Poll: Anarchism

[Fud]

An anarchic system could not support humankind on the scale that it exists today. It just takes too much organization and administration to support a civilization of even 10000 people, let alone 6.75 billion. Perhaps one day we might not need government in the modern sense, but it would require a massive and basic restructuring of society. Even then, there would have to be some form of administration.

 

[AkJay]

All these people that WANT Anarchy only want it so they can rebuild a world that they think has shattered, and who do they want leading this new world? THEM, of course, which is not anarchy at all, it is the opposite of anarchy, it is dictatorship, it is totalitarianism, it is hypocrisy.

 

[vortex30]

Interesting, 50% believe it can never work, ever? Have they heard of areas of Spain during Spanish civil war, 1936-39? If it weren't for initially communists, and then hitler, things probably would have kept working.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism_in_Spain

Anarchism isn't something as simple as 'no law', legitimate law can in fact exist. If someone like Noam Chomsky is an anarchist then you gotta know there's something going on there. Anarchism doesn't and won't ever exist in the cheap punk version of it, but it definitely could work in other, more thought out forms, where it takes the form of the examination of power structures, and democratically it is decided if this is legitimate or not. So parents, teachers are obviously legitimate, whereas police could be decided as legitimate, or not. Obviously justice would be important and murder and theft should be punishable things. But what about people in 'management decisions' and the wealthy, or land owners. Is that legitimate power in a purely democratic society? Yikes, doubt it.

So basically, anarchism is more than what most think it is.

 

[Akai Shizuku]

An anarchic system could not support humankind on the scale that it exists today. It just takes too much organization and administration to support a civilization of even 10000 people, let alone 6.75 billion. Perhaps one day we might not need government in the modern sense, but it would require a massive and basic restructuring of society. Even then, there would have to be some form of administration.

Yes, thank you for illustrating why I said to break the community into towns.

You can have a cookie now.

 

[Akai Shizuku]

Interesting, 50% believe it can never work, ever? Have they heard of areas of Spain during Spanish civil war, 1936-39? If it weren't for initially communists, and then hitler, things probably would have kept working.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism_in_Spain

Anarchism isn't something as simple as 'no law', legitimate law can in fact exist. If someone like Noam Chomsky is an anarchist then you gotta know there's something going on there. Anarchism doesn't and won't ever exist in the cheap punk version of it, but it definitely could work in other, more thought out forms, where it takes the form of the examination of power structures, and democratically it is decided if this is legitimate or not. So parents, teachers are obviously legitimate, whereas police could be decided as legitimate, or not. Obviously justice would be important and murder and theft should be punishable things. But what about people in 'management decisions' and the wealthy, or land owners. Is that legitimate power in a purely democratic society? Yikes, doubt it.

So basically, anarchism is more than what most think it is.

-gives hi-five and a bag of skittles-

 

[akwardwhistle]

Anarchy will never work, don't you play Fallout 3?

 

[RelexCryo]

Ive seen that a lot of people on the escapist are anarchists and not to offend but it wouldnt work, at all. In a state where there isnt a police force i see there being mass looting, riots and mass wrong headed Vigilante movements.In a state where there is no social programs i see the poor dieing or going round engaging in the looting and roiting.Also if in a anarchist state was formed i dont see it lasting long before the nation desended into a 1000 differnt wars as petty warlords fought for petty amounts of land.

bugger bad poll fixing it

Um...the wild west had the lowest crime rate in United States history...and the U.S. currently has a crime rate lower than Britain....and the reason why the wild west had such a low crime rate is because everyone carried guns...and everyone carried guns because there was no law.

I may be wrong, but based on my knowledge of history, it can work and it HAS worked. Most crooks aren't suicidal maniacs, they won't attack someone who is armed...so let everyone carry guns, and you don't need police. Sure all the crooks will have guns, but all their victims will too. And most crooks won't attack someone who can fight back.

 

[Agrosmurf]

Nope I thought it was a great idea untill it hit me. Whome ever has the larger guns. The most people. Will boss around other people untill they are a ruler. Thus expelling the theory of anarchism.

 

[Agrosmurf]

NOpe I thought it was a great idea untill it hit me. Whome ever has the larger guns. The most people. Will boss around other people untill they are a ruler. Thus expelling the theory of anarchism.

Congratulations on stumbling across the definition for "government."

I hardly stumbled across it. It took several labor intensive hours of staring into the eyes of Newt Gingrich to figure it out.

 

[RelexCryo]

It only takes one guy with a gun to end a dictatorship. You can't take over a nation of armed people unless the majority of the nation IS your army...otherwise you will always be outgunned.

 

[Captain Picard]

Anarchy can work as a permanent system, all we need is for the people to band together.

Yeah, maybe if everyone were part of some bizarre hive mind and had little sense of self and only concerned themselves with communal benefit. Furthermore it'd have to be a hive mind without a monarch or some other head of authority. No such thing exists in nature.

 

[grimsprice]

So the majority belief here is that anarchy wouldn't work because people are shit?

pretty damn much. the hippy revolution in the 70's proved that. people are shit. a purely anarcho-communist system is not possible because people will work and contribute at varying levels of effort. and the people who work harder get pissed off and eventually leave. and with no more hard workers the rest disban or die of malnutrition or starvation. humans are shit basically.

 

[Captain Picard]

So the majority belief here is that anarchy wouldn't work because people are shit?

pretty damn much. the hippy revolution in the 70's proved that. people are shit. a purely anarcho-communist system is not possible because people will work and contribute at varying levels of effort. and the people who work harder get pissed off and eventually leave. and with no more hard workers the rest disban or die of malnutrition or starvation. humans are shit basically.

Well, what do you expect when drugs and communal sex are the selling points of such arrangements? You'll get sleaze who are there just for the drugs and sex, not because they actually believe the bull.

 

[grimsprice]

It worked for a while in the west until we became more advanced as a civilization in the U.S.A

this is a great point. anarchy would completely stunt technological development. seriously who would regulate the power system for the continent? some things just do not work capitalist or anarchist. some things have to be monopolized. but they have to be things the people who run them DEPEND on like power and water systems. doesn't work for food or clothes or anything else. keeping a human society stable is a very delicate balance between capitalism and socialism. one that few countries stratle properly.

 

[grimsprice]

So the majority belief here is that anarchy wouldn't work because people are shit?

pretty damn much. the hippy revolution in the 70's proved that. people are shit. a purely anarcho-communist system is not possible because people will work and contribute at varying levels of effort. and the people who work harder get pissed off and eventually leave. and with no more hard workers the rest disban or die of malnutrition or starvation. humans are shit basically.

Well, what do you expect when drugs and communal sex are the selling points of such arrangements? You'll get sleaze who are there just for the drugs and sex, not because they actually believe the bull.

thats a worthy point. so then what are those people going to do when all goverment is completely gone? are they going to arm themselves and kill all the people trying to work together? i hate to say this because it sounds stupid... but if you study psychology like i have (extensively) then you realize that fallout 3 is moderately accurate depiction of a world without a central authority. (facepalm) i just know im going to get reamed for that... but the point stands.

 

[Akai Shizuku]

So the majority belief here is that anarchy wouldn't work because people are shit?

pretty damn much. the hippy revolution in the 70's proved that. people are shit. a purely anarcho-communist system is not possible because people will work and contribute at varying levels of effort. and the people who work harder get pissed off and eventually leave. and with no more hard workers the rest disban or die of malnutrition or starvation. humans are shit basically.

People will all work hard because they will see the benefits in doing so and will be able to reap reward directly from their labor...unlike in capitalism, where you only work for money. In communism, anarchist or not, your work has meaning, and you can feel good doing it. This applies to everyone, from a doctor to an architect to a garbage man.

 

[grimsprice]

So the majority belief here is that anarchy wouldn't work because people are shit?

pretty damn much. the hippy revolution in the 70's proved that. people are shit. a purely anarcho-communist system is not possible because people will work and contribute at varying levels of effort. and the people who work harder get pissed off and eventually leave. and with no more hard workers the rest disban or die of malnutrition or starvation. humans are shit basically.

People will all work hard because they will see the benefits in doing so and will be able to reap reward directly from their labor...unlike in capitalism, where you only work for money. In communism, anarchist or not, your work has meaning, and you can feel good doing it. This applies to everyone, from a doctor to an architect to a garbage man.

well. if you think that the nature of man is like that then i can see why you've been the most quoted and talked to on this thread. you believe man is idealic by nature or would be if put into such and environment and most people on here realize that 80% of humans are driven by instinct. the instinct to consume more, work less, and propagate. if you really are someone who would work hard for others and help people selflessly then i salute you. have many kids. we need your genes. but as for the rest of us. it just isn't in the cards.

 

[Akai Shizuku]

So the majority belief here is that anarchy wouldn't work because people are shit?

pretty damn much. the hippy revolution in the 70's proved that. people are shit. a purely anarcho-communist system is not possible because people will work and contribute at varying levels of effort. and the people who work harder get pissed off and eventually leave. and with no more hard workers the rest disban or die of malnutrition or starvation. humans are shit basically.

People will all work hard because they will see the benefits in doing so and will be able to reap reward directly from their labor...unlike in capitalism, where you only work for money. In communism, anarchist or not, your work has meaning, and you can feel good doing it. This applies to everyone, from a doctor to an architect to a garbage man.

well. if you think that the nature of man is like that then i can see why you've been the most quoted and talked to on this thread. you believe man is idealic by nature or would be if put into such and environment and most people on here realize that 80% of humans are driven by instinct. the instinct to consume more, work less, and propagate. if you really are someone who would work hard for others and help people selflessly then i salute you. have many kids. we need your genes. but as for the rest of us. it just isn't in the cards.

People can and do change on a frequent basis. When properly motivated limits to what people can and will do disappear rather quickly.

 

[sabotstarr]

Ive seen that a lot of people on the escapist are anarchists and not to offend but it wouldnt work, at all. In a state where there isnt a police force i see there being mass looting, riots and mass wrong headed Vigilante movements.In a state where there is no social programs i see the poor dieing or going round engaging in the looting and roiting.Also if in a anarchist state was formed i dont see it lasting long before the nation desended into a 1000 differnt wars as petty warlords fought for petty amounts of land.

bugger bad poll fixing it

it could work if people worked together for the common good, but were human so it will never happen.