If you are a Libertarian and hold liberty as your core value, why do you not believe in universal healthcare? Nothing impacts liberty more than sickness and death.

Camzing@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 347 points –
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100% Libertarianism originated as a left wing movement in the 19th century. Right wing libertarianism didn't ooze out of the swamp till nearly a century later. In the mid 20th century. Post red scare when actual leftist were keeping their heads down due to fascist witch hunts. And unable to really call out the posers.

Real libertarians don't have a problem with government. They just believe that it should be focused on maximizing freedom, and access to it. Where the larpers are all about maximizing their personal freedom (privilege) and don't care if others have access.

Right wing libertarianism didn't ooze out of the swamp till nearly a century later.

Like any good system that is a threat to those in power, it was co-opted and corrupted to remove the threat and turn public perception against it.

"Left wing", and "right wing" are far too nebulous to really have any continuous historical use. Even in current parlance they are borderline useless terms.

Only to people who don't understand the difference.

The issue is that most people have slight differences in how those terms are defined, and they morph substantially and continuously over time