You’re doing it wrong
Things that really annoy me include people who want to try to riff on Kevin Carson’s “vulgar libertarianism” concept without really understanding it in the first place. Typically, this is because they don’t really “get it” that the original “vulgar Marxism” concept (which Carson was creating an analogue of with “vulgar libertarianism”) was itself a Marxist concept.
One Marxist might critique another Marxists position as a dumbed-down or farcically oversimplified version of Marxism and say “that’s vulgar Marxism”. The point is that the person hanging that label on another is implying that they misunderstand and misapply the ideology they both share — while the critic espouses the real thing in its deeper, sophisticated and most erudite version.
Substitute “libertarianism” for “Marxism” and you then understand the term “vulgar libertarianism”. The person making the accusation is essentially laying claim to possession of a deeper understanding of the libertarian ideology (one typically held by the better advocates of it).
It’s not that there are two kinds of libertarianism and “vulgar” is merely some effete intellectuals expletive that just means all of you right-wingers are ICKY-ICKY-ICKY!
No.
Rather, real free-market libertarianism taken to its logical end has enormously “left wing” implications — and all of you turds out there who think your membership in Conservative Book Club (or whatever) is indicative of libertarianism actually have your heads up your asses.
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Yes, but note Kevin’s use of the phrase “vulgar liberalism” as the counterpart of vulgar libertarianism; does that fit the paradigm?
That’s an excellent question. Certainly Carson’s use in that case does not fit. It may be a genuine oversight on his part or perhaps he despaired of trying to explain things and eventually “went native” in a sort of process of reverse intellectual osmosis. Perhaps my own understanding is flawed in ways I don’t understand yet. I don’t know.
Perhaps he views himself as not only a libertarian, but also a liberal. But liberal in its best (yet not “libertarian”) uses.
Maybe. I don’t know.
Perhaps a possible explanation might be that even largely rational people occasionally do things that don’t make sense. [shrug]