September 27, 2008
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It’s anarchy again.
I can tell when my intake of political propaganda is reaching critical mass. That’s when I start talking about anarchy.
Last night, in the daily after-9PM phone call from Greyfox, I repeated my old half-joking, “If there was an anarchist on the ballot, that’s who I’d vote for.” Greyfox has heard me say those words more times than I bothered to count. Finally, last night, he asked, “That’s a logical impossibility, isn’t it?” And that is the downside of a dry sense of humor: it makes one’s jokes hard to get.
If you read my earlier entry on anarchy, you know I think it doesn’t deserve the bad reputation it has gotten. A large part of that problem stems from a popular misconception about anarchy, which confuses it with omniarchy and chaos. Anarchism has gained a large following on the web, but it isn’t the same idealistic political philosophy I have learned to know and love. It is mean-spirited and vindictive, smelling a lot like adolescent rebellion against authority.
Curious? Want to know more?
There’s my earlier essay.
A Few Words on Anarchy and America by Jon Sussman
Anarchy: a Journal of Desire Armed
Association of Autonomous Astronauts
Comments (16)
Interesting, I will have to consider this more because many of the things that I despise about government (any government) are the limits on individual freedoms and civil liberties, and on the other hand it seems almost inevitable that to be organized we must give up some freedoms, and I can see the benefits of organization. (Although I don’t think we need as much organization as we currently have in our military/industrial
complex and I think we could stand a little more in the arena of getting people healthcare and feeding our children.)
Must think ….
I’m recommending this Kathy as you have links that others can see and learn and make up their own minds rather than be told.
I wont promote all out anarchy but would look for the option that balances individual freedom and with collective responsibility.
I’m glad that I always check back with the old posts. Greyfox had responded to a comment of mine and I don’t remember having read it before
I haven’t had a chance to click through all of the links yet.
Monday, March 03, 2008
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politics
Hillary cries
women swoon/faint at Obama rallies
McCain has to have his advisor check what his stand is on that,
cuz he knows he already has one, he just can’t remember what it is
enough of the politics already
anarchy is looking kinda good to me about now
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i agreed way back in March, now, if we could only get people up from sitting in front of the tv…
Former anarchist here. IMO it’s a naively idealistic extrapolation of the atomistic thinking inherent in classical liberalism. But that judgement is rather shaky, because I haven’t done my research.
We are truly seeing the fraying of the edges of the USA..our status as a superpower is past, only most people don’t know it yet. Have you heard the new jackson browne album, time the conqueror? One line “why is impeachment not on the table?”…Big Imaginary Friend in the Sky help us…
anarchiez would probably require a new paradigm of thought
@Zeal4living - ”balances individual freedom with collective responsibility” – I don’t think anarchism need exclude collective responsibility, it will just be implemented via. different means.
but look into communitarianism. that does both. i wouldn’t quite consider myself one, but I draw something from it.. slightly ironic since I also like libertarianism
description i quickly took from wikipedia: “communitarianism emphasizes the need to balance individual rights and interests with that of the community as a whole, and that autonomous selves are shaped by the culture and values of the community.”
I think this is interesting…and timely…as I was just researching this very subject myself. I recently re-took the political compass test and found my little dot squarely between communism and anarchism in their grid. Interesting reading up there. Must chew on this for a while.
@Apocatastasis - I do not like the latter part of the definition of communitarianism. in my ideal world is constructivism where variety is promoted through greater individuality but in a society where dialog is promoted to create understanding for diversity. In such a a society ideas can grow and develop without fear and constraint. In the American constitution it is freedom of speech that begins to secure this ideal. Maybe it comes back to the old pagan creed “Do what thy will, but harm none”
@Zeal4living - Sounds like the basis for some of your ideals is truly liberal then, lol. personally, i don’t think I’ve even yet developed a stance. communitarianism is oftentimes presented as a means to incease community dialog, considering thats its focus is on the primacy of the community over the individual (in contrast to liberalism, which also takes a differing view on the very nature of the individual).
@Book_of_Ruth - The internet is full of left-wing people such as yourself, and I like it that way.
@Zeal4living -
@Apocatastasis -
If I failed to make myself clear: to me, anarchy is an ideal. As a perfectionist committed, above all else, to being (becoming) as near perfection as I can, and dedicated to living the strict ethics I espouse, I know that I could live quite well, along with others like me, in anarchy.
Not many others are that much like me, however. In other words, in case those don’t clearly convey my meaning, I am adequately self-governed, but many other people need a boss to keep a lid on their impulses. I don’t need a boss, nor do I need to be one.
@SuSu - So could I. Infact I’d quite like it. I suspect it would work, for a time, in a small community of individuals… until a more authoritatrian personality comes, or is born into the community. Over time, the creation of a new heirarchy, or ‘government’, seems almost inevitable. Bikie rule? lol
In an anarchist society, many people would also be ‘governed’ by social pressure to conform to a certain standard. This would also keep ‘em in line if they don’t want to do it themselves.
I also have perfectionistic tendencies which I’m trying to get rid of. Growth is my goal, with no end point of ‘perfection’ or anything else. I haven’t thought about the end point.
“Anarchism has gained a large following on the web, but it isn’t the
same idealistic political philosophy I have learned to know and love.
It is mean-spirited and vindictive, smelling a lot like adolescent
rebellion against authority.”
i think that anarchism *is* that idealistic philosophy still. people on the internet are just silly sometimes.
the anarchists i know and love are passionate, spirited people who fight for a better world every day of their waking lives. and they’re willing to spend their lives and put their lives on the line to build alternate structures opposing systems based on manipulation and exploitation.
crimethinc gives a pretty balanced view of anarchism, i think. even though their message is at times preachy and pretentious. it still gives me hope sometimes.
i’ll have to read your essay when i have time.
@vericuester - I’m glad to hear that the philosophy is still alive and not too distorted. “Silly” is a good word for a lot of what I’ve been finding on the web.