Libertarian clarity in an age of images -- The Oz Factor

One aspect I associate with "libertarian" is a free-thinking objectivity which is mostly intellectually-resistant to image-makers. I don't have an opinion regarding the on-going debate about what makes a true libertarian -- some say it's sort of cool to call yourself a libertarian, but it's not based on a full understanding of libertarian thought, merely a label some people assign to themselves who are confused by political issues and perhaps base their "libertarianism" on a few basic issues where they selfishly promote freedom, like being free to smoke pot, hire a prostitute or walk the street naked wearing nothing but a tie and a smile if they so choose (I don't know of any libertarian movement promoting this last activity, but I'm making a point.)

However, there's been much written to form a base for libertarian thought and most of the people who've studied this thought and embrace the principles are able to look past images to what I'll call the Oz Factor. In a sense the libertarian journey parallells the Oz journey where people realize their inner strengths while discovering the truth about the Wizard of Oz (WoO).

Several of my life experiences have been great learning experiences regarding the subject of images -- for approximatelty 15 years I worked in mental health and the last 13 years I've worked in real estate (I could use a little mental health now in the real estate field). In mental health, I worked both in clinical and administrative positions at private speciality hospitals dealing with addictive disorders, alcoholism and drug addiction. I dealt with clients from different socio-economic backgrounds, some in powerful positions within their professions: physicians, politicians, entertainers, sports figures, top executives, business owners, lawyers, priests, etc (I also dealt with homeless men and women).  At that time, in-patient treatment lasted about thirty days and during this time I saw people go from the images they entered with to the underlying personalities and weaknesses behind the images. I had many, many discussions with powerful people who explained the effort they exerted creating their respective images -- most found the emptiness of their private WoO, and the inner strength they possessed all along but failed to trust. The point is that images are deceiving.

In real estate and construction I've learned that builders can create an image of quality, but upon further inspection the building is shoddy. When people see a finished home they're struck by the image, and unless they have knowledge of construction and an eye for quality, they'll be misled by the image.

We live in an age where image-making is an art and has powerful effects -- how else can you explain people actually giving validity to anything Alec Baldwin says? How else can you explain the importance we place in presidents, as if they have magical abilities to transform the country into our deepest hopes and aspirations? Presidents are the Daddy Macs of WoO. I saw the Oz Factor of Washington DC when I was marketing the Amtrak account for mental health services and had to go there about twice a month -- I got lost the first time I was there and wandered from the opulence of the imagistic government buildings and monuments into one of the worst poverty-stricken areas I'd ever witnessed. You can extort enough money to build grand structures which give the image of transcending reality, but, as we know, images are deceiving.

So, say what you like about libertarians, but there's much to be said for looking beyond images to underlying principles -- there's much to be said for the inner strengths of Dorothys, tin men, lions and scarecrows, and much to be said about the limitations of Wizards.