Wally Conger
Sunni: And here I thought you liked Heroes because of the cheerleader! [laughs] I’m too impatient for TV these days, Wally; I just don’t want to invest the time into it, waiting and hoping for a good series to come along. I adore Firefly, but saw it after it had come out on DVD, long after FOX killed it. Similarly with Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Wally: [laughing] But she still had an adorable affection for weaponry of the slicing and dicing kind, didn’t she?
Sunni: Yes, but unless a woman has ramped-up badass powers, like many Whedon femmes do, a gun is a better bet than a blade. I want to see Children of Men based solely on your blog mentions of it, and we’ll probably see the new Spider-Man movie soon, but I remember how much of my younger days was spent—wasted—in front of the TV watching crap. I remember seeing stupid movies that glorified the state and feeling morally queasy, even before I was aware of the freedom philosophy. I don’t want to use my time like that anymore, nor do I want to help my children fall into that trap.
Wally: I understand that. But I think if you’re motivated, you can filter the gems from the shit pretty easily and with minimal effort. By their very titles, you know that stuff like The West Wing and Commander in Chief are puerile Hollywood state-worship. What I am really encouraged by right now is decentralized alternative media like podcasting and downloadable online video. Both offer us inexpensive ways to reach others with our ideas. It’s exciting.
Sunni: Absolutely. YouTube and podcasting are great. I am deeply enamored with the whole idea of being able to put together a cool, pro-freedom vid, and getting it out where millions of people can see it. I would love, capital-L love, to be part of a project like that. So, as a marketing man, Wally, how would you recommend promoting the freedom philosophy in a vid or podcast?
Wally: I think you’ll reach the widest audience with humor and satire. Consider this: What seems to make the rounds over and over on the Internet? Jokes, cartoons, funny videos. People who know only e-mail and have never visited a web site or read a blog keep the same jokes and cute stories circulating forever. Plus, sites like The Onion, with spoofy takes on the news, are always hot web spots. Grab their funny bones, and sometimes, even if people don’t understand the philosophy behind the humor, they’ll follow. But there’s room for serious things, too. Thanks to YouTube and its ilk, we now have easy access to some powerful documentaries, like the 1980 Oscar-winning short film Karl Hess: Toward Liberty. As far as I know, that documentary is unavailable outside the internet.
Sunni: Yet another great thing to check out. I know you don’t vote, Wally, but with your political and marketing interests, I imagine you have some thoughts on the 2008 election and the candidates. It seems to me that this election holds very little promise for gaining ground with respect to freedom, but instead will be a referendum on which kind of tyranny the country will have: a right-oriented, xenophobic one, or a left-oriented social- and environmentally-oriented protectionist one. How do you see things shaping up?
Wally: Yeah, I have thoughts on some of the candidates. But so what? Most are too profane for print anyway. [laughs]
Sunni: [laughing] Damn, but that’s good. Wish I’d’ve thought of that!
Wally: Really, I don’t mean to be evasive, but I don’t waste a lot of time talking about electoral politics. I’ve met Ron Paul. I’ve spoken with Ron Paul. I like Ron Paul. But I won’t vote for Ron Paul, though I might root for him. Rah, rah! Honestly, Sunni, this presidential election will be no different from any other. We know that. Every election is a referendum on what kind of tyranny will rule. Which flavor do I prefer? Puh-leeze! [laughs] But thanks for asking!
Sunni: Well, the main reason I asked is because we’ve both taken up the banner of non-voting a few times, and I’d bet we’ve seen similar objections to that position. Many libertarian voters counter that their votes are a form of self-defense, especially on tax issues. I can somewhat understand that argument, but it seems insufficiently forward-thinking to me.
Wally: Not only isn’t it forward-thinking, it’s a downright bogus argument from a pure non-aggression libertarian standpoint. When you defend yourself against a mugger in a dark alley, you do so without involving a third party. But when you cast ballots in so-called “self-defense,” you subject me, an innocent third party, to the results of your political action. That’s inconsistent with key libertarian principles. Bob LeFevre suggested we “abstain from beans”—in other words, refuse to vote. I’ve voted once in 34 years. And that single moment still embarrasses me.
