Matt D

I just bought it! I don't have the cash to see a psychotherapist right now so I'm hoping this will allow me to do some self-therapy. Thank you, Robin for the rec.

Hello and welcome. Your question is abstract and I'm not sure I entirely follow. Are you talking about something extreme like if you murder someone and most people in society decide they don't want to participate in voluntary exchanges with you? In the imaginary free society in my head I think there would be very few misdemeanors you could do that would dictate being ostracized from all of society forever. It might require many years of restitution and rehabilitation before you could enter back into the same social networks again, but I don't think a free society would want a bunch of psychopaths and convicts wandering around in the woods either. Does that answer your question?

A grudge is synonymous with feelings of resentment. In my experience resentment is usually unexpressed anger. It's ironic that those who tell you not to hold a grudge only ever do so after you have expressed your anger in some way--either directly or through ostracism. But because they likely have not expressed anger themselves they think it impossible, and thus view all ill will as grudges that we can only clench with white knuckles. Simply, they haven't experienced the liberating quality of anger.

Did I say that I support Trump? Did I say I was going to spend time advocating for the Republican party? I believe I made it pretty clear that I'm against the initiation of force. You seem to be inserting a lot of your own assumptions about one very simple fact called: "I'm going to vote." So what you're saying is, if nobody voted there wouldn't be a government and therefore anyone who votes is partially responsible for the atrocities of the State. Let's assume for a second that it was even remotely possible that nobody would turn out to vote. Do you really think politicians would just hand over power peacefully? Obama would probably just assume that means he gets a third term. Moreover, do you think that by not voting you're accomplishing something? Like maybe politicians will get offended because they aren't getting the anarchist vote... I do have a small hope that Trump will decrease the influx of illegal immigrants who keep voting for more welfare. It's a long shot that a politician will do what he says, but this is only half a long shot because Trump's only half politician. If all I have to do is check a box, I think the cost/benefit is pretty good. A year ago I would have had the same criticisms as you now. Because I took pride in associating with a particular group--anarchists. But you know, I've met a lot of messed up anarchists. People who don't take the time to invest in self-knowledge are by far the majority amongst those who oppose the initiation of force. I didn't want to believe that was the case, but it is. It's not enough to just be an anarchist anymore. The arguments are out there -- I've put out my share -- but the job is much bigger than that. The job of teaching people to think is not just about the NAP.

I find it to be a fascinating idea. I'm not sure I'd be willing to pick up at move to China though. I'm still somewhat confused about the business model. Speaking long term, is it your goal to make money solely on commission from what the kids sell? Sort of like you get trained in a specific skill, but the return on investment comes from collecting a portion of that person's salary after he or she graduates.

Sasha, I love this! If only more people asked that question on the first date. Speaking from personal experience, if she responds like the first girl run as fast as you can. You must be a teacher; I say that because you explain things clearly without rambling. Keep the videos coming!

Yes I think I'll cast a vote. As long as I'm clear about why I'm doing it, I don't think it gives moral sanction to the State. When you're in a coercive environment that you know isn't going away any time soon, the little choices you have are about survival not about doing what's ethical. Philosophy can tell you that someone with a gun to your head is immoral, but it can't tell you the best way out of that situation. If I tell my slave master I'd rather be beaten from the back than the front that doesn't mean I support the institution of slavery. That's the very myth the master wants you to believe so he can make an example out of you. I'm not a hypocrite, I'm just cornered. I think a President Donald Trump buys us time. Also, there isn't a less distorted view of what Statism really is than the military. Those who come back from the military generally have much clearer eyes about the reality of the horrors they've seen (e.g. Adam Kokesh). Far fewer people are able to come back after being entrenched by the sticky ooze of the welfare state.

Because he's saying the things he needs to say to get elected? Is he more vile than any other politician? Is it because he's both good at using language and wants power that you condemn him? Can you at least respect the unflinching directness with which Trump communicates hard facts? America isn't yet ready for even a remotely free society. In the short term, we're either going to have a big military or a giant welfare state. Picking the lesser of two evils is really fucking hard, but do you see an alternative? We all saw what happened with Ron Paul in 2008. If you don't play the game you don't win. If you don't win, most people won't care or listen to you. I'm for whatever national conditions give us the best chance at helping people heal and become peaceful parents. The reality is therapy won't be an option for anyone if we have socialism because people will be too busy trying to survive and make ends meet. This may sound horribly "unlibertarian", but if mayhem and desolation have to occur I don't want them to occur in my back yard.

I wrote Queen cds partly as a joke. People always ask us, "But what would stop DROs from turning into a government?" And we have to say, "I don't know; what safety measures would satisfy you as a potential customer in order to buy into a DRO? That's what the market would provide." I'm not saying your concern isn't valid. I too wouldn't want to feel like I'm buying into Stef rather than philosophy. But if you put the right content in the box that won't be the case. I can think of plenty of philosophical material that would be enhanced through physical products. Posters with inspiring quotes, annotated books, hand-written notes from call-in shows. Personally, there are many times when I'd prefer to read a printed version of transcripts or audiobooks, but it's too much of a hassle to do myself. Also, just because something is personal does not mean it lacks substance. In fact, I think it's more valuable because you can connect more with the emotions behind an argument when you have something tangible the author made in front you. I agree that subscription boxes can be a total waste of money because the person might send you stuff you really don't want. But I think you're missing something, dsayers, which is the surprise and delight of anticipating what that person will send next. If you trust the judgment of that person then you know they aren't going to send you junk. I doubt Stef is someone who collects worthless trendy things that aren't intellectually stimulating. If I were to buy a box I know it would be good because I know we generally share the same values. Trusting the recommendations of a public figure like Stef is not the same as praising him. I don't think there's anything wrong with offering perks for donations. People like to be rewarded for their support of helping a cause--that's the whole reason things like Kickstarter work. The last thing I'll say is this. I don't know how feasible this would be, but hear me out. Imagine you open a box and you received a hand-written thank you note from a little boy of about five or six whose parents had stopped hitting him because of listening to this show. Imagine it was an original; that nobody else had one exactly like it and you could frame it and put it on your wall in order to spark conversations with guests that went beyond "how 'bout them Mets". Are you telling me that wouldn't be worth fifty bucks every three months or so?

I just heard about from James Altucher's podcast a curating service called Quarterly, and I realized immediately that I would love to subscribe to a box of content (books, memorabilia, Queen cds, etc...) which was hand-curated by Stef. You may be wondering how this can actually make someone money. Tim Ferris, bestselling author and podcaster, brings in six figure income every year just from his subscriber boxes alone. You don't have to advertise or promote anything you don't already recommend and you can focus on sending valuable and informative physical content directly to your subscribers. I believe this would be a perfect add for Freedomain Radio to excite and grow its fanbase. They could even integrate it with the current donation system. For instance, imagine if when you listened to Stef interview Alex Epstein you knew you'd be receiving his book The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels in the mail within a month and inside that book would be annotations/inserts/downloadable mp3s written by Stef. How much cooler would that make listening and supporting the show!?! I'm sold; how about you? Would you sign up for a curated Stefan Molyneux box? If so, please appreciate this post or reply below! If there's enough interest, I bet the team here will be hard-pressed to turn down the idea.

Much love, brother. Here's a quote I wrote in my journal this week while reading Alice Miller's 'Drama of the Gifted Child':

Thank you for the ideas. In my more cynical moments I sometimes think CPS was created to assuage good people into thinking that they've accomplished something. ("Well, I called. Now it's in the hands of an authority which means I don't have to do anything.") I had never thought to record the abuse. I wish there was a website similar to Copblock where you could upload and tag videos of adults abusing children. That way we could start using ostracism on a wider scale. Maybe I'll make one.

We just need to find that one subscriber who's in the "one percent" and coax him to rent an island for everyone to party on.

Dear FDR Listener, I owe you an apology. About five months ago, I got involved with a woman who tried desperately to pull me away from philosophy. She would say, "Is there anything you don't agree with Stef on? I want to make sure you're not being brainwashed." She was interested in polyamory, and I couldn't say no. I couldn't, I wouldn't, I didn't see her for what she was... a different species. We would fight, break up, get back together, and I believed she would change. I told myself that once she got a taste of a monogamous relationship she would change, that she wouldn't have the desire for polyamory. But that wasn't the case. Two days ago I ended the relationship after a difficult final conversation. Once the initial hormones wore off, she was longing for someone else. I know it's little to do with me and a lot to do with her upbringing, with a vacant hole that her father left. I asked her, "will I ever be enough for you?" She replied honestly, "I don't think you will." And somehow I was supposed to be okay with that. So for those of you who listened to my call with Stef and who tried to warn me about the dicknapping, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. The worst part is she almost succeeded. She almost pulled me away from all the friends I made through this community. I thought to myself, maybe she's right; maybe I need to stop listening to podcasts. It's affecting my brain somehow and the way I interact with other people. I didn't realize that I was losing myself. My career suffered because of it -- I picked up everything and moved cities to be near her. I can only thank god she never got pregnant. On this Thanksgiving I have a lot to be thankful for. Most of all, I'm thankful for this community, for the people who hear the battlecry and pick up their swords to face down evil in the world. And I'm thankful for Stef for not giving up. After ten years, I'm sure there were numerous times he wanted to throw in the towel and go back to doing what was comfortable. His courage is an inspiration, and makes me want to become a better person. I so grateful for all those in my life... which isn't a lot, but it's more than I've ever had. I feel stronger than ever because of it. So again, I'm sorry for not listening. I could blame it on biology but I won't make it that easy on myself. I want to have kids more than just about anything, but I can't let that blind me to the sustenance of my soul. I can't let lust shape and define my future. There are no compromises when it comes to values in relationships. Either you're on the same team, or you're not. Something tells me that in the years to come, we will need people who are on our team. Until that day comes, keep spreading the message of philosophy. Look closely at those around you. Just because someone's an anarchist doesn't automatically make them a good person. Just because someone claims to recognize the value of peaceful parenting doesn't mean that person is compatible. We want shortcuts when it comes to relationships, but the evidence reveals itself very quickly if you know what to look for. The hormones will get in the way, which is why you've got to have friends who have your back. Don't let it get to a second date without getting the opinion of someone who will tell it to you straight. It's a hard lesson to learn, but it helps if I can serve as an example to others of what not to do. Thank you and take care. Video: Note: The call-in show I reference is "FDR 3082: The Gl0ryh0le 0f S0cietal C0llapse - September 23rd, 2015" For more on what I learned from this short-lived relationship: What I Learned From My Last Relationship

The neighbor in the townhouse next to mine has been abusing her 5 year old boy. I hear screaming and high-pitched noises followed by harsh reprimanding by the mother just about every day. I've witnessed her threaten to beat the child as she wrestled him out of the car seat. I believe she is a single mother because I never see the father present. So far I've tried calling CPS. After waiting half an hour on hold I finally talked to someone who told me unconvincingly that people would come to check on the child. I could call back but I'm doubtful the authorities will actually intervene. I haven't said a word to the woman yet, I'm afraid of what I might do given how angry I feel about the situation. I think it would be good for the child to see that someone cares, but is there an effective way to do that? I know I want to do something, if only for my own sanity. I want to get advice from you guys in the community who have faced similar dilemmas.

I'll be out of town that weekend. Let's shoot for the 22nd. Alternatively, if anyone is attending the Students for Liberty conference in Pittsburgh this Saturday, send me a PM and we can plan to meet up.

I live in the Strip District. I don't have a car but I can bike just about anywhere in the city. How about Kelly O's this coming Sunday afternoon?

I survived.

From my blog: Not Perfect All defensive moves look the same. When someone is about to throw a punch we instinctively raise our arms to act as a shield. It makes sense from an evolutionary point of view that we developed a wide variety of strategies for attacking, based on the regional climate or environment. However, when defending against predatory attack, we have only an instant to react to the threat. Thus, we evolved with just a few mechanisms of defense because we didn’t need variation; we just needed something that worked. Most of us aren’t afraid of being punched on a daily basis. (If you are, you need to read a different post.) But many times, we perceive an attack when facing criticism from colleagues and friends, even when they’re genuinely trying to help us. The defensive move is very simple. We say, “Yeah well, nobody’s perfect.” It’s true that nobody’s perfect. But context matters. Do you think an Olympic ski jumper would refuse the gold medal because his or her landing was a little too far to the left? Of course not. And if you pointed this out, the other person would probably laugh at you and ask why you didn’t enter the competition, since you clearly know so much. However, if the roles were reversed and an Olympic ski jumper was giving you instructions on the bunny hill, it would be silly for you to say, “I’m not perfect, you know.” That’s the point — you are nowhere near perfect, which is why you’re taking a lesson from someone who is much better than you in this particular area! There are probably skills you have that your ski instructor does not. When someone says—so and so is not perfect—they really mean, “I don’t worship this person in an unhealthy way and I recognize that he or she has certain flaws like everybody else.” Most people will agree with this statement when confronted about it, but psychology indicates there may be something happening on a deeper level.* As infants and young children, our adult caregivers are naturally viewed as perfect. They are so much bigger and more intelligent than us, and they have so much power over our lives that they literally feel like perfect gods in our tiny world. So when the perfection retort is used to fend off criticism against parents, whether one’s own or someone else’s, or even someone who has filled the void left by an absent parent, we are talking about a feeling that goes way back to when we were helpless and dependent newborns. The tactic shifts the blame onto the person broaching the topic, implying that she is criticizing an Olympic ski jumper for a slightly botched landing, rather than someone whose skills are sub-par and didn’t even bother taking lessons to improve. Let’s face it, criticism towards parents is usually extremely volatile. Much more so than heckling some Olympic sport from the comfort of your living room. And yet, parenting is arguably the most important job in the world. We have to get over our fear of potentially, maybe offending someone—the stakes are too high. In any other area of the market, we would hold people to a much higher standard because we recognize that quality matters; without it customers will go somewhere else. If we excuse the behavior of our friends, parents, and partners by stating truisms like ‘nobody’s perfect’, we aren’t able to have any control over our relationships, and the improvement that deep down everyone wants will never happen. It may feel to us like a just defense at the time, but the only person it hurts in the end is ourselves. *Disclaimer: I am not a psychologist and the content of this post are merely my opinions. Please consult a trained psychotherapist if you are seeking help with mental health.

I moved to Pittsburgh last month. Are the folks in this thread interested in a casual brunch together before winter's grip closes its grasp on the Steel City?

I would like to see Stef interview evolutionary psychologist Dr. Miller, who came out with a book recently called Mate: Become The Man Women Want. It's a perfect complement to the "Sexual Market Value" videos that have been a part of the recent focus in FDR (not to mention my own callin with Stef about monogamy). I know what you're thinking... this is just another academic trying to pawn off some ideas by co-authoring with a sleazy pick-up artist. Before you dismiss it, listen to James Altucher's interview with Dr. Miller, where they discuss a sleugh of juicy topics like jealousy, status, mindfulness, and much more.

Hey all, I just wanted to make people aware of my website and podcast http://unraise.com (Nearly) every morning I make an effort to walk around the neighborhood and share my thoughts into a microphone. I hope you'll check it out and follow me if you like what you hear. Best, Matt P.S. Here's a download link to my latest podcast on Judgment.

Thanks, Matt. Definitely a proud moment.

In the meantime, android users can download podcast apps like Podbean, which allows you access to the latest FDR updates.

Abstract: We invest massive amounts of time in relationships, careers, diet, and countless other areas of self-improvement. But how often do we think about and work on our bowel movements? This is a taboo topic and it's time someone stood up and revealed the top secrets to successful pooping. Your life will never be the same. http://www.podbean.com/media/player/5ja9s-589a8d?skin=104