Filed under: Anarchism, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: air condition, Anarchism, anarchist, anarchy, cars, cheese, come out, education, el camino, global warming, infoshop, mcdonalds, sds
Yesterday we talked about coming out anarchist. But that isn’t the only secret we are keeping. All of us, every last anarchist on the planet, does something they know they shouldn’t. Be it network TV, McDonalds, or simply finding comfort in monogamy, we all take part in things which we know to be at the very least unnatural, and often harmful to our very being.
What do I mean? How about I use myself as an example. Regular readers know me as the unreliable, yet prolific, voice of Propaganda of the Seed. I am a committed pacifist, anarchist, and environmentalist. I oppose aggressive violence in all forms, be it against people, property (whatever that means), or that which we share in common. I believe that the only power over our destinies is the power we exercise over it. I believe that as long as we ignore the fact that we are but one part in the vast system of our planet, we are ignoring that which is swiftly becoming our soon to be dead Earth.
I have been active in numerous causes and groups. SDS, Emancipating Education for All, the march on the Pentagon to mark our fifth, sixth, and soon seventh anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. I write for a radical blog, and am a frequent contributor to InfoShop news.
But I have a dirty secret. I love cars. Everything from classics to muscle to exotics. If it runs an internal combustion engine, and is designed to be driven, rode, or survived on public streets, closed tracks, or mountain trails, I love it. Ferraris, 4×4s, and Falcons. I love them. Such is my mania that I have to force myself to stay on topic rather than go on a tangent about how excited I am about the new 4Runner and the fact that the Fiat 500 may finally be coming to these shores.
I am sure some of you have turned up your noses at that statement. Cars are crass symbols of our decadent society. Additionally the internal combustion engine, while far from the largest contributor to global warming (despite what mainstream politics say), is a destructive and harmful way to get your jollies. I know this. Every time I go to a car show, a small part of me in the background is constantly thinking “you know this is all wrong, why do you take part?”
The reason I do is because it is my culture. My dad is a car guy, my brother is a car guy. As I grew up I never surrounded myself with car guys intentionally, yet I still found myself constantly in the company of people who share my disease. And you know what, I bet you do to.
It may not be cars, it may not even be so big, but I bet there is something we all do that we know we shouldn’t. I don’t know what it is, maybe people know you as an outspoken vegan, yet you still sneak some cheese and crackers when no one is looking. Maybe you see the injustice in our class system as you drive to work for J.P. Morgan. Maybe you openly mock friends who don’t recycle, yet can’t bear to live without air conditioning. Whatever it is, you know you do it and you know it is wrong.
I think it is time we own up to our imperfections and accept each other for who we are. So long as we maintain this image as flawless warriors against the status quo, we are both making our own lives more difficult, and making it harder for others to join us. Surely you have heard people who share your politics yet not your activism use excuses which site the fact that because of all the things they do that AREN’T perfect, they could never stand up for perfection. But we know that is bunk as none of us are perfect. But until we acknowledge, both amongst ourselves and in the public eye, that none of us are perfect it will be impossible to gather the support we need to change the system in any significant way.
One of the strengths of anarchist theory is that we don’t need to present a better option. We do not have the burden of presenting the people a path to enlightenment, instead everyone is responsible for their own enlightenment. So maybe we need to realize that eliminating cars, air conditioners, or the consumption of meat may not be the solution for everyone. I want to live in a world without restrictions, not a world without lumpy-cammed V8s idling under candy colored steel.
Filed under: Anarchism, Capitalism | Tags: Anarchism, anarchist, anarchy, bill o'reilly, conservative, constitution party, free, freedom, g20, glenn beck, group of 20, obama, pittsburgh, Protest, reagan, reform party, republican, right wing, rusch limbaugh
To whom it may concern;
Here we are, the last day of the G20 Pow-wow in Pittsburgh. If you pay any attention to major media, by now you are probably well aware of the protests and demonstrations. As members of the Right, you likely thought “how dare those rich kids assault those police” or “don’t those people realize that this is the best nation in the world”.
But while it may be fun to vent such frustrations to your Right wing buddies, at the end of the day you are just as dissatisfied with our situation. Our economy is floundering, our government’s attempts to correct itself is rapidly floundering, and we are involved in two overt wars on questionable grounds. Not that I am saying that 9-11 wasn’t a tragedy, or that Saddam Hussein wasn’t an evil man. But as students of Ron surely it occurred to you that invading Iraq, taking over their government, and siphoning their resources isn’t exact “limited government”. And while you bemoan Obama’s proposed limitations of your liberties, you know deep down inside that the USA PATRIOT Act did far more damage than socialized medicine ever could.
We, the anarchists and the Right Wing, are dissatisfied with our government. We want them to take their hands off the economy, let failing businesses fail, and stop curtailing peoples liberties and freedoms. At the end of the day, despite our posturing and bile, have more in common with each other than we ever will with the powers of this land. Surely we will disagree on some issues, but in a truly free society that would simply be a personal preference rather than a government mandate all must heed.
So please, before you scorn us, boo us, and demonize our quest for freedom, consider the similarities between your ambitions and ours. Maybe if we were to work together, our joint energies turned against the system rather than each other, we could truly make a difference.
Solidarity and peace,
jim
Filed under: Anarchism, Capitalism, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: anarchist, anarchy, coming out, g20, pittsburgh
Ok, so maybe coming out Anarcho isn’t the same thing as REALLY coming out. But there are a number of similarities. Can’t find a way to tell your friends that you don’t agree with capitalist values? Do you hide you radical literature when your parents come in the room? Afraid of how your boss will react when he finds out that you asked off work to go break shit in Pittsburgh? Starting to see the similarities?
“Coming out” does many things. First off it lets others know where you stand, and can avoid awkward conflicts of interest later. Never again will you have to pretend that a 3AM Wal*Mart trip to waste money on pointless crap sounds like your idea of a good time. Since your friends now know that you don’t feel comfortable with that, you can find alternatives, probably something even better.
Additionally, you may learn that your friends feel the same way. Maybe you all have been putting on this face of being mindless consumer whores just to fit in. Maybe you already are part of an affinity group and you don’t even know it!
But coming out also helps the movement. Anarchists have a reputation for being mad bomb throwers, but that just isn’t true. When you come out you are humanizing anarchy, putting a face with depth and relationships to this supposedly “dangerous” ideal. By letting people know you are an anarchist you make it harder for the types who propagate the bomb-thrower myth to succeeded. People who know you will see the lies the tell, and will become better consumers of information as a result.
Stay tuned for the second part of our first ever two part PoS, tomorrow!
Filed under: Breaking News | Tags: cnn, cnn anarchist, g20 obama, g20 protest, g20 protests
If your going to the evil g20, heres all the info on whats going on and where to go.
Good luck and please dont do a black bloc. It gives police a reason to target you, and beat the shit out of you. (Theres a time and place for a black bloc, and I have no idea when and where. But, I know this is not one of them!!!) Instead do a million person (or as most of you know it “Million Man March”, ugh patriarchy.)
I read there is supposed to be a massive march going on, so thats great! Make sure you communicate to onlookers why your doing what your doing. Ask them questions! Interact with the commuity!
Why dont anarchists like the G20?
Enjoy the video
for more vist submedia.
Oh and cnn can suck it.
Filed under: Site Updates
How can we make anarchism more exciting?
Filed under: Video | Tags: Golden Rule: The Investment Theory of Politics, mr1001nights
Watch Golden Rule: The Investment Theory of Politics
“A most important project” -Noam Chomsky, Institute professor MIT
“I like it a lot…[its] segments ‘move’ [and] are both appropriate to the themes and hold the viewer’s interest.” -Thomas Ferguson, UMass professor
“…excellent” -David Cromwell, editor medialens
This film is largely based on Thomas Ferguson’s book Golden Rule. Many people appear in it, but it is based primarily on a 5 hour interview I conducted with Ferguson (with the help of 2 fellow youtubers), and on numerous appearances & interviews of Noam Chomsky. The film offers an in depth look at business influence on politics–analyzing social forces and events that the corporate media and mainstream scholarship has largely distorted or kept hidden. It also analyzes the meaning of democracy.
