Anarcho-Hippies - A NH PorcFest report.

[soulcyon]

-rep @ bitcoin machine lol

 

[DerailingDaTrain]

Forget it

I'm moving as soon as I can so that I can get out of this hell hole state

 

[Tod]

Reading this thread, it does sound like a huge percentage of people are interested in liberty primarily for drugs. Disappointing.

 

[Erentheca]

Thanks for posting this, this is a cultural awakening that needs to get much more attention.

 

[DerailingDaTrain]

Reading this thread, it does sound like a huge percentage of people are interested in liberty primarily for drugs. Disappointing.

The only posts besides the OP about drugs were me and specs talking about hippies and it was in a negative way. When did people say they were interested in liberty primarily for drugs?

 

[FSP-Rebel]

Some of the anarchists I knew in NH used state services claiming that it will help the system fail sooner or whatever. Overall, they are great people that are philosophically sound. In times past (I was at P-fest 08, 09, 10) it was mostly attended by political types yet it appears that the strict agorists have the majority now. When there becomes factions in any movement the clique-ness becomes apparent. I was one of the few that hovered back and forth, Keith also comes to mind. It used to be called a schism but the animosity had mostly subsided but I can't speak for the immediate present time. Some in the political arena don't want to be affiliated with the so-called "freakstaters" just like some voluntaryists don't like to be around those that "use violence (re:voting/politics) to affect change". The %s with a grudge are minimal however there was one occasion when I was talking to a chick at the Taproom who was cool (perhaps moreso) with me at first, then did a 180 when she found out I was into politics.

Any time you get over a certain number of people together, personalities clash. Each faction has their own path for striving for change, which put together, helps to achieve liberty faster. However, certain types of activism can be off-putting to the public at-large so it pays to be choosy.

Usually, new people into the FSP are welcomed with open arms. People aren't ostracized but for good reason. That said, one can't accurately experience the FSP thoroughly from a message board, just get an idea of what to expect. There's a few weirdos in every bunch, just steer clear of them.

 

[Keith and stuff]

Are there any Austrian Economics fans on this forum?
While Bob was the MC at the 2012 Porcfest Roast, he was a roaster in 2011. Here is a video of Bob roasting Stefan Molyneux last year.

Bob did a write-up of his experience at Porcfest 2012. I might not be very bright as I just noticed the write-up

My Time at Porcfest 2012
28 Jun 2012
Robert P. Murphy
http://consultingbyrpm.com/blog/2012/06/my-time-at-porcfest-2012.html

On Sunday I returned from five days in Lancaster, NH at “Porcfest,” short for the Porcupine Freedom Festival. (The porcupine is the mascot, because it doesn’t attack but can ably defend itself.) My first experience was at Porcfest 2011, where I had a blast, and once again Porcfest 2012 turned out to be my favorite week of the year. In this article I’ll explain why I now save up my vacation for this event, and why it’s relevant to everyone who loves liberty.

The first thing to say about Porcfest is that it’s a lot of fun. Now admittedly, some of this comes from the fact that there are plenty of libertarians who are “Friends” on Facebook, and they only get to meet at events like this. But beyond that, it is undeniably true that Porcfest differs from most other official liberty events, because it is located at a campground. It started out as a simple gathering of liberty-minded individuals who wanted to camp and talk about these issues, and kept growing over the years so that now its total attendance in a given year breaks 1,000.

I have described Porcfest as “Woodstock for libertarians” only half in jest. There really are bands, all of whom support liberty and several of whom play music specifically in that vein (such as Jordan Page with his Ron Paul-themed songs). And where else would I have the opportunity to say this?

Yet Porcfest is more than a week-long party. As the crowds have grown, it’s made sense for the organizers to bring in speakers. For example, last year I spoke on the possibility of Stateless legal systems, while this year I was on one panel discussing Austrian Economics and gave a separate talk on what money and banking would look like in an unregulated market. This year also featured talks from economists Ben Powell on the economic analysis of sweatshops, and Dan D’Amico on prison privatization.

Although some view the FSP as an effort to implement small government at the local level (through concentrating libertarian voters in a small geographical area), the broader goal is simply to immerse oneself in a community of people who believe that voluntary social arrangements are preferable to coercive ones. Although they know they are still beholden to the claims of the federal government, the participants in the FSP try to deal with each other through peaceful means, turning to arbitration brokered by other Free Staters rather than the police when problems arise.

Within this context, we can now talk about some of the other events at a typical Porcfest. In addition to the speeches on academic, theoretical topics, there are also very practical panels telling people how to find a job and an apartment if they move to New Hampshire, how to homeschool one’s children without running afoul of state laws, and how to navigate the legal system if one wants to engage in activism (such as protesting outside City Hall, handing out leaflets at the airport decrying the TSA, etc.).

It is because Porcfest is composed of hundreds of people who are living out their professed lifestyle, that I was so taken with the event last year. As I walked out of an event on homeschooling, I saw food vendors who accepted silver and Bitcoin, as well as U.S. dollars (or “FRNs”—Federal Reserve Notes—as the Porcfest attendees disparagingly call them). At the same time, there were dozens, perhaps hundreds, of people openly carrying guns and large knives, yet everyone felt perfectly safe. Indeed, many parents bring young children to Porcfest, where there are fun events designed especially for them. At other libertarian conferences, you can hear speeches on what a free society might look like, but at Porcfest, you see it—at least a glimpse—with your own eyes. Even though my entire career has focused on the study and advocacy of a society based on voluntary relations, I myself believed in the vision more, after visiting Porcfest in 2011.

And if you missed it, here is part of Bob's Porcfest 2011 write-up.


PorcFest 2011
Mises Daily: Monday, July 04, 2011 by Robert P. Murphy
http://mises.org/daily/5430/PorcFest-2011

Libertarians Just Wanna Have Fun …

I'm a workaholic, and I also travel about twice a month to conferences and public lectures. Yet after a day at PorcFest, something was different. At first I couldn't identify this strange feeling of carefree giddiness. Then it hit me — I was having fun! This blew my mind.

… With All the Amenities of Civilization

Partly because I was flying, but also because I am not fully in touch with nature, I opted to stay at the motel, which was adjacent to the campgrounds. Although it was spotty, I even had an Internet connection. So PorcFest is as rustic as you want to make it.

Along these lines, I am embarrassed to say that I actually packed some protein shakes in my suitcase, because I was worried that a group of 1,000 punk anarchists might be reduced to eating bark off the trees by the weekend. This was a huge miscalculation, and showed how little faith even I have in the free market.

There were numerous food options, because many of the attendees at PorcFest are vendors. The one whom I frequented the most was "George," with his egg breakfast sandwiches. As I'm in training, I didn't dare try the more decadent dishes such as the ten-strip bacon-weave gyro-meat artery-clogger known as the Trainwreck. (Robert Smith from NPR's PlanetMoney podcast visited PorcFest too, and he also sampled George's cuisine.)

Conclusion

PorcFest this year was a blast, especially the roast of Stefan Molyneux (which was definitely rated R). Barring an invitation from Judge Napolitano to guest-host his show all week, I'll definitely be going to PorcFest 2012. For those who are broke but eager, there are all sorts of caravans being arranged on Facebook, and you can probably get free transportation if you offer to do some work upon arrival. See you in New Hampshire next year!

 

[Keith and stuff]

Porcfest and bitcoins make news again. BTW, does anyone else have bitcoins? The value keeps going up. I'm loving this
Bitcoin punks go corporate at CES
The underground currency goes mainstream at the biggest tech show in the nation
By Adrianne Jeffries on January 11, 2013 09:58 am
http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/11/3864592/bitcoin-punks-go-corporate-at-ces

About half the people who stopped by were already familiar with Bitcoin, Bitpay CEO Tony Gallippi told The Verge. He was optimistic about all the investors, merchants, and Bitcoin users who had hit up the booth. There were two Bitcoin-related booths at CES last year, but they were smaller and stuffed into corners. This year's placement, across from an audio company and a startup showing off night vision goggles, was much more ideal. The team has been too busy schmoozing to try the night vision goggles.

This is all strange new territory for Bitcoin. Because it isn't tied to any central authority, it's become popular among a certain set of technolibertarians. (the Porcupine Freedom Festival in New Hampshire, a libertarian retreat where neither the police nor the US dollar are welcome, is the kind of place where Bitcoin finds its fans.) It's a bit weird to see the currency represented at the same corporate trade show where the world's largest electronics makers announce their latest TVs.

A slight correction, bitcoins, silver, shire silver, gold and even FRNs are welcome at Porcfest.

 

[Aratus]

this thread brings back fond memories of summer. thanks everyone! NH's porcfest is an institution.