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all 65 comments

[–]jsalazar3 19 points20 points ago

I think someone on reddit said it pretty clearly once: Your freedom and rights end when they begin to violate another person's freedom and rights. Sure some of the sleuths on here can find the exact quote.

[–]Dudesan 11 points12 points ago

Your right to swing your fist ends where another man's nose begins.

The origin of this phrase is actually kinda disputed:

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/10/15/liberty-fist-nose/

[–]jsalazar3 1 point2 points ago

Oh cool, a good read, thanks.

[–]Dudesan 1 point2 points ago

You're welcome.

[–]ApertureAssault 0 points1 point ago

I am so goddamn in shock that we still havent let gay rights happen yet. Some people, didnt evolve I guess.

[–]Xvyto 0 points1 point ago

Is it messed up that when I saw the /liberty-fist-nose/ in the url, I thought, "How is that possible?"

[–]ravenouscraving 0 points1 point ago

This is my favorite way to help people understand that their freedoms don't mean the freedom of oppressing others.

[–]Brewtalj[S] 3 points4 points ago

If only it was actually put into practice...

[–]khast 0 points1 point ago

...but if you take away the religion's right to discriminate and who they can't hate....they think you are taking all of their freedoms away.

[–]imasunbear 7 points8 points ago

It's called the non-agression principle, and it's the central tenet of libertarianism.

[–]theycallmeryan 0 points1 point ago

This is one of the main reason I became a Libertarian (along with the economics part of it). I'm free to have my rights, you're free to have yours as long as my rights don't infringe on yours and yours don't infringe on mine.

[–]fuzzyperson98 -3 points-2 points ago

Except it doesn't make sense at all, because if anything libertarianism allows for people to use their own "rights" to affect others more than any other political ideology, such as the belief in reduced gun control, even though statistically that results in more harm than good to society as a whole, or the ability to deal with waste how you see fit, which might end up negatively impacting your neighbours.

[–]Libertarian_Atheist 3 points4 points ago

Citation for "more harm than good," please.

[–]imasunbear 4 points5 points ago

negatively impacting your neighbours

if your waste affects the property of anyone else, they have a legitimate claim against you for destruction of property. Property rights defend the environment.

[–]NotBaldwin 1 point2 points ago

I like the idea of viewing freedom not as a right, but as a responsibility.

[–]JGard420 1 point2 points ago

I don't think Hobbes was a redditor. Nor Mills, nor Rawls...

[–]tickoftheclock 1 point2 points ago

Which is a great sentiment, until people start adding all sorts of exceptions. That's when things go downhill.

[–]bracomadar 18 points19 points ago

As the guy who actually made this, most people would figure I'd be pissed someone would repost my content, but it's an honor someone would remember this and repost it at this time. You just made my day :)

[–]Brewtalj[S] 0 points1 point ago

Thanks for making this :) it may not be a perfect comparison but I think it gets the point across pretty well.

[–]mystikarts 5 points6 points ago

In most cities you are not free to use your gun at all; for ANYTHING. If someone points a gun at you and you fire off a charge that scares them away, you're going to jail in most cities.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

That's why you don't shoot to scare in a defense situation. You shoot to end the threat. Always. This means actually hitting your target, preferably center mass.

I'd rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.

[–]HistoryMonkey 1 point2 points ago

As of US law at this point, a better comparison would be the right to free speech and the right to religion, I think. Weapon discharge statutes have been deemed legal on different grounds--but almost every (I think all states do) state has on the books laws that say you may use firearms in self defense if it is your very last option.

[–]mystikarts 0 points1 point ago

respectfully, nope

[–]perverse_imp 1 point2 points ago

I love castle law. Just love it.

[–]mystikarts 0 points1 point ago*

Right. So if you kill someone breaking into your home you wont get slapped with murder. Again, in most cities it's illegal to discharge a firearm within the city limits. So, while you won't get slapped with murder, you will get slapped with discharging a firearm within the city limits.

[–]ManicOppressive 0 points1 point ago

Yeah, but that's usually a misdemeanor, and there has been precedent for ignoring it entirely.

[–]mystikarts 0 points1 point ago

But then you'd have a record. Employers don't like records.

[–]ManicOppressive 0 points1 point ago

Perhaps. I'm certainly not about to defend a criminal charge for defending yourself in your own home.

[–]therascalking 2 points3 points ago

I always liked Utah Phillips take on freedom:

“The state can't give you freedom, and the state can't take it away. You're born with it, like your eyes, like your ears. Freedom is something you assume, then you wait for someone to try to take it away. The degree to which you resist is the degree to which you are free...”

[–]Darrian 2 points3 points ago

Guns and bibles are a bit similar... I mean if you carry one openly in public people are probably going to avoid you.

[–]Libertarian_Atheist 0 points1 point ago

Unless you're a jackbooted thug cop.

[–]ravenouscraving 2 points3 points ago

Then people... aren't going to avoid you?

[–]Libertarian_Atheist 0 points1 point ago

Some. . . who are ignorant and think cops are their friend.

[–]give_a_drummer_some 1 point2 points ago

Worst case: You are free to use a gun to end anothers religion

[–]Quark9 1 point2 points ago

Isn't that somewhat what's going on overseas? (overly simplistic, I know, but still apt).

[–]goggimoggi 0 points1 point ago

Very concise and clear. The problem, in my opinion, is that the left is pretty good at applying that logic to social rights and the right is decent at applying that logic to property rights, at least in their rhetoric. What we need to do is abolish the mindset that the dichotomy is left vs. right and realize that the issue is actually the state vs. the individual. We should have freedom socially and fiscally and no person or group of people has the right to use force preemptively against anybody else.

[–]JakOswald 0 points1 point ago

Hey, this is about North Carolina, leave California out of this; we've had our turn at country-wide shame on this issue and we're working on fixing the issue.

[–]Man_with_the_Fedora 0 points1 point ago

I need to share this, I'm so excited.

I posted this picture on my facebook, and my brother shared it. My brother is very religious, and other than my grandmother was the last person I'd have imagined would have agreed to this. My excitement level right now, knowing that my brother is rational, is immeasurable.

[–]jimpy 0 points1 point ago

the OP makes it sound like this is obvious or self evident. but his point is contentious. "you are not free to harm others" isnt freedom so you must either say there are rules that must limit freedom or embrace freedom and say "freedom is the ability to do anything including harm others."

[–]emad154 0 points1 point ago

Well, at least you have the courtesy to admit that you reposted...

[–]whiteknight521 0 points1 point ago

Actually people seem pretty free to use their religion to take away people's rights. Happens all the time.

[–]Xvyto 0 points1 point ago

Exactly, the definition of freedom is having your rights, until you encroach on others' rights. Its like the Westboro baptist church: they spew some of the most despicable messages, and have every right to speak them. But this, this NC bill, is one group's views unequivocally ignoring the right thing, the thing that would promote freedom.

[–]DirtyMonday 0 points1 point ago

Ahh, that describes Manifest Destiny perfectly. Well, that contradicts Manifest Destiny perfectly. Take your gun and religion and ride west, it's God's plan afterall

[–]guyver_dio 0 points1 point ago

The image allows for contradictory scenarios to develop. Say you have a religion where it is your duty to align others to the 'true' belief. Then you don't have a freedom to have that particular religion.

The general point to get across is, without sufficient reason and evidence you are free to believe and practice whatever you like so long as it is not imposed on others.

[–]typtyphus 0 points1 point ago

insert troll, of religion isn't allowed to take away ones' freedom, then isn't religion not allowed?

[–]LucianLutrae 0 points1 point ago

I wonder how long it would be until somebody gets fed up enough to use the first freedom mentioned to eliminate the second? The whole country seems to be on the brink of a violent revolution, and misuse of "religious freedom" may be one of the tipping points.

[–]felicityrc 0 points1 point ago

RAmen

[–]grumpybadmanners 0 points1 point ago*

This is such a dumb and over simplistic take on "freedom". Americans are obsessed with freedom in this simple minded sense.

So let me try to break it down in simple terms. A society can pay lip service to freedom and guarantee in law all the freedoms in the world but if the population can't enjoy the intended outcome of having those freedoms it's useless.

Crudely exemplified, the freedom to own a gun is not relevant to a society of blind people or people with no hands. What is the purpose of being free to own a gun? let's say the purpose of owning a gun is personal safety. Laws should then be passed that actually increase people's personal safety regardless of whether or not you end up with the right to own a gun.

I don't know whether it's safer to have more or less gun control and I don't know if anybody knows. The point is someone should find out and then laws should be made accordingly.

Freedom is instrumental, it's a "heuristic" a voucher for something else. People need to stop being obsessed with freedom and focus on outcome.

Life, Libery and Pursuit of Happiness is a false trichotomy, what is the point of life or liberty if you're alive to be free to suffer? Fundamentally the only freedoms that really matters are your freedom to not suffer, freedom to not starve, freedom to not be unhappy. We should pass whatever laws are necessary to guarantee those even if that means you can't own certains things or do certain things.

edit: grammar

[–]panem 0 points1 point ago

Deontological rules and other absolutes are instrumental from a utilitarian perspective - Schelling points that prevent useful idiots from throwing away tangible goods like legal support for human rights, in pursuit of inefficient, self-contradictory or intangible goals like happiness for all.

[–]grumpybadmanners 0 points1 point ago

what's more inefficient, self-contradictory or intangible than deontological rules that go off tracking actual consequences in the real world?

[–]panem 0 points1 point ago

Sometimes the slippery slope is a real thing - enough that rules to prevent it are useful.

[–]brezzz -2 points-1 points ago*

Uh, no. You are absolutely free to use your religion, or whatever, to influence election and public opinion, even to the point of taking away freedoms that are not explicitly asserted. It was just done. Maybe the law is unconstitutional, it might even be overturned, but the point still stands, it was just done, Nobody who voted is having that right taken away, the legitimacy of their right to vote is not in question, at all. Doing it with a gun is clearly different, as it violates a person's freedom through force as opposed to an inherently more fair (but not perfect), legal system of democracy. The outcome was not what was right, this is clear, but you can't go around comparing voting based on a deeply seated belief to using a gun to impose your will.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

Doing it with a gun is clearly different, as it violates a person's freedom through force as opposed to an inherently more fair (but not perfect), legal system of democracy

You totally missed the point of what OP was saying. The result of the vote in NC wasn't obtained at gunpoint, it was obtained at Biblepoint. Both are equally morally reprehensible, and should have no place in civil law.