No, Jeffery Lebowsky (the dude) is NOT a libertarian in the movie, as a friend accused me of having claimed; the dude was evidently a member of an organization tied with radical leftist Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), as suggested by his participation in the Seattle 7 .
However, there are many libertarian themes throughout the movie:
- non-aggression principle
The Dude: "This aggression will not stand, man."
-Property rights:
The Dude: "Hey, hey, this is a private residence."
The Dude: "All the dude ever wanted was his rug back."
-Property rights and self-defense:
Walter: "What's mine is mine."
-Civil rights
The Dude's only form of ID is a supermarket discount card. He knows his rights - that he is not required to carry a government ID.
-Demonstration of how inept the state is
The police officer when the Dude is recovering his stolen car: "Leeds!" - here, the officer was laughing at the Dude's question whether they will find the person who stole his car.
-Prior Restraint and the right to free speech
Walter claims that the "the supreme court has roundly rejected prior restraint" in free speech cases when the cafe waitress asks him to quiet down, but the Dude argues that since the cafe is private property, it is not a first amendment issue.
-The Dude is anti war
-Drug prohibition
Given the dude's marijuana consumption, I have to imagine that he supports ending cannabis prohibition.
If you haven't seen the movie, NB: contains course language and brief nudity
If anyone has any other ideas as to libertarian themes from the movie, just comment below.
Nice post.
ReplyDeleteSaying The Dude isn't a Libertarian is akin to saying Locke or Russo don't represent American values. They are the inspiration for these movements. They came first. Port Huron Statement try to get the Democratic party to reform. 2016 prove it failed miserably but it never even had a chance. That's why the Republicans you were disgusted with the racist manipulative drug war started 10 years later merged with the Democrats.
ReplyDeleteThe dude wasn't a Libertarian. Dude is what became Libertarians.
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