Anatomy of a Cuckertarian

Over the past several weeks, the mainstream conservative media has been in an uproar over the epithet “cuckservative,” a portmanteau of “cuckold” and “conservative” that is used to denigrate those who are perceived as insufficiently conservative. Typical targets of the term are those who pay lip service to the defense of traditional conservative values, but have policies which work against such values. Other targets include those who will back down as soon as leftists accuse them of racism, classism, xenophobia, sexism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, and/or transphobia out of fear of ostracism by the establishment media. Still others may be called a cuckservative for engaging in the same minority identity politics that leftists do.

Much of the backlash against the term comes from its supposed origin among white nationalists as a slur against more mainstream conservatives, whom they believe to be race traitors. But its true origin is the online form 4chan, and the use of the term “cuckold” as an insult dates back at least to the Middle Ages, when it referred to a man with an unfaithful wife, especially a man raising children who were fathered by another man. By Shakespeare’s time, it also referred to an emasculated man who had no backbone about him. The shortened form “cuck” is frequently used on 4chan as a term of abuse for people who cave in to criticism and sell out their supporters, and it is this sense of the word that has led to the term “cuckservative.” Thus, it may be considered a synonym of RINO (Republican In Name Only), coward, or beta male.

Unfortunately, the legitimate problems identified by the term “cuckservative” when not used by racists are not confined to conservatism. Many of the same problems are also present in libertarian circles, thus it is worth examining the anatomy of a cuckolded libertarian, or “cuckertarian.” This is best done by starting with symptom lists that define cuckservatism, then comparing and contrasting them with similar phenomena within the libertarian movement to get a general picture of a cuckertarian.

Open Borders and Immigration

The cuckservative supports open borders and amnesty for illegal immigrants, even going so far as to call illegally immigrating an act of love. Lesser cuckservatives may give lip service to the ideas of border security and immigration restrictions, but will not discuss or act on the matter unless pressured into doing so. This is in contrast to traditional conservatism, which supports protecting that which separates a nation from that which is outside of it. The cuckservative also exhibits conspicuous compassion while advocating that others be forced to pay the cost.

Unlike conservatism, libertarianism rejects enforced nationalism and tribalism as forms of aggression. Instead of embracing these notions, the cuckertarian supports open borders and free immigration even when they stand athwart private property rights and freedom of association. A cuckertarian may also support letting refugees into a country, even though refugee problems are nearly always caused by governments and exploited by other governments to grow the welfare state and create new sympathetic voting blocks. While libertarianism permits one to bring in a foreigner to one’s private property and provide for them, this is not the nature of government refugee policies. Like the cuckservative, the cuckertarian is conspicuously compassionate.

Israel and America

The cuckservative believes that the state of Israel can do no wrong, must always be supported, and that criticizing it or any Jewish organization is tantamount to anti-Semitism. This stands in stark contrast to the cuckservative’s leniency concerning America’s borders, as Israel is quite strict on border security and promoting its ethnic interests.

The cuckertarian may exhibit such behavior, but it could be toward any nation-state which is believed to be a bulwark against something even worse which might replace it. This may lead to support for military actions or support for overseas regimes which a consistent libertarian should oppose.

Free Trade

The cuckservative claims to support domestic workers while undermining them through “free trade” agreements with other nations which result in jobs moving overseas. But those who use the term tend to misunderstand free trade. Free trade means that there is no government interference in the marketplace. This requires anarchy, which conservatives of nearly every type are adamantly against.

The cuckertarian rarely commits an error on this subject, though it is not unheard of.

Race

The “cuckservative” epithet is frequently used by racists to deride those who are not racist. But there is a discussion to be had on race and cuckservatism without delving into hatred and bigotry. The cuckservative is so afraid of being called a racist that he or she avoids any discussion of racial issues. A cuckservative will also accuse social justice warriors and leftists of being the real racists, with varying degrees of accuracy. The very possibility of human biodiversity is anathema to a cuckservative, as is the use of identity politics among whites in general and white cisgendered males in particular to defend against similar tactics by minorities from the left.

The cuckertarian will sometimes seek to avoid discussions of racial matters for fear of being called a racist, but may also do so by claiming that any such discussion is collectivist and therefore anti-libertarian. The concept of human biodiversity is also rejected by the cuckertarian as a form of racism and collectivism, even when the available data supports the idea that there are measurable genetic differences between groups of people and that these differences do not make people objectively superior or inferior. Additionally, some cuckertarians will express a belief in free will unfettered by genetic makeup, life experiences, expectations of consequences, or physical laws to support their rejection of facts. Cuckertarians do not generally oppose the use of identity politics by other libertarians, but this is probably because few libertarians support such tactics.

Corporate Power

The cuckservative opposes anything that threatens the power of corporations, even going so far as advocating a form of fascism. However, those who use the term frequently fail to understand that higher taxes, environmental regulations, and minimum wage increases do not limit corporate power but rather enhance it by destroying the smaller competitors of mega-corporations that cannot afford the cost of such government interferences.

While corporations are not forbidden by libertarianism and it is possible to construct such an entity in a private law society, the incentives of such a society lean toward arrangements where everyone is fully responsible for their actions. The cuckertarian will support corporatism instead of pure capitalism and may claim that the state is necessary to rein in corporate power, despite the fact that corporate power is ultimately derived from state power.

Police and Military

The cuckservative believes that men and women in uniform are beyond reproach, calling all of them “heroes” regardless of the deeds they have done while claiming to represent the entire society and be the finest members thereof. The cuckservative will also decry any criticism of American foreign policy as isolationism.

The cuckertarian will be more critical of government police and military personnel than almost any conservative, but will denounce any acts of violence in self-defense against their aggressions as illegitimate, thereby placing some people beyond the scope of the non-aggression principle just because they wear costumes and are affiliated with the state. The cuckertarian will seek to reform such statist institutions rather than abolish them, and may even advocate for their temporary expansion in order to combat some threat du jour.

Moderation and Radicalism

The cuckservative spends more time attacking other conservatives for being too extreme than attacking leftists. The cuckservative supports establishment Republicans and believes that Obama won two terms as President because his major party opponents were too far to the right. Cuckservatives routinely denounce movements like the Tea Party and the Ron Paul Revolution as being too extreme and polarizing to win general elections.

The cuckertarian denounces anarchist libertarians as utopian idealists, preaching instead a form of limited statism that contains obvious contradictions. Cuckertarians prefer to moderate the message of liberty to reach a wider audience, but in the process they corrupt it into something that a consistently principled libertarian would barely recognize. In the Libertarian Party, this results in moderate or even fake libertarians gaining the presidential nomination.

Right and Wrong Thinking

The cuckservative may articulate a set of principles, but will seldom stand by them in the face of criticism from the left. As mentioned above, the cuckservative is so afraid of being called a racist that this is all it takes for a social justice warrior to make a cuckservative back down and ask for forgiveness from the politically correct establishment. This motivates cuckservatives to stay in line and attack more ardent conservatives. A cuckservative will accuse those who call them a cuckservative of being racists, and will occasionally even sell out allies to virtue signal to the left.

The cuckertarian can be somewhat more resilient, but will still crack under pressure if the leftist backlash is strong enough. While the cuckservative merely kowtows to social justice warriors, the cuckertarian frequently is one. Both the cuckservative and the cuckertarian are motivated partly by avoidance of conflict and shame as well as a desire to keep money flowing in, but the cuckservative is motivated more by the former while the cuckertarian is motivated more by the latter. Advertisers tend to pull their ads from controversial programming, as they do not wish to be seen as promoting wrong-think. This motivates cuckertarians to stay in line and attack more consistent libertarians, especially if the cuckertarians have a wider audience on television or radio. Cuckertarians are fond of telling more consistent libertarians to check their privilege, even as they refuse to check their premises and ignorance. A cuckertarian would accuse those who call them a cuckertarian of being racists if the term were in more common usage, and selling out allies to be seen as a right-thinker is more common for cuckertarians than for cuckservatives.

Desire for Establishment Favor

The fundamental motivator of cuckservatism is the desire to be part of the establishment. A cuckservative would rather be a cog in the machine of statism than rock the boat in any meaningful way. In fact, many cuckservatives would rather see an establishment Democrat in a congressional seat than a strong conservative. Being seen on television, heard on the radio, and read in popular books is more important to the cuckservative than being correct or being true to conservative principles.

The cuckertarian is much the same in this regard, minus the political power aspect as Libertarian candidates hardly ever win elections for major political offices. The cuckertarian is also distinguished by a desire to reform rather than abolish the state, an acceptance of centralized government, and Beltway insider status. Cuckertarians care more about distracting more consistent libertarians with visions of a brighter future than about doing what is necessary to end statist oppression.

Conclusion

Just as cuckservative may be considered a synonym of RINO (Republican In Name Only), cuckertarian may be considered a synonym for LINO (Libertarian In Name Only). The cuckertarian may or may not qualify as a fake libertarian, but he or she is a destructive force regardless. As hypocrites and entryists frequently do more damage to a cause than infidels, cuckertarians are in many cases an even more problematic foe of liberty than unrepentant statists because the cuckertarians can ensure that even if libertarians win, we will still lose.

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