Duncan made this comment on a blog post of mine the other day:
Everyone has an agenda. Arguments that lapse into name calling -
bastards, arseholes and/or Nazis - are immediately awarded a large
question mark. Am I being informed, misinformed or manipulated?
And I responded thus:
...yes, you are right, everyone does indeed have an agenda. I think I am
pretty clear about mine: I care about freedom, I write because I enjoy
it and I use this blog as a platform to order my thoughts. I appreciate
that you might not like the way that I think or write and that might
cause you to question what I say. That is a good thing! I hope that you
do that with whatever you read, regardless. I certainly do. When I read
something, whether someone uses potentially offensive language or 16 pt
Helvetica is largely irrelevant: I think about the ideas behind their
words and assess whether they make sense to me and my world. If you
choose to read my blog you are certainly being informed about my
opinion, and if you highlight misinformation or cause me to reconsider
my opinion then I will welcome it. I write here to order my thoughts.
But let's be clear about one thing - I am not manipulating you. If you
are manipulated by what you read here then you are responsible for
allowing it to happen. Don't ever take my word for anything: always
work it out for yourself.
I've been thinking about this issue since we had the exchange. My musings have been fuelled by what Roberto Sarrionandia had to say here about the spreading of ideas, not to mention an absolutely fascinating discussion on the AHEd lists about libertarianism and the way to human freedom.
After watching this committee meeting and reading this document, I need to sit back and take stock for a couple of weeks. I do not have the words to describe how strongly I object to the government staking a prior claim over me, not to mention the bodies and minds of my children - so I need to do some reading and thinking to find a better vocabulary. I get so angry about the way in which people are routinely subjugated and that can come through in my writing. This is my blogging space and I have to feel able to say what I think, but the last thing I want to do is to deliberately alienate readers who don't come from the same place as me from considering the nature of liberty. It is too important for that.
I am, however, a firm believer in this quote from Barry Goldwater: Extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice; moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue - so don't expect things to change too much.
