn’t care less about sharing my thoughts
to a wider audience!" …Or words to that effect.
Famous Last
Words
So what happened
between that day and July 11th, 2006? Did I adopt libertarianism
anew? No. Did I take a course in creative writing and decide to
try my newfound skills out? Not close. Did I finally get fed up
with Dumbya and his henchmen? (I could not be more disgusted
with him now than I was when he first smirked his way out of anonymity
and into the Whitehouse after losing to another putz-on-a-cracker
known to his friends and foes alike as Al Bore. No, that’s not a
misprint.) No again.
Honestly, I
still don’t think I’ve "discovered" anything. (Obvious,
I know.) Any logic, evidence, philosophy, or relevant intellectual
analysis that find their way into my modest musings have, in all
likelihood, already been covered more eloquently, more completely,
and more forcefully by probably 8 or 9 [hundred] other writers
before me. One of my favorite teachers in high school used to have
a saying, "Yes, that’s true, but it’s not new!"
Those are indeed wise words for almost anyone engaged in debate
to keep close at hand. The exposure I’ve had to fantastic, and heretofore
personally neglected, works such as those Stephan Kinsella lists
in "Greatest
Libertarian Books" has been more important to me than any
information I’ve able to convey in my modest writings. My decision
to share my thoughts provided the impetus I needed to imbibe deeply
of the knowledge therein.
So, what did
happen to push me toward this place, doing this, "libertarian
essay stuff?" Simply put: Stefan
Molyneux. Stef conspired with a lifetime of disgust for the
status quo and a lot of pent-up need for sharing. More exactly,
Stef set the ball in motion.
Initiating
Events
I was a member
(still am a member) of the FreedomainRadio
board, the discussion group that inhabits a portion of Stef’s
website. That
discussion board is just chock-full of sharp, well-studied, truly
unapologetic, and occasionally abrasive lovers of freedom. (Generally,
these are the same types of folks who enjoy LRC!) Someone had posted
a thread entitled, "What was your ‘conversion’ experience?"
The question was about what led you to libertarianism generally
and market anarchism particularly.
I had never
even considered that question, much less shared any possible answer
with anyone. Curious, I waded in. In perusing one answer in particular,
I felt like someone had been following me around and now sought
to share my inner-most secrets! It was about 1:30 a.m. and I couldn’t
stop reading. Inspired, I offered my own thoughts, for the first
time to anyone other than my closest friends. It was a liberating
experience, but there was more to come.
The next day,
I crossed another item off my list. I told my wife that she simply
"had to" check out a thread on FDR. I showed her my musings.
I had never shared these types of thoughts with her. It seemed
to me that thereafter, sharing my thoughts with anyone else
was, with all due respect, a step down. If the person whose opinion
I valued the most on earth now knew I was a libertarian lunatic,
who cared about some random web surfer in Des Moines? So that was
it. During another discussion on FDR the following day, the concept
for my, "Where
Have All the Black Libertarians Gone?" piece was born.
Report Card
So that’s pretty
much the first part of the story. The rest of the story is still
being written. How’s it going? (I’m glad you asked.) Looking back
over my "bibliography" I’ve drawn a few conclusions.
My Favorite
Essay(s):
"Tell
Me Again Why You’re a Libertarian?" and "Who
Killed Ted Westhusing?"
Oddly enough,
these essays were written one-after-the-other rather recently. I
really enjoyed the piece on Westhusing because I was responding
to a request from a reader and because the issue really highlighted
the basic problem with traveling the world to institute democracy
at the barrel of a gun. (It didn’t hurt that one of my libertarian
heroes sent me a note, congratulating me on how good the essay was!)
Why so many continue to believe the State can provide security by
exporting violence is an on-going puzzlement.
I enjoyed the
"why" piece because the undercurrents of racism continue
to prick me as I interact with ostensible freedom lovers. The recurring
theme of racial superiority/inferiority is fertile in libertarian
ranks, as many, many people shared with me in their responses to
that essay. Until I spent some time "in the trenches"
myself, I would have just chalked any such feelings up to ignorance.
Suffice it to say that if you believe your race is superior anyway,
thinking freedom is a good thing ain’t that much of a leap. By the
same token, unless you believe your race is inferior, you
will be insulted when anyone seeks to give you that which you have
not earned, no matter the justification.
My Most
Responded-To Essay(s):
"What
Would Happen If the Post Office Had Competition?" I average
about 40 e-mails per essay. This one generated 92 e-mails from readers
anxious to exchange views, give me kudos, and, of course, call me
a moron. Just as interesting though, I received a number of wonderful
citations from respondents that have enhanced my understanding of
this issue and deepened my initial conclusions. One such excellent
essay was published in the
Freeman way back in February of 2002. I highly recommend it.
"Does
High-Fructose Corn Syrup Have To Be In Everything?" This
one has generated 87 e-mails, so far. Given that it was published
in January and I’m still getting notes nearly six months later,
I’d say it struck a nerve. I continue to be amazed at the amount
of this crap that pervades the U.S. diet. Thank goodness the FDA
is there to protect us, right? (Well, actually, no!)
"Where
Have All the Black Libertarians Gone?" This was the one
that started it all, and it generated 74 e-mails, including a few
from fellow LRC writers, many of whom have become much more than
just "Internet friends" of mine. Truth be told, I endeavor
with each essay to recapture the feeling I had when I wrote this
piece.
My Most
Popular Essay(s):
Unlike "most
responded" this category is the reflection of how well an essay
was received given LRC’s on-line rankings. Interestingly, the most
popular essays were generally also the ones for which I received
the most e-mail. Those, in order of popularity, were:
"Does
High-Fructose Corn Syrup Have To Be In Everything?";
"What
Would Happen If the Post Office Had Competition?"; and,
"They
Protect Me From Me, But Who Protects Me From Them?" This
was an examination of another food issue – the presence of trans
fats in almost every processed food sold in the U.S. – and the lunacy
of the State’s involvement therein. The State’s negative impact
on our health cannot be overestimated.
Conclusion
Along the way,
I’ve been fortunate enough to crack the LRC Weekly Top Ten 6 times
and the LRC Monthly Top Ten 2 times. Thanks to Walter Block, I’ve
gotten a piece into a refereed journal. (For someone so legendary
to provide so much kindness is a debt I’m sure I’ll never be able
to repay.) I met a veritable cornucopia of brilliant and generous
thinkers. Given that this is all the result of what could very easily
be categorized as a lark, that’s pretty amazing. I would truly be
remiss if I did not offer a hearty "Thank You!" to anyone,
anyone at all, who has read any of my ramblings and found value
in them.
 Here’s
to being optimistic that there is more value to be found – for you
and me as well.
July
19, 2007
Wilt
Alston [send him
mail] lives in Rochester, NY, with his wife and three
children. When he’s not training for a marathon or furthering his
part-time study of libertarian philosophy, he works as a principal
research scientist in transportation safety, focusing primarily
on the safety of subway and freight train control systems.
Copyright
© 2007 LewRockwell.com
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D. Alston Archives
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