The Goalposts of Consent

People routinely justify government on the basis of “consent.”  As in: “There’s a social contract, and you’re obliged to follow it.”

If you deny consent, they just move the goalposts of consent very close.  In fact, they usually give the government an instant touchdown.

How exactly do they move the goalposts?

 

Step 1: Switch from explicit to implicit consent.

If you say, “I never signed this social contract,” they reply, “The social contract is implicit.”

Step 2: Switch from implicit consent to...