Complex objects can be better understood if viewed from different angles. Here are views of libertarianism from pairs of opposite perspectives.
Libertarians pose the most threat to the establishment.
Because we seek to undermine the very foundations of political power we threaten the establishment not with mere change but with annihilation. Politics is a power game where the winners impose their plan on the populace by force. Whoever wins, the game continues. But when the libertarians win the game is over. Nobody imposes their plan on the populace by force. Churches hold great power and wealth but it is all based on faith. If Sunday comes and nobody goes to church the game is over. Less obviously government is also based on faith. If one day people stop believing in and obeying it the game is over. Libertarians are working toward that day.
Libertarians pose the least threat to the establishment.
Libertarians are completely nonviolent and do not seek to seize anyone's wealth. The rich folk, the businessmen, and the capitalists can smile as the libertarians take over because their riches are secure from seizure and their businesses are secure from interference.
Libertarians are the most peaceful.
The libertarian party is absolutely committed to peaceful means of creating political and social change. It is written into our platform and our pledge. No other organization requires their members to sign a pledge of nonviolence. This pledge insures that no violent political act will ever be the responsibility of the libertarian party.
Libertarians are the most violent.
The founding fathers of this country fought a bloody revolutionary war against the British government and libertarians today believe strongly in the right of the individual to be heavily armed. Only the libertarians accept the right of the people to defend themselves with lethal force against the intrusions and oppressions of the government. Privately owned lethal weapons are a vital part of the ability of the people to maintain their freedom from tyranny and the libertarian party strongly supports this right.
Libertarianism is the simplest ideology.
Just as cold is the absence of heat, libertarianism is the absence of tyranny. Where others have complex plans to run your life the libertarians let you live your own plan. Governments have shelves of books of laws you must obey but libertarianism can be learned in one lesson. What could be simpler than leaving people alone?
Libertarianism is the most complex ideology.
The market interactions that evolve in the absence of regulation are far more complex than the regulations could ever be. The state can make a single law that all who enter stores must wear shoes. Libertarians would let the myriad merchants each make their own policy to fit their separate needs. Price fixing always fails because real prices are generated by thousands of different judgments by millions of different people. No regulation could ever encompass the complexity of this process. Planning and regulation always reduce complexity just as a farmer's field is less complex than the woods it replaces.
Libertarians are the most obvious.
A popular libertarian slogan; "Most Americans are libertarians, they just don't know it yet." What could be more obvious than the incompetence of the government? Songs and jokes chronicle our contempt for authority every day. It is abundantly clear to most Americans that the government is far too large; this is the message of the libertarian party.
Libertarians are the most obscure.
Who are the libertarians? Ask a hundred people on the street and perhaps five will have heard the word. Of them perhaps two will have some conception of what libertarians stand for. Since there is no plan, there is no plan to grasp, to like or dislike. No one who has, or hopes for, political power has any reason to spread the word. The media rely for much of their news on the politicians and have nothing to gain by alienating them. Without the support of the rulers or the media the libertarian party spreads its message by one on one conversation, a process sure but painfully slow.
Libertarians are the kindest.
Whatever your dreams, only the libertarians will accept your right to pursue them. Only if you dream of oppressing others will you be opposed and then it will be mainly by your empowered victims instead of a dominant authority. Only the libertarians will allow the poor to build their wealth and climb the ladder of success without legal impediment. Only the libertarians will allow the desperately ill access to any person, procedure, or elixir that they wish to pursue. Only the libertarians will allow the dreamers of other forms of society to pursue their plans and build their (voluntary) social systems.
Libertarians are the cruelest.
A libertarian administration would let the hungry starve, the sick perish, and the poor remain poor. It would allow mistreatment of animals and destruction of the environment. It would allow people to waste their lives away with drugs, gambling, prostitution and other vices still unimagined. The worst in humanity would compete freely with the best.
Libertarians are a cult.
Libertarians have their own special beliefs and jargon wildly at odds with prevailing cultural norms. The Libertarian Party members must sign an oath when they join. They believe they are a global revolutionary movement with the force of morality behind it. Their hedonistic advocacy of removal of all limits on sex, drugs, and rock & roll attract the young and impressionable. Those infected with libertarianism rarely return to more conventional political beliefs. Many libertarians are heavily armed and believe the government is their enemy.
Libertarians are not a cult.
Libertarian organizations have no strong leaders and no secret agendas. Their ideology is drawn from dozens of unrelated sources throughout history. The only thing they have in common is their lack of belief in government. Completely independent libertarian organizations work together without conflict. They are proud of the diversity of personalities and lifestyles within the movement. They are firmly and adamantly nonviolent. They believe they represent the mainstream, that most Americans are libertarians who just don't know it yet.
Libertarians believe the most in human goodness.
Libertarians believe that humans are so good that they don't need to be controlled by a government. We believe the laws designed to compel people to be good are unnecessary. The common people with their common wisdom will handle their own affairs far better than any law could dictate that they must.
Libertarians believe the least in human goodness.
Libertarians believe that people are too evil to be trusted with the power of government. We believe that people will oppress each other without mercy if the tools are in their hands. Even the wisest and kindest among us will do more harm than good by using the violent power of the state.
Libertarians are sure to fail.
The media and the educational system have convinced the people that a strong government is good, or at least necessary. Opposition forces, including the libertarians, are infiltrated, disorganized, and obscured by a media blackout. All political struggle is portrayed as personality conflicts between rulers, thus avoiding examination of principles or trends. Laws soon to be passed will suppress any resistance to unlimited increases in government. People are children. Liberty is doomed when they accept tyranny.
Libertarians are sure to succeed.
Big government can't survive unless the people believe in it. The Soviet people gradually learned their system didn't work. When they realized it couldn't work it collapsed in spite of its overwhelming power. In an information age the principles and trends of government failure will become harder and harder to conceal. People are adults. Tyranny is doomed when they seek liberty.