# Online libertarian purity test: I'm "soft-core" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 22, 2002, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312 "2002-12-22T03:10:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/41 "2002-12-22T16:53:43Z")
1. But I’m sure as heck no softcore libertarian. See, just because part of my beliefs happen to overlap with a few select (less nutjob) libertarian beliefs, doesn’t make me even remotely inclined to become one. ---
**Author:** ![Jello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jello)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/42 "2002-12-22T17:11:43Z")
43…had no idea I’d score that high. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/43 "2002-12-22T17:28:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Captain Amazing \* > \*\*Err…um…I scored a 5. \*\* So pretty soon we’ll see headlines reading “ **Captain Amazing** Heads FBI’s Seige on **Libertarian’s** Compound”😃 **Silentgoldfish** , libertarianism advocates an extreme form of _lassie faire_ economic organization. In the previous sentence, “advocates” and “extreme” were not meant in any perjorative sense. The market is capable of solving any social issue in the most efficient manner and since markets provide maximal social welfare, any attempt to interfere with them lowers overall social well-being. Additionally, the complete lassie faire market system is completely non-coercive, i.e. no-body forces you to do anything like pay taxes, etc., and is therefore the system which provides the most freedom to the individuals in society. Some advocate enough gov’t. to pay for police & army, others go farther and advocate that even privately created, negotiated, and enforced laws would be more efficient and welfare maximizing than state created & enforced laws. For that last point see this article by David Friedman. Obviously since my score was 21 I don’t agree with the libertarian viewpoint. I don’t think that my characterization was unfair, however. This isn’t Great Debates.😉 ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/44 "2002-12-22T17:37:17Z")
I don’t know how a good socialist got 17, but there it is. The questions need some rewriting or something. A ‘Maybe’ answer would be useful, or a 1-to-5 ranking, especially since the author says he counts a skipped question as ‘No’. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/45 "2002-12-22T17:39:59Z")
15, but I’m sure it was just because of sex and drugs questions. Apparently all gay dope smokers MUST be soft core libertarians! ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/46 "2002-12-22T17:42:16Z")
33 - sounds about right. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/47 "2002-12-22T19:13:09Z")
I got a 47! ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/48 "2002-12-22T20:18:15Z")
I got a 36, but some of the questions should have been more clearly defined. If they had been, I probably would have scored a little higher. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/49 "2002-12-22T23:18:01Z")
1. Though I disagree sharply on some of the questions, ‘yes’ was closer to being accurate than ‘no’ was. Especially the question of government. All government evil? What about government by agreement willingly entered into at a mature age? What about self-government? ---
**Author:** ![Quonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ed655f/32.png) [@Quonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quonk)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/50 "2002-12-22T23:32:50Z")
1. Lower than I would’ve thought. ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/51 "2002-12-23T00:11:32Z")
45 > [@](#): > > 31-50 points: Your libertarian credentials are obvious. Doubtlessly you will become more extreme as time goes on. 🙂 Higher than I expected it to be. ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/52 "2002-12-23T00:21:47Z")
**72** – “You are a medium-core libertarian, probably self-consciously so. Your friends probably encourage you to quit talking about your views so much.” ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/53 "2002-12-23T00:31:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Silentgoldfish \* > \*\*33. Say, what is a libertarian anyway? > > And what kind of nut would answer no to questions like > > “Do you believe in freedom of expression for books, newspapers, radio, television, the Internet, and so on, even for offensive and unpopular views and subject matters?” > > or yes to questions like “Should the minimum wage be abolished?” \*\* I suspect you may not be aware of the anti-minimum wage case. The main point vs. the min wage is that it acts to _reduce_ the number of unskilled jobs. We need a high availability of unskilled jobs. One reason: A young person entering the job mkt with no skills and not much education needs to get that crucial first job. Another reason: people who are just barely able to hold down an unskilled job will manage to do (and not become homeless panhandlers) _if they can get_ an unskilled job. ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/54 "2002-12-23T00:42:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by capybara \* > \*\*15, but I’m sure it was just because of sex and drugs questions. Apparently all gay dope smokers MUST be soft core libertarians! \*\* Well, yes. If you want to smoke dope in peace and have sex with whomever you want, your best bet is to go libertarian! I mean, do you really feel you belong with either of the Big Two U.S. Parties? ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/55 "2002-12-23T02:05:32Z")
A 7 point score with lib leaning tendencies! Just what else to I have to answer “no” to in order to be a Nazi nut? ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/56 "2002-12-23T02:33:58Z")
I got a 50 31-50 points: Your libertarian credentials are obvious. Doubtlessly you will become more extreme as time goes on. 😃 Somehow I feel better now. ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/57 "2002-12-23T03:48:58Z")
1. Your libertarian credentials are obvious. Rather odd, since I don’t really agree with what I know of libertarianism. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/58 "2002-12-23T03:57:18Z")
Your score is… 22 Whee. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/59 "2002-12-23T05:23:42Z")
69 (Honest) Ya give a little, ya get a little. ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312/60 "2002-12-23T08:46:43Z")
12 mmmm government. I prefer national tyrants to tyrants down the street. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-libertarian-purity-test-im-soft-core/144312.md?page=4)