Why Anarchism?

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What is Anarchism?

I believe that anarchism is one of the most misunderstood and maligned political philosophies today. For those unfamiliar with it, the most important thing to know is that anarchism isn't the law of the jungle. It's not every man for himself, might makes right, or anything like that. Anarchism is primarily a philosophy of interconnectedness and interdependence that rejects hierarchies and power structures.

Understanding anarchism is more important today than ever. The workings of power have never been more clear, with the US government essentially acting as a cover operation for wealthy elites to commit heinous acts of abuse. It's a clear demonstration of what happens when anyone is allowed to accrue too much power; they commit horrific acts of violence against childrern, women, the poor, queer people, racialized people, immigrants, and whoever else can be victimized for the entertainment of the wealthy, or used as a scapegoat for society's ills. Then, they will send armed thugs to brutalize you while they claim that they're protecting you, and demand that you thank them for it.

Meanwhile, as demonstrated in the Twin Cities, the most effective method that working class have to fight fight back is through horizontal, volunteer-based organization. It doesn't matter if you're physically strong or not, if you're technologically inclined, if you have access to a stable income, if you can cook, keep morale up, write songs or poems, create graffiti or zines. We all have something that we can use to contribute to the wellbeing of our neighbors and comrades. Elected officials and police will not hesitate to abandon us in the face of danger. (At least, those who haven't abandoned us already.) Nobody is coming to save us.

The good news is, there are more of us than there are of them. We can save each other.

From the Pamphlet "Beyond Chaos! An Introduction to Anarchism"

An anarchist is someone who does not want to be oppressed and doesn't want to be the oppressor. Anarchism is the revolutionary idea that no one has the right to decide what your life will be other than you. We as anarchists believe everyone should be free to live their lives in any way they choose, so long as in doing so, they don't restrict anyone else in doing the same.

The idea that anarchism means chaos or disorder is a misunderstanding, the word itself comes from the Greek word "anarkhia;" meaning "lack of leader, the state of people without a government."

Anarchism actually relies on organization to work; people working and co-operating together, taking into their own hands the matters that affect them, and having direct control over their own lives.

Anarchists believe that climate chaos, poverty, and homelessness are all by-products of capitalism. We already produce more food than is actually eaten, there are more than enough resources to fix every problem we can see, there are more empty properties in London than there are homeless people in the UK! (Note: This holds true for the US as well, where there are less than 1 million homeless people, and more than 16 million empty houses.) Whatt if we were able to allocate these resources without the man-made problem of financial cost?

The borders that enclose us seem permanent and immovable, but are actually constantly changing, and are human drawn, arbitrary lines decided by power struggles and capital. There is nothing natural or permanent about them at all! Many people every day find themselves in a position where they eneed to cross these borders to protect their families, find work, find food and safety, escape war and genocide, and generally fight for a better life.

Once climate catastrophe kicks in, this number is going to increase massively, and we as anarchists will be there to help people get to safety. (Note: In the years since this was written, we've already seen this happening.) For this reason we fight for a world without borders, and a world where people are free to live where they need to.

Anarchism isn't a new idea, its modern interpretation can be traced back to 1840 ("What is Property? by Proudhon), and arguably even earlier! And it is developing and growing this very minute. There are whole societies that are based on anarchist ideas. The Rojava Revolution in Kurdistan in the Middle East and the Zapatistas in Central America are the biggest examples, (Note: I belive the Zapatistas don't consider themselves part of the anarchist philosophy, but their philosophy and anarchist philosophy are largely in line with each other.) but areas of Spain in the Spanish Civil War were explicitly anarchist, as was most of Paris during the Paris Commune in 1871.

We are done waiting for another wealthy politician to grant us freedom, we have too much dignity to beg for minor reforms.

For a world without borders, masters, oppression and exploitation of any kind, we must fight for freedom and dignity!