(From the Persuasion Powerpoint section in Volume 20, No. 14 of the Liberator Online. Subscribe here!)
“Michael, most people aren’t very interested in liberty,” a 10-year libertarian told me.
“Really?” I asked. “Would you like to find out why?”
“Yes,” he said.
“What are 3 fascinating things about freedom?” I asked.
“Well, there are lots of interesting things,” he said.
“Could you give me 3 exciting examples?” I asked.
He hemmed and hawed. But he couldn’t come up with even 3 “Wow!!!” things that liberty gives us.
Why? Because he’d never asked himself questions like these:
* “What are 3 or 4 or 5 huge, immediate, direct benefits that liberty would give us in this area?”
* “What are 2 or 4 exciting things that will happen when we abolish the federal income tax — and return every dollar every year to the men and women it was taken from?”
* “What are 3 or 5 terrific things that will happen when we end the War on Drugs and free every peaceful drug offender in prison?”
* “What are a few of the most thrilling things about giving people dramatically more freedom than we have today?”
Showcase, celebrate, sing the praises of, beat the drum for, and shout out the most exciting, engaging, jazzy things that freedom will bring the person you’re talking with — and his family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, too.
If you repeatedly and relentlessly do this in all your libertarian conversations you’ll find that people are indeed interested in liberty — and you’ll bring in dozens and dozens of new, excited libertarians.
“Really?” I asked. “Would you like to find out why?”
“Yes,” he said.
“What are 3 fascinating things about freedom?” I asked.
“Well, there are lots of interesting things,” he said.
“Could you give me 3 exciting examples?” I asked.
He hemmed and hawed. But he couldn’t come up with even 3 “Wow!!!” things that liberty gives us.
Why? Because he’d never asked himself questions like these:
* “What are 3 or 4 or 5 huge, immediate, direct benefits that liberty would give us in this area?”
* “What are 2 or 4 exciting things that will happen when we abolish the federal income tax — and return every dollar every year to the men and women it was taken from?”
* “What are 3 or 5 terrific things that will happen when we end the War on Drugs and free every peaceful drug offender in prison?”
* “What are a few of the most thrilling things about giving people dramatically more freedom than we have today?”
Showcase, celebrate, sing the praises of, beat the drum for, and shout out the most exciting, engaging, jazzy things that freedom will bring the person you’re talking with — and his family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, too.
If you repeatedly and relentlessly do this in all your libertarian conversations you’ll find that people are indeed interested in liberty — and you’ll bring in dozens and dozens of new, excited libertarians.
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