Victimless Crime

It's been a while since I've had Steve Landburg to kick around, and I'm not eager to get involved again, but he has posted one of his little nut job problems that has aroused high dudgeon in Brad DeLong and others. His sin, here, is that he appears to be arguing that the Steubenville rape was a victimless crime (he doesn't go quite that far, but he skates close enough to deserve the oppobrium.)

DeLong even votes him to replace long time stupidist-man-alive Don Luskin in that coveted spot. I think Brad misses the point here. Landsburg's stupidity is a very specific mental defect, probably something like autism spectrum. Like many of his fellow libertarians and Ayn Rand heroes, he just doesn't get human nature. He is a weird character, with facets of brilliance, but missing some key pieces. Sort of like TBBT hero Sheldon Cooper.

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