Anarchist idiots

[nihilistcat]

Typical left wing anarchism does have a respectable intellectual tradition. Some of our greatest activists during the labor and women's rights movements have been anarchists (e.g. Emma Goldman and many others), its thinkers include intellectuals from Proudhon to Rocker, Bakunin, Chomsky, Bookchin, and others. There's an Institute for Anarchist Studies, mutualism and social ecology grew out of the left anarchist movement, etc. In general, anarchism is an "anti-authoritarian" movement. However, on the left we recognize that capitalism is by its nature authoritarian, hence, left-anarchists are both anti-authoritarian and anti-capitalist.  Like I said, while I think anarchism could work and even function well in an "intentional" society, it's probably not realistic in modern America (anarchism usually only becomes a reality in failed states or partially failed states, or during times of extreme economic hardship, mostly because states tend to focus considerable effort on convincing people that true freedom is impossible and dangerous). But anarchism is not a self-centered movement. It challenges unjustifiable authoritarianism wherever it exists. Anarchists are usually the one's who trigger labor movements (think the Haymarket martyrs and earlier revolutionaries who advocated for labor). So anarchists have been at the forefront of progressive causes that have in many cases led to social democratic reforms (like laws that grant and protect the right of workers to organize, reproductive rights, civil rights, etc.).

Indeed, the mainstream "left" in this country is often considered to be part of the reactionary right wing by left anarchists (which is why you see so much hostility between the radical left and mainstream left in this country). It's only when radicals like anarchists begin to build awareness on issues that you see the mainstream (so called) left jump on the bandwagon (and eventually co-opt the message altogether, and transform it from something that was truly liberatory to minor reforms that may provide a little relief for people, but continue to protect the economic interests that they truly represent).

So for me, anarchism represents an ethical position, a moral system, as opposed to a political theory or schematic for a utopian society (many anarchists reject the idea of utopianism). It's something that says authoritarianism is not self-justifying. Whether we're talking about our personal relationships (like the relationship between men and women) or our institutional relationships (boss worker, cop citizen, government bureaucrat and citizen, etc.), we first seek to identify unjustifiable incidents of authoritarianism, and then challenge them (usually through different forms of activism and direct action).

It's a complex history, but it should be appreciated for what it is rather than allowing our pre-programmed reactionary impulses to do our thinking for us (which of course isn't really thinking at all). Was Thomas Hobbes right, do we need the strong arms of a state to keep us from devouring ourselves? Most anarchists believe that we are capable of designing democratic systems that appeal to the best and most altruistic parts of our nature (rather than systems which merely redirect our worse impulses, but appeal to and exploit those bad impulses nonetheless), but it is admittedly hypothetical. There's a few examples out there, but I'm not sure how applicable they are to a highly developed country like the US.

So I would say that mainstream DNC types, those who believe that the parts of our political system that feign caring about left wing causes, actually give a shit, are the naive ones. Anarchism may be hopeless in the context of modern western society, but we understand what we're up against, and we're under no delusions. We understand the reality that was best expressed by George Carlin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtgfzzwoyK4

Oh and the "A" in my avatar is for anarchism, not atheism, even though I also happen to be an atheist. We simply go one step further. We know that a well informed society will never be produced by the state. If we want it ... we'll have to build it ourselves. Here's a quick excerpt taken from the book by George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia. The anarchists were the first to fight European fascism (Mussolini and Hitler), and George Orwell (along with many people from different countries throughout the world) signed up with the "International Brigades" and traveled to Spain to fight alongside the anarchists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehzC937Q9Dc

There's a beautiful and rich history out there waiting for you to learn. Don't be a slave to the propagandized information that we're spoon fed by our system. Think outside the box ... that's where the beauty is. If our entire society became awakened, anything and everything would become possible. Even though I'm a scientist and prone to thinking quantitatively, I had the great honor of marching alongside artists and hell raisers, and it was truly a life changing experience. You're already atheists, you've already dropped the ghosts and goblins of our primitive past. So why not at least explore alternatives to the ghosts and goblins of our present?