In such ferocious times, where are all the radicals? As a self-identifying ‘radical’ individual, I am also known in the community as someone who promotes ideas deemed ‘radical’ by those who hold sensible or popular opinions. I'd like to explain why I believe this question is more important than you think. I believe that the political radicals are the weights that balance the marketplace of ideas. I'll explain further, but first, for those who might not know, what is the Overton Window?
The Overton Window is a visual representation of the relationship between social and political beliefs within a community. Everything inside the box is considered to be "normal" political discourse and opinions. The center of the box represents the ideal situation with the outcomes of policies, which hopefully results in both sides compromising and reaching an agreement both parties can live with. The window, representing the political mainstream, slides back & forth on it’s duel direction axis, sliding back & forth to represent the ever-evolving opinions of important issues of the generation. I believe we are currently on the extreme left (bottom) side, placing the window center (considered socially “normal”) near the "Radical" & "Unthinkable" sides of the scale. The US has been moving towards the extreme left for many decades. The Democrats blatantly move the window to their side and deny the existence of a window when confronted. Republicans wag their fingers authoritatively in an attempt to warn of the consequences if the Democrats don’t stop moving that window by the time they count to three. It’s almost always an empty threat.
We were warned of this coming political and social shift. In 1984, G. Edward Griffin (author of Creature From Jekyll Island) interviewed former KGB operative Yuri Bezmenov. Yuri was an elite operative specializing in Marxist-Leninist propaganda tactics and, at the time, a secret method developed by the Soviets that intended to destroy a country from the inside out without ever firing a shot. This technique is known as “ideological subversion.” Ideological subversion, as explained by Yuri, has a series of four steps. Demoralization, destabilization, crisis, and finally normalization. See the detailed outline below.
Despite Yuri’s blatant and detailed warning, his message fell by the wayside before finally fading into obscurity. In the last few years, this famous interview has had a resurgence. The chilling message is quite sobering as it has come to pass, just as he said.
The Overton Window has shifted so far left that people just 20 or 30 years ago proudly identified as a Democrat, or with the political left. As time has gone on, those same people are now being called "Right-wing" or other pejoratives used against those who question the party in any way. This labels them as a dissident. So if you have the same values as you did all those years ago yet you are now unwelcomed by those you formerly agreed with, leaving you feeling politically homeless, this is why. The ideological scales have been tipped.
Flooding the captured institutions & public conversation with the radical antithesis of the current bureaucracy is the only way we can begin to balance our current climate. The normalization of opposing radical ideas will move the Overton Window away from this horrific & crushing dogma that has consumed all we know. The left have lost their collective minds. So I ask again, where are all the radicals?
What exactly do I mean when I say "radical"? You probably have an image in your head of what a radical is & it's probably not flattering. Legacy media has force fed us "fear porn" at an accelerated rate for the last several years. These examples have all been negative, but they are not radicalism. State propagandist have played word games with you. They have made you confuse radicalism for extremism, largely by them using both words, interchanging between adjective & noun.
Used as adjectives the difference between radical & extremist is that radical is favoring fundamental change, or change at the root cause of a matter, while extremist is holding extreme views, especially on a political or religious subject.
Used as nouns the difference between radical and extremist is that radical is a member of the most progressive wing of the liberal party; someone favoring social reform (but generally stopping short of socialism). While extremist is a person who holds extreme views, especially one who advocates such views; a radical or fanatic.
As you can see in the hands of someone with malicious intent even simple word manipulation can shape the way you think of a word, which is very useful if you are trying to control language. Once you associate a particular word with a specific idea, you will be significantly less likely to verify your understanding, which is why I'd like to distinguish that I am in favor of the adjective form of radical. Extremism in itself is not inherently bad, yet it can be bad & those ideologies should not be praised, such as white nationalism or Islamic fundamentalism. The radicals I am defending would be focused around analytic political philosophy, excluding religious ideologies due to their general basis being rooted in pragmatism & emotion instead of being based in philosophy. But I digress.
It is important to note that radical ideologies can be controversial, divisive, & sometimes lead to conflict or violence. It's crucial for those advocating for radical change to be mindful of the potential consequences of their actions and to work towards their goals in a peaceful and non-violent manner.
There is one person who came to mind while writing this. It's most likely a person you have never heard of & that is a shame. I am of course talking about Karl J. Bray (1943 - 1978).
A co-founder of the national Libertarian Party & the Utah Libertarian Party, Karl was charismatic & outspoken against the evils of the state, particularly against taxation. As a tax attorney, he had done considerable research, published pamphlets and given speeches centered around the topic. It was Karl's sincere conviction that the federal income tax was unconstitutional & he was going to do anything to fight it. He was known for many things including dressing up as Paul Revere, getting on a horse and riding that horse through Liberty Park in Salt Lake City where he would hand out his Karl Bray Dollars which stated “worth more than any federal reserve note.”
Karl published a booklet titled Taxation & Tyranny, which reportedly sold several thousand copies. The IRS was extremely displeased with the publication of this booklet. So much so that the IRS had accessed his banking records to obtain copies of everyone's names & addresses who had purchased a book from Karl. At which point the IRS started to make contact with those who had purchased a booklet & began threatening them with audits if they acted on the advice lined out in the book. Karl responded by suing the IRS. This is one of so many examples of the rebellion Karl would dish up to the federal government.
Among the numerous crimes the federal government claimed that he committed against them, they eventually charged him with the rarely used federal statute, Misuse of Government Insignia, which no one had been charged with before Karl & most likely hasn't been anyone since. Karl had the idea of protesting the federal income tax by repeating a protest that had previously worked in California. Karl & a group of people had printed up fake IRS tax seizure stickers & were going to go around posting the stickers. In a meeting before the protest there happened to be a mole working for the federal government. After the meeting Karl was met by 3 federal agents who threw him into their car & took him away.
Karl was completely fearless regarding the federal government & continued to show it any chance he got, including refusing to pay his income tax. You can read more about that HERE. A very interesting tidbit, which tells you a little more about who Karl was as a person, is an excerpt from the article linked above which states that Bray’s 1972 federal income tax return was inscribed: “5th Amendment. Go to Hell; do not pass go; do not collect $200 dollars.” I think that perfectly describes Karl Bray.
Unfortunately, Karl was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer while he was in federal prison. There has been speculation, including by his former lawyer, that the federal government might have given him the very cancer that killed him. Either way, what the federal government did to Karl was nothing short of criminal. Sadly he succumbed to the cancer on May 7th, 1978. He was buried in the Provo City cemetery where his headstone reads "Karl Jack Bray, the Libertarian Tax Rebel."
For more about Karl, check out this interview with Joe Buchman.
There is so much that can be said about Karl but the world is a less free place without him in it. He was a libertarian at heart, even before the libertarian party existed. He was a true rebel, a patriot. For the rest of time he will be the first libertarian martyr.
There are a lot of great, & not so great, people within the libertarian party doing a lot of hard work. There are a lot of late nights, time away from family, headaches, & stress that people bring upon themselves for what they believe in. However, with examples like Karl Bray & many other rebels, I must ask the question again, where are all the radicals?
One of the key functions of radical ideologies is to challenge the status quo & bring attention to issues that may be overlooked or ignored by more mainstream political ideologies. Radical ideologies can also serve as a catalyst for social & political movements. Many of the most significant social & political changes in history, such as, the abolition of slavery, the women's suffrage movement, & the civil rights movement, were driven by radical ideologies that challenged the status quo & demanded change.
Karl was unique, even in his time. Not everyone was on the same level & in no way do I believe everyone should be. I don't believe that the radicals of today need to even do what Karl did. Everything could be modernized, made for the political times. Yet I personally don't see the radicals of yesterday today. Maybe I am wrong or not looking in the correct place. Maybe I am expecting too much, as times have certainly changed since the 1970s.
What is certain is that I personally ask myself am I doing enough in the work I do to honor those who came before me? Things seem to be escalating to a more authoritarian world & it seems like the radical is needed more today than yesterday. So I ask myself, am I radical enough to actually bring about change? Ask yourself the same question.
The truth is, as long as you are telling the truth there is no such thing as too radical.
For further reading, you can find some of Karl’s articles in the Reason Magazine archives or by simply clicking HERE.