Letters to the Editor
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5 reasons why geeks are libertarians
1. Geeks are outsiders. In school, there were a lot of different groups and we didn't belong to any of them--not the jocks, or the cheerleaders, or the drama club, or even the kids who smoked pot and cut class. These clubs were for kids who were cooler, more outgoing, and better looking than we were. Fast forward 20 years and the clubs that don't want you are still there. They're called the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
2. Geeks are anti-authoritarian, though not necessarily in a let's-blow-up-parliament kind of way. It's not that we didn't like the authority figures in our lives--the parents, teachers, and bosses. We just always thought we were smarter than they were. Start talking shop to them and their eyes just glaze over. Our best relationships with authority figures were with the ones that stayed out of our way and left us to our own devices. Is it any surprise that geeks want that kind of relationship with their government?
3. Geeks are really into DIY culture. The article touches on this a little bit. Geeks are engineers. We build things. We can do quite well on their own. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
4. Geeks value transparency. It's no surprise that Geeks love free software. Why would we install Windows on our computer? We would have no idea what we're opening ourselves up to. If we install linux, we have every line of code available to us. Libertarians represent this level of transparency in government.
5. Geeks tend to be well off. I couldn't resist slipping this in, but it's true. If you make a lot of money, you tend to notice it more when Uncle Sam calls calling. Combine this with our disinterest in the latest fashions and our value of simplicity, and a national sales tax sounds like the best policy idea ever.