Anarchy? Really?

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2012 Wont Happen

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Marik2 said:
2012 Wont Happen said:
Marik2 said:
2012 Wont Happen said:
Marik2 said:
2012 Wont Happen said:
Marik2 said:
2012 Wont Happen said:
What most people unaffiliated with the ideology, and middle schoolers and high school freshmen wearing circle As think anarchy is- the belief that there should be absolute chaos.

What Anarchism is not- the belief that there should be absolute chaos.

No self respecting Anarchist over maybe fourteen thinks that chaos is a goal. They tend to think that if governments are eliminated, people will assemble themselves willingly into an ordered society free of oppression. This is the significance of the circle A. The "circle" is supposed to be the letter O. The A inside of it stands for: "Anarchy is order".

Do I agree with their belief? No. However, it isn't chaos they want.
Finally someone who knows what Anarchy is.
About 4 years ago, I played with the idea of anarchy. That did put me into the "under 14" category by two years, but I've never been one to just look at a picture of a forest fire and say "yep, that sounds pretty good" if you understand me. When I looked at it, one of my actual considerations was "is this just a bunch of people who want chaos". The answer that I quickly found was- no.
Yup people always assume "Oh anarchists want pure chaos" without doing actual research. Anarchy is that with no government not chaos.

This is where I got the real concept of anarchy from.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Disobedience_%28Thoreau%29
I didn't ever read Thoreau while I was interested in anarchy. Funnily enough, now that I'm a Socialist, he is one of my favorite philosophers to read. His political theories actually provide me with a lot of considerations on how any political system should be implemented, and tend to turn me away from the idea of the violent people's revolution in favor of a peaceable one (particularly the work you linked to). I don't agree with him almost at all economically obviously, but I very much agree with his anti-consumerist views as well as his anti-nationalist and anti-authoritarian viewpoints.

I guess, purely ideologically, I still have quite a lot of anarchistic sympathies (particularly the idea of stateless Communism), I just don't see it working in this world..
Yeah hes my favorite as well, his essay of Civil Disobedience changed my views on everything.

And yeah it makes me sad that our current world will never let those ideas go through. -_-
I actually have some hope for the idea of the Socialist progression where, if the world were entirely Socialist for long enough, stateless Communism would be viable. I have some hope for it, but I'm not even sold on that working.

In the meantime, I suppose I'll just keep trying to educate people in my little section of Texas that Socialism is not related to Fascism and work from there.
Good luck on convincing people in Texas that socialism isnt evil :p

And as a Texan I should know since we are a bit stubborn.
I've given up on even talking to the so-called "reasonable adults" here. I find that if I explain what Socialism is to someone around my own age, they actually tend to listen and learn the valuable lesson of: "I might not agree with this, but that doesn't make it evil."

Its a messed up world we live in where the most reasonable and accepting people are those with the least world experience.
 

moose_man

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Anarchy is not chaos. Anarchy, as taught by one of my English teachers, is a world free of domination, war, and antagonism. Anarchy is Greek for no order, so people think of it as meaning chaos, but it really means a world free of selfishness, etc.
 

Skratt

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Humans are an enigma. They like to control but don't want to be controlled. Anarchy is simply an extreme form of not wanting to be controlled, just like totalitarianism is the extreme of control.

Those of us more sane and balanced simply have to remain in the majority so the crazies on either side of control & chaos can't subjugate everyone to their bizzaro mental defects. :)
 

Kagim

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Lupus in fabula said:
Kagim said:
Anarchy is the lack of AUTHORITY (whether it is political, state, or police), NOT the lack of ORDER.
In a state where there is no authority chaos will ensue when those with power seek to claim said authority.

Remove organized government, police, military and watch as crime syndicates oppress all around them to claim authority for themselves.

Gangs, mobs, KKK, people like this will not suddenly drop there weapons and go "naw, it was all a big mistake, lets all be brothers under a rainbow". They have guns. They have power. They exist for no other reason then to take more power. Kept only in check with the threat of the military and swat teams crushing them utterly.

They will fight and kill to become the new authority. Those who can not fight will be killed or enslaved or robbed of everything till they die of starvation.

Not to mention not everyone wants to do away with authority and police. So to force anarchy would be forcing over half your country to lose soemthing they believe in. Force them to lose soemthing against there will. It will oppress them.

I like the police. I like the military, and while i do not appreciate my current political party I sure as shit am going to vote for the liberals again next year and encourage everyone else to.

Humans instinctively work in groups. Forming tribes was one of our steps towards becoming the powerful race we are. You can try and enforce anarchy all you want but all you will do is bring inner war as groups of people build what would essentially be tribes and begin warring against one another. As well from the outside as other countries move there organized and well lead armies into the country claiming everything for there nation.
 

Mr Fatherland

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I don't think anarchy works, sure the "take what you need" part is good. But that needs good will, and when there are 2 loaves of bread to take but you only need 1, I don't think many people would take just the one.

More importantly, I think Anarchy is a system that eventually evolves into the feudal system. As the strongest and the most cunning begin to take charge and order people around.

I could go into more detail but it's extremely hot.
 

tehweave

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I guess because most governments want to try and run everything themselves, that there has to be a group of people who want to try and let everything be as it is.

It's the idea of safety versus freedom. Too much of one will hinder the other. After following an anarchist view/way of life for about 5 months I decided it's not only a bad idea, but could only bring pain and suffering and pretty much kill off anything good we have in our society.

Anarchy can't be done well, BUT there needs to be a little chaos every so often so that order knows where it's boundaries are.
 

CloakedOne

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Blindswordmaster said:
Rejoice, for I have finally returned from my vacation. Now on to the subject at hand. Anarchy. I just don't get it. Humans are naturally ordered beings, why would any of them promote chaos? Humans have always created order and laws and governments to enforce this; so why would anyone support absolute chaos? I can easily understand the rejection of specific governments, but the rejection of all governments in any form is illogical. I just don't understand it. Thoughts?
The idea of anarchy is a retarded one to be sure. Anarchy equals chaos and therefore no progress. Without unity, we would have no cohesive language and no innovation. If someone invents something new, someone would come along and probably just kill them and take it. Eventually, said invention would be destroyed and the innovation would be lost. Governments have problems, but anarchy is a retarded alternative. "Hey, no laws, we can just go around and take what we want!" If you believe that, you're looking far too optimistically at a nation with anarchy. People would steal, kill, and commit horrible atrocities because the only thing that could stop them is somewhat stronger or with more people on their side. the benefits of health care and food monitoring would die out extremely quickly and all of the modern conveniences that so many find helpful would gradually diminish. Thinking would die down in exchange for survival and we'd gradually regress despite what some people know. Most would not share the information and the techniques they've acquired, they'd hoard it to see whatever they can get. Human beings are inherently self-involved in the end and, as such, giving humans absolute freedom means that many would suffer because the sickos would kill off the nice people eventually. Whew, there is my rant on the wrongs of anarchy and many, I hope, understand that the pluses are far outweighed by the minuses, no contest.
 

Danny Ocean

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subfield said:
You've made two assumptions that aren't even true to first order: 1) Humans are naturally ordered beings 2) Humans have always created order and laws and governments.
Actually I think he's right. Humans always have formed tribes. We are pack animals, after all.

Of course the tribes used to be much more egalitarian. Then the leaders became untouchable and didn't personally know and so weren't personally accountable to their followers.

And besides, some things simply aren't probably or even possible without large-scale co-operation as present in governmental systems.
 

CoverYourHead

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Mostly because that's not what anarchy is.

Anarchy is a system of government that is broken into very small bits and governed by those who rise to the challenge. Instead of a large government reigning over a huge area, it is the idea of small communities (basically like tribes) governing themselves and their possessions. Instead of unified law, people will be responsible for those whose company they keep. It is not total chaos, though it might appear that way at first.
 

Danny Ocean

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CoverYourHead said:
Mostly because that's not what anarchy is.
I just got given a book about political ideologies from my politics teacher. Lemme look it up and I'll see if I can provide a citation for your claim. Watch this space.

edit: Okay, here are some parts from the definition chapter from my book:

3rd Edition Political Ideologies (2003) said:
In everyday language, anarchy is usually equated with chaos and disorder; and in the popular imagination, anarchists are not uncommonly seen as bomb-toting terrorists. Needless to say, anarchists themselves fiercely reject such associations.
...
Anarchism is unusual among political ideologies in that it has never succeeded in winning power, at least at the national level. No society or nation has been modelled according to anarchist principles
...
The nearest anarchists have come to winning power was during the Spanish Civil war, when they briefly controlled parts of eastern Spain and set up workers and peasants' collectives throughout Catalonia.
...
The goal of anarchism, the overthrow of the state and dismantling of all forms of political authority, is widely considered to be unrealistic, if not impossible. Certainly, the evidence from modern history from most parts of the world suggests that economic and social development is usually accompanied by a growth in the role of government, rather than its diminution or disappearance. Moreover, most view the notion of a stateless society as, at best, a utopian dream. Anarchists also reject as corrupting and corrupting the conventional means of exercising political influence: forming parties, standing for elections, seeking office and so on. As a result, they have deprived themselves of the advantages of political organisation and strategic planning, often placing their faith on mass spontaneity and a popular thirst for freedom.
Nevertheless, anarchism refuses to die. Precisely because of it's uncompromising attitude to authority and political activism, it has an enduring, and often strong, moral appeal, particularly to the young..

Pages 188-191
I'm all for the distribution of power, but I really can't see people operating effectively without some kind of governing body to provide basic necessities like roads and what not, which wouldn't be provided otherwise.
 

WhiteFangofWhoa

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Forgive me for assuming this was inspired by the actions of the 'Black Bloc' at the G20 summit right now.

They have done nothing but smash storefronts and attack cops in Toronto, without any real purpose. They give real anarchists a bad name. It's a crying shame, because they piggyback their destructive impulses over legitimate, peaceful protests and cause them to be painted with the same brush.

And yes, the next time you hear someone protests all forms of government, offer to fly them to Somalia and see how much they like it. Better yet, let's fly the Black Bloc over there.
 

CoverYourHead

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Danny Ocean said:
CoverYourHead said:
Mostly because that's not what anarchy is.
I just got given a book about political ideologies from my politics teacher. Lemme look it up and I'll see if I can provide a citation for your claim. Watch this space.
I may be misinformed, but a person who once claimed to be an anarchist said something to the effect of what I've said. And if I'm wrong then I apologize.

And I'm not advocating anarchy or anything, I think it's fairly moronic as a political theory.
 

Danny Ocean

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CoverYourHead said:
Danny Ocean said:
CoverYourHead said:
Mostly because that's not what anarchy is.
I just got given a book about political ideologies from my politics teacher. Lemme look it up and I'll see if I can provide a citation for your claim. Watch this space.
I may be misinformed, but a person who once claimed to be an anarchist said something to the effect of what I've said. And if I'm wrong then I apologize.

And I'm not advocating anarchy or anything, I think it's fairly moronic as a political theory.
I'll have a flick through the anarchism pages of the book. There are some sound ideas in there, but to me they all seem to be tarnished by the absence of government. I'm all for the push towards localisation of some markets, but not because of abuse of authority, but for the environment, for example.

I think that there is enough evidence contained within the borders of states with weak government to show that anarchy would not likely end well. Sure, you and your friends might be able to pull it off for a while. Maybe your whole city. But then the kind of people who espouse it seem to mostly come from rich countries where your primary daily objective is getting enough food inside you to survive the night.

Lupus in fabula said:
You obviously have no clue about what Anarchists stand for. You cannot "enforce Anarchy - that's an oxymoron. Crime syndicates cannot survive in an anarchist society, where people rely on themselves and on the solidarity of their community for their safety and well-being.

Read any book by Piotr Kropotkin and then come here and present your case against his theory.
He does have a point, though. Call them crime syndicates, vigilante groups, mafias, tribes- or whatever; changing to an anarchistic state and completely dissolving the government would simply give these groups free reign. Their only opposition being eachother. It'd basically be a big step backwards in terms of political development.
 

pelopelopelo

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Anarchy is all based around the concept of personal liberty and sovereignty. The only person who should have a say over me is me. If there was no government, instead self-regulation of industry and the like.

I'm not an anarchist myself (I just don't care enough) but I do agree with some of what is espoused. From the reading I've done, Kropotkin seems one of the most lucid and cogent of the advocates for it.
 

Kagim

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Lupus in fabula said:
Skratt said:
Lupus in fabula said:
Kagim said:
Anarchy is the lack of AUTHORITY (whether it is political, state, or police), NOT the lack of ORDER.
It's both actually. A lack of authority is inherently chaotic.
No its not. That's nothing more than an assumption.

Kagim said:
Lupus in fabula said:
Kagim said:
Anarchy is the lack of AUTHORITY (whether it is political, state, or police), NOT the lack of ORDER.
In a state where there is no authority chaos will ensue when those with power seek to claim said authority.

Remove organized government, police, military and watch as crime syndicates oppress all around them to claim authority for themselves.

Gangs, mobs, KKK, people like this will not suddenly drop there weapons and go "naw, it was all a big mistake, lets all be brothers under a rainbow". They have guns. They have power. They exist for no other reason then to take more power. Kept only in check with the threat of the military and swat teams crushing them utterly.

They will fight and kill to become the new authority. Those who can not fight will be killed or enslaved or robbed of everything till they die of starvation.

Not to mention not everyone wants to do away with authority and police. So to force anarchy would be forcing over half your country to lose soemthing they believe in. Force them to lose soemthing against there will. It will oppress them.

I like the police. I like the military, and while i do not appreciate my current political party I sure as shit am going to vote for the liberals again next year and encourage everyone else to.

Humans instinctively work in groups. Forming tribes was one of our steps towards becoming the powerful race we are. You can try and enforce anarchy all you want but all you will do is bring inner war as groups of people build what would essentially be tribes and begin warring against one another. As well from the outside as other countries move there organized and well lead armies into the country claiming everything for there nation.
You obviously have no clue about what Anarchists stand for. You cannot "enforce Anarchy - that's an oxymoron. Crime syndicates cannot survive in an anarchist society, where people rely on themselves and on the solidarity of their community for their safety and well-being.

Read any book by Piotr Kropotkin and then come here and present your case against his theory.
"You cannot enforce Anarchy"

Yes, that was the point i was making. That in order for anarchy to work everyone would have to be accepting of it and want it. We are not, and many people do not want to live in a society without authority. The whole point of what i said was that as much as you try to create anarchy people will instinctively form groups and people will instinctively take on roles of leader and follower. Its kinda our thing.

"Crime syndicates cannot survive"

Yes... Thousands upon thousands of people who are armed, trained, organized, and have had bullets fired at them before will fall before the common man with no weapons, training, and combat experience... Yes because history has proven that an unorganized, under trained, ill equipped and lacking the will to fight army is the one you place your bets on. Organization requires someone or someones to take control and give orders. With no authority you have everyone running around confused, having hundreds of people screaming what should be done, and having no clue who you should listen to.

So while your group of people are more concerned with there well being, meaning a large number of people will either a)Plead to join the gang, b)run like hell, the syndicate has someone giving orders, telling people where to go, and routing your unorganized civilians who are more concerned with there's and there families own lives then anyone else's. Which is natural.

"People rely on themselves and on solidarity of a community"

You mean like a tribe? Or a group of people coming together? I wonder how long it would be till someone or someones started explaining and enforcing rules to make sure everyone was safe and happy... You know.. like an authority figure. People look to the strongest to lead them out of instinct. People feel the most safe and in control when there is a plan of action. This is because as much as you want to think you are a strong independent leader your probably not. Humans work best in packs. Humans work best with orders.

Twenty people squabbling over what should be done versus five people taking suggestions and forming a plan.

Try an experiment. Get a group of strangers together and try and get them to build a shed. Only one person is allowed to know how to build a shed, the rest should have little to no experience. Watch as people start going to the one who knows what he is doing for instructions and rely on him for help. Watch as he takes the role of a leader, and authority, to get the job done. The first words out of any the participants mouth after a greeting would be "So who knows how to build a shed? You? Alright your in charge"

You cannot have order without authority. Without authority rules and laws are nothing more then words.

"Don't take the cookie"
"Or else what?"
"Nothing"

If i came to your house and took your computer what would you do? Attack me? What if i shot you first? How would i be punished? Who would punish me? Anyone taking the initiative to arrest me would assume a role of authority. Seeking to deal justice against me by enforcing a rule. Even if it was to simply hunt me down and kill me that person would assume a role of authority. Otherwise someone who knows me can just as easily hunt him down and kill him. So on and so on people would kill each other to get revenge. Except for in cases where one person is not able to kill. So if Jim kills James but no one is willing to risk there own death to kill Jim, Jim just got away with murder.

What if someone crept around at night murdering people. You have no police to investigate. Not only that but for anyone to seek out answers that person would be assuming the role of an authority figure there for violating the no authority ideal. How would you investigate? You have no authority to enter my house.

The whole anarchy belief relies that everyone will suddenly drop all there difference and come together and welcome each other as brothers and sisters. To be one massive unified group.

If that were possible we would already be doing it, and we would have no need for anarchy if everyone was polite and kind to another as our governments would be utterly free of corruption as well.

"Read any book by Piotr Kropotkin and then come here and present your case against his theory."

Pick up a psych book and read up on human nature and the fact we thrive functioning in an authoritative society.

That children thrive growing up with parents who create and enforce boundaries and rules but allow the child to use logic and reason to explain why a particular rule can be twisted or broken at times.

That children growing up in an environment with no authority tend to be lazy, easily angered, and unable to function as well in there adult lives.

Rules need to be enforced for them to weigh any meaning. No authority means no one is there to enforce the rules. Try and experiment. Go to a busy area in your town and leave a couple hundred dollars out in the open with a sign saying "Please do not take" Go back in a day or two. See if your money is still there.

As well as i said in my original post even if everything was all peachy keen how long will it be before an undivided strong country comes and conquers your country. You have no standing police or military. You have no commanders or generals because a leader would be an authority figure. So strong, well trained soldiers armed and organized against pockets of denizens with no one to lead them in combat....

How long would it be till Community A notices they have more guns and people then community B and decide they need there land in order to feed there families.

By the way. Unless you can bring forward a country that is current, thriving and full of happy smiling people living in an anarchist society then the whole Theory of anarchy is just that.

A theory.

Which in this case is nothing more then an assumption that it will work.


"It's both actually. A lack of authority is inherently chaotic."

"No its not. That's nothing more than an assumption."

So is anarchy working in our society. So is that crime syndicates will magically get defeated by unorganized, self serving civilians. So is that people will magical forget there differences and suspicions and come together to work in happy brotherly love.

Just because i and others disagree with you doesn't mean our thoughts and feelings are invalidated because we haven't read what you read. I could say the same thing about you, however i won't. You have a right to think what you want and i respect that. If you think that sort of system could work then work towards it. However...

Claiming i have no idea what I am talking about because i don't agree with you and have never read your books is a poor way to try and get people to listen to you. You ignored everything i have said and replied with stock answers. The first time my point was that lack of authority lead to people claiming authority in blood shed. That to work towards creating an uncorrupted system is better then just burning it. Not that Anarchy = chaos. I know anarchy is about no authorities. I however think that without authorities to enforce laws and keep order we will simply enter a state where people will fight and kill to become that authority. That the most positive situation would be that the entire country would get divided, then destroyed bit by bit by other countries seeking resources.

The second time you still ignored the majority of my post, missed the fact i was saying i feel Anarchy can not exist because humans instinctively seek out leaders and guidance, then threw out that crime syndicates can not exist simply because communities wouldn't like it.

Ignoring the fact that gangs and mobs would vary well create there own communities. Only they would be led by strong leaders and enforced by people who have guns and the ability to use them. They would go to war against unorganized groups of individuals with significantly less weapons, less advanced weapons, and less practical knowledge and ability to use said weapons. Along with no one in charge, no one to lead them, and no one to help when they start dying.

Then you claimed unless i read your book I could not speak against Anarchy.

No, i feel i have the right to express my opinions despite not listening to your guy. I feel i have the right to speak my mind about things just as you have the right to ignore anything i have to say and just walk away.

Oh, a side note.

Telling me to read a specific persons book would imply they are the person to listen to in this matter, which would be placing him in a position of authority, as you are listening to him and subscribing to his thoughts and beliefs. Following his ideals and example. So you have just made an authority figure out of a person who apparently is against authority.

Hmmmmm.
 

Darth Caelum

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Through Chaos all things are Possible

But really, they're choices, they're opinions. I'm true Neutral anyway, so i swing both ways.

[sub]*FWAP* Bad Horny teenager. You've been watching too much porn today.[/sub]

EDIT: Aww. Kagim, you're making me feel bad! After all that thought into you're comment, I throw an expendable post.
You made me feel dirty.