A Quick Guide to Anarchy for Journalists
It might help the reputation of anarchy and anarchists if anarchists did a better job of communicating with the press. As an effort in that direction, here are some points that I think it might be helpful to make:
1. Not all people who call themselves anarchists
agree. The core meaning of the word anarchy (from
Greek word anarchos, prefix a, meaning "not," "the want of," "the absence of," or "the lack of", plus archos, meaning "a ruler," "director", "chief," "person in charge," "commander." -The Harper Collins Dictionary of Philosophy] attracts people from a variety of political
ideologies. Due to the intrinsic nature of
anarchy it would be hypocritical for anyone
proclaiming to be an anarchist to postulate
a central "official" doctrine for
anarchy. There is nothing to prevent anyone
from claiming to be an anarchist then espousing
his or her own view of what an anarchist
world would look like.
See: What does it mean to be an Anarchist?
2. Anarchist thought is seeing a resurgence as the "big government" solutions of the traditional left appear to run out of steam. Central government programs increasingly seem to favor repressive police state solutions to social problems. Some have commented that anarchy offers an ideological refuge for those tired of seeking solutions through more and more national legislation. Anarchists often focus more on immediate day to day issues in their communities.
3. Anarchy is not intrinsically violent. Most journalists would consider it unprofessional to cast aspersions on all Catholics or Jews when a person who is Jewish or Catholic commits a crime, yet such restraint is often abandoned when an admitted anarchist commits a crime. While a significant portion of the anarchist community rejects "propaganda by the deed" as ineffective and counterproductive, most would argue that a person has the right to defend themselves and others from violence initiated by police agencies. Many would ague that blind allegiance to hierarchy in a society is a cultural construct that will not be altered by violent means - and that in fact violence often is used to justify more state authoritarian control.
4. Anarchy is becoming more attractive to young
people, perhaps because they are coming into a
society that is increasingly criminalizing
their behavior. They experience the criminal
justice system first hand when they try smoking,
try alcohol, try marijuana, resist dress
codes and curfews, or even demand uncensored
Internet access. In past generations, what
might have been considered "sowing one's
oats" is now grounds for detention and
fines. It is only natural for young people
to be attracted by a political philosophy
that advocates minimal government intervention
in personal affairs and asks that all authority
be open to question.
See: "The Scapegoat Generation: America's War on
Adolescents" by Mike Males and
The new anarchists By Geov Parrish, Seattle Weekly, September 2 - 8, 1999
5. Anarchy has a history. Few realize the contributions of anarchists
to such labor movements as the 8-hour workday
or the formation of the ACLU. When Emma Goldman
was jailed for talking about birth control
this was considered normal. Many of the personal
freedoms we now enjoy were fought for by
turn of the century anarchists. Historians
have often preferred to view history through
the prism of capitalist-communist dualism
while ignoring the nuances of political thought
in the early 1900's.
More about Anarchist history and theEmma Goldman Test
6 Anarchist thought is part of an historical trend toward the decentralization of power. Even major corporations have come to realize that "top down" hierarchical structures are no longer responsive in a changing world, and that to remain competitive, they must adopt decentralized management structures. The Internet itself, it has been argued, represents a close to anarchist topology by virtue of its minimal central control. Change in social organization is frightening to many people - especially when they are used to the comfort of hierarchical structures and it is unclear how they will fit in a changed world.
7. Anarchy provides a new intellectual framework
on which to judge the legitimacy of institutions. Noam Chomsky has commented that it is incumbent
upon all authority to justify itself. Most
institutions in our society base their legitimacy
solely on their historical existence without
acknowledging, that in a Democracy, their
ultimate legitimacy rests on voluntary acceptance
of their authority by those who vote. The
Declaration of Independence acknowledges
this principle by stating that "Governments
are instituted among Men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the governed.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the Right
of the People to alter or to abolish it,
and to institute new Government". In
the 21st century, the legitimacy of institutions
will undoubtedly become a major issue as
people find themselves affected more and
more by institutions over which they have
no voice.
See: Noam Chomsky on Anarchism, Marxism &
Hope for the Future
Rp 05-Aug-99
editor@zpub.com
A Press contact for further information about anarchism:
Chuck0 - chuck@tao.ca
anarchist_censorship.article
Article on anarchism on the internet and commentary about the innacuracies and
censorship of anarchists
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