Why Are So Many Nerds Libertarian?

Slashdot put up a thread, and the very first comment modded up to 5 for "insightful" has the answer. Not the answer the author intends, which is a rehash of the non-aggression principle, but in the paragraphs immediately preceding:

I'm sure like many others here, I got very good marks at public school, but was also often in trouble and sent to the principal's office for mouthing off in class, etc. Why? Because while I would accept that the teachers were more learned (or in some cases, less ignorant), I never thought for a moment that they were more intelligent. They demanded respect from me, but never offered the same in return (there were precious few exceptions, and for their counsel, I will always be greatful).

So what messages did I receive in those public school classrooms? "You're no better than anyone else", "Take your place and shut up", "Slow down and learn at the same rate as everybody else; you're not special". All the while, within myself, I was thinking "But I can go faster than everyone else", "I can see a better way to do this", and "I am special".

And I can speak from experience here when I tell you that it's very easy to keep thinking you're special and the rules shouldn't (or even don't really) apply to you when you haven't yet developed the social skills to take other people's interests and perspectives into account. Because, you know, you're a nerd.

None of which is a knock-down critique of the power of markets or anything, and just a piece of the larger story about why ideologies may be popular independent of the merits. But there you are.