Anarchism

I have a lot of left anarchist friends and although I am not a supporter of their creed socialist anarchism certainly seems like a reasonably coherent political philosophy.

there are as much anarchisms as there are anarchists, so a clear definition or classification of anarchism is impossible.

I don't call myself anarchist, but unions like CNT are the best!!
and IF i lived in a perfect world... it would be an anarchist world ;)

maybe this thread should be: Taking Sides: Left Anarchists v. Right Anarchists.

Capitalism, by its nature, requires and creates some sort of hierarchy (in that there will be winners and losers, you can't have capitalism with all-winners). Businesses/corporations become de facto states, thus negating any kind of "anarcho" anything.

I suppose that I'm, technically, an anarchist or an anarcho-syndicalist in the Orwell/Goldberg vein. Focused on culture more than politics. I also realize that there's no way in hell the Wonderful Anarchist Utopia is going to materialize in my lifetime, which is an idea that needs to be drilled into some people these days.

It depends on why you think society organizes into "winners" and "losers" - does it do so naturally and capitalism is an extension of this, or does it do so because of capitalism?

im not attacking anarchism on these grounds, i just want to know if that is part of the idea.

(i am very ignorant in this area - so if you want to say "bug off, go read X" I will happily oblige.)

Sometimes competition is best served by what's best for all people. It's better for mankind as a species if we don't poison the Earth for the benefit of a few. It doesn't serve man to starve some or poison some, or it doesn't serve the species to leave much of the populace in squalor or poverty for the benefit of few. For examples here, I'd point out that the most violent, bloody and vengeful revolutions have come from a severely oppressed populace. The French start chopping off heads, landowners and aristocrats elsewhere are executed.

Anarchism, to me, is about finding the right balance of society and autonomy that allows the individual to prosper as much as possible.

oh come on, this is the left wing equivalent of saying that there is no such thing as a libertarian communist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs

^ makes the case for anarchism without even noticing.

I'm in the middle of the Revolutions podcast on the Russian Revolution (and all the stuff that led up to it), and the descriptions of Bakunin gave me the thought that there's a strain of modern "woke" leftism that has a lot of anarchist tendencies, even though it doesn't call itself leftist. This occurred to me in connection with stuff that was being said on a very different podcast, a radical podcast about school integration, that talked a lot about "dismantling hierarchies and power structures." This made me realize that there's a strain of anarchism in the new fight against "white supremacy," not just egalitarian, but anti power.

Great hair.

#OtD 22 Jul 1932 Errico Malatesta, Italian anarchist militant and theorist, London ice cream seller, mechanic and member of the Naples section of the International Working Men's Association, died after 6 years of fascist house arrest at the age of 78. https://t.co/9hEy9JuVxh pic.twitter.com/CUipmPzkdu

— Working Class History (@wrkclasshistory) July 22, 2022

RIP comrade (nearly called him king, bad move)

I want to put "impossibility never prevented anything from happening" up on my wall as a reminder

RIP

https://sfstandard.com/criminal-justice/robbed-oakland-baker-jen-angel-dies-from-injuries-in-hospital/

awful :(...

this is how an anarchist's supportive family responds to their murder:

"Per Jen’s wishes, her organs will be donated, and her committed medical team has informed the family that those organs will serve to lengthen and improve the lives of up to 70 people.

If the Oakland Police Department does make an arrest in this case, the family is committed to pursuing all available alternatives to traditional prosecution, such as restorative justice. Jen’s family and close friends ask that the media respect this request and carry forward the story of her life with celebration and clarity about the world she aimed to build. Jen’s family and friends ask that stories referencing Jen’s life do not use her legacy of care and community to further inflame narratives of fear, hatred, and vengeance, nor to advance putting public resources into policing, incarceration, or other state violence that perpetuates the cycles of violence that resulted in this tragedy.

We wish for Jen’s legacy to be one of deep commitment to safety and dignity for everyone."

https://www.gofundme.com/f/love-and-support-for-jen-angel

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/10/headlines/jen_angel_beloved_social_justice_media_activist_writer_and_oakland_baker_dies_at_48

My friends were posting on FB, just crushed, finally I figured out that I remembered her from her 90s MRR columns. Although we have never met we have many friends in common. So fucking sad.

that's a great statement from the family in a time where it was probably devastatingly hard to make but important nonetheless

https://crimethinc.com/2023/02/10/we-remember-jen-angel-a-eulogy