There is no such thing as a libertarian marketer.

lib·er·tar·i·an
–noun
1. a person who advocates liberty, esp. with regard to thought or conduct.
2. a person who maintains the doctrine of free will

–adjective
3. advocating liberty or conforming to principles of liberty.
4. maintaining the doctrine of free will.

mar·ket·er
-noun

1. One that sells goods or services in or to a market, especially one that markets a specified commodity.
2. Someone who promotes or exchanges goods or services for money.

A libertarian marketer in the literal sense seems innocent enough. I suppose the proper way to put it would be, there is no good marketer who is libertarian.

Nobody can honestly say that a good marketer, who makes their living influencing the thoughts and actions of others, could also support freedom of thought and will.

And there’s the problem. My problem.

What happens when you stop to take a good look at the world you’ve created for yourself? What happens when you weigh what you want to be, against what you are?

What happens when who you are, who you’ve been, and who you need to be are completely different than what you want to be?

You’d probably change your course.
It’s the only logical thing to do.

But what if it was worse — what happens when you want both?
What happens when your moral compass just keeps spinning?

I broke down.
Hard.

…hard.

[details removed for posterity]

I’ve been a manipulative persuasive bastard all my life. And the desire to learn more about this one of few truly magical powers left in the world has been a driving force for as long as I can remember.

Still, I’ve never manipulated persuaded others solely for personal gain. I think. Might have done some questionable things while I was younger, but if so I can’t remember specifics.

I do have ‘ethics’, more or less.

Be it one grand fucking cosmic joke that I would also feel drawn to the advocacy of freedom of thought, freedom of will, freedom of action.

Freedom to choose what you want, freedom to think what you will, freedom to act as you see fit. As long as your freedom doesn’t infringe on the freedoms of others, that is the libertarian manifesto in a nutshell.

Seems great, right?
I think so too.

But these freedoms are freedoms which I have subtly taken away from consumers, partners, friends, family, and lovers — while often being thanked for doing so.

It may seem evil at first glance, but persuasion (or manipulation, depending on how you frame it) has helped, at least I feel it has helped, those I’ve come in contact with far more than it has hurt.

Any ‘ethical’ persuader would feel the same way.

Of course, these are judgements that I cannot make as a libertarian.
Helping, or hurting, who is to say which is which?

You?
Me?
Majority rule?

Who is to say that persuading one to think or feel another way is better?

Even if what you’re persuading against is self destructive behavior, or a poor business decision, or an inferior product, or any number of ‘bad’ things that people choose to embrace — who am I to convince you one way or another?

I’m a marketer. I’m a persuader. It’s my job.
It’s my business, to mind your business.

And the world demands business as usual.
Your bank account demands it.
Your lifestyle demands it.
Your family demands it.

And believe it or not, the world demands to be persuaded.

Libertarianism is a great concept, but it has no place in this world.
Not now. Maybe not ever.

Why?

Freedom doesn’t exist.
The only free thought, is no thought.
The only free action, is no action.

The only free mind, is a dead mind.

And until then you will always be influenced, persuaded, manipulated — by your culture, your friends, your enemies, your heroes, your music, your news, your entertainment, and most of all your environment — which is now almost completely saturated with marketing messages.

Bleak outlook on life, maybe.
But brutally honest.

I wanted to be libertarian.
Really, I did.

But I was a marketer first.
And fake ideals don’t pay the bills.

Even those who advocate libertarianism, aren’t libertarian. Is advocating one political stance over another, persuading others to your point of view, allowing freedom of thought?

It’s definitely arguable.

But no. Libertarianism is a load of shit.
And for good measure, all other political affiliations are full of shit.

Just more division and illusion. Exactly what the world demands right now.
But that’s for another time, I think.

So.
Back to work.