#ad-busters

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HT to justaturnofthedial for this link to the Adbusters post "Is Polyamory Revolutionary", which discusses free love and polyamory as means of destroying capitalism. 

First up, I tend to agree with justaturnofhtedial that my love, and how I choose to love, is not a revolutionary weapon. It's just the way I choose to live because that's what seems to work best for me.  

Then there is this paragraph:

Can capitalism exist without its foundation of heterosexual monogamy? Is polyamory inherently revolutionary? 

Answer - yes! I am sure capitalism can survive just fine without heterosexual monogamy.  Left free from government interference I am sure that free markets can and would adapt just fine to polyamory.

If enough people are willing to put up the $ to buy beds built for four (or more), then I'm sure there will be some entrepreneurial folks who will make said beds and sell them.

I think the author of the post (and a lot of the Tumblrs who commented) are making the mistake of assuming that social conservatism and capitalism are inseparable.

Granted - if your formative years were all under the reign of George W Bush it would be easy (but also lazy) to think that free market capitalism and social conservatism HAVE TO go together.

But I'd argue that they don't.

The Libertarian Party platform is a good example of this. Along side advocating for free markets, the Libertarian Party platform states that:

1.3    Personal Relationships

Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on thegovernment's treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption,immigration or military service laws. Government does not have the authority to define, license o rrestrict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships.

1.4    Abortion

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration

This isn't the sort of thing one hears from "conservatives", yet this is right along side a lot of free-market capitalist stuff like strong property rights, small government and reducing barriers to immigration.

Now, I'm not suggesting everyone rush out and join the Libertarian Party. I just wish that people would think outside the box a little and recognize that capitalism isn't necessarily reliant on  heterosexuality, monogamy or the conservative 'nuclear family'. 

We now return you to your regular viewing.