Filed under: Anarchism, Anarchists You Should Know, Capitalism, Organizer Resources, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: Anarchism, arms, Buy Nothing Day, desi, england, frankie says relax, fredom, half off, london, sale, space hijackers, tank, uk
Strange things happen when you select Society>Anarchism on StumbleUpon. Most of the time you just find simple websites where people post the same trite Proudhon quotes in the same cliche red-and-black color scheme.* But every once and awhile you will find something to brighten your day, or at the very least darken your boss’s.
*Not that we are above that. It is just sometimes it gets a little depressing when you realize that we, the anarchists, are sometimes the most narrow minded web designers.
My most recent discovery has been the London, UK based group Space Hijackers. They appear to be a loosely organized group, with the website focusing mainly to publicize their previous actions. Now some of their stuff, like the time they bought two friggen tanks (Tank 1, Tank 2) to bring attention to the UK based Defense Systems and Equipment International show, is a little beyond the scope of our everyday anarchism “Propaganda of the Seed“. While grand actions like “Fredom” the Tank may be inspiring, other actions like sending a group of people into stores on “Buy Nothing Day” wearing shirts proclaiming “Everything in Store Half Off Today” are not only interesting and enjoyable, but easily replicated in very small groups, you could even do it solo!
We haven’t yet fully explored their site, but the Space Hijackers are one thing we and PIC like to think of ourselves as, a group of anarchists enjoying themselves. Overthrowing power structures is of course our primary goal, but if we make ourselves miserable in the process aren’t we just sowing the seeds for the next crop of authoritarians.
So go ahead, poke around, if you are like me you’ll get a few laughs and maybe be inspired to run some copy-cat actions in your home town!
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, 4x4s, 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, 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: Anarchism, Environmental Activism, Organizer Resources, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: Anarchism, anarchist, anarchy, book, books, crimethinc, Emma Goldman, free, libraries, library, Noam Chomsky
From CrimethInc.:
Libraries are truly wonderful: free-to-use public spaces, filled with thousands of books from every gamut of human existence, existing to serve anyone who walks through their doors.
Of course, a library is only as good as the books on its shelves, and we are making every effort to get our books onto the shelves of as many libraries as possible. We have spent a fair amount of our resources towards this direction (obtaining ISBN numbers, making the books available from a major book distributor, etc.) but the final move is up to you.
Even if we had the desire, there is no way we would be able to institute a marketing campaign on the level necessary to get the attention of librarians and convince them to stock the books as is the norm in the book industry; so as usual, we are taking a nontraditional, grassroots approach that uses generosity and voluntary action in place of money and marketing sleight of hand.
Libraries are delightfully responsive to properly filled out book request slips, and in fact a fair amount of books purchased by libraries are the result of requests made by library patrons. Simply go to the library, ask for book purchase request forms and fill them out properly (see right), and odds are the library will procure the books you request. Of course, the more people who request the book at any given library, the more likely it is they will pick it up. Also, you can do this at several libraries in your city, including both public and university libraries.
As a result of your actions, anyone will be able to find out about and read these books for free, and if you ask me, I think we owe it—to all of the shy teenagers, homeless philosophers and desperate seekers—to all who are looking to the shelves for a way out of this reality. Ideas should never be held hostage by the dollar sign, and we thank you for helping us to make these free for anyone to read, in every city, in every library.
Practical Tips
The key ingredient in having success at this is to fill out the form as perfectly and completely as possible—presenting an appealing and simple task for the librarian to follow through on. Use neat handwriting and provide answers to every question on the form. HERE we have included all the information as it should appear on the form to facilitate an error-free database look-up. Most request slips ask for your address and sometimes library card number, etc., it is best to fill this out as truthfully as you feel comfortable with. Also, if you are not a member of the library, it would help to become one before filling out the form, and it is free anyway! The more serious they believe your request to be, the more likely it will be filled. OK, that should cover all the bases—I am sure you could have figured out all this on your own, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to go over it. Good luck, and carry forth!
It can’t hurt! And it doesn’t have to just be CrimethInc. books. Think your library could use something a little more spicy? Is Mr. Noam Chomsky conspicuously absent from the shelves? Then request it! Plus once it is on the shelves you can leave a note card inside in an attempt to reach out to interested parties in your area!
Filed under: Anarchism, Anti-War, Capitalism, Downloads, How-To, Open Source Software, Organizer Resources, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: alternative media project, amp, Anarchism, anarchist, anarchist faq, anarchy, bit torrent, bittorent, bookmooch, cash, facebook, fighting for our lives, foss, free, google bomb, googlewash, infoshop, linux, money, myspace, Open Source Software, openwiki, party, Propaganda of the Seed, torrent, twitter
In case you missed it – here are our first ten Propaganda of the Seed Articles.
Prologue: An explanation of what we mean when we say “Propaganda of the Seed” and why we think it is important.
1:Support the Alternative Media Project. The group behind InfoShop, OpenWiki, and hosting the Anarchist FAQ. They needed a new computer then, now they just need help paying the bills.
2: Open Source Software. Free as in spech as well as free as in beer, Open Source Software is a good pick for activists for a number of reasons.
3. Fighting for Our Lives. CrimethInc. will send you free stuff! Great for organizing, education, or to start a mini-infoshop!
4. BitTorrent Activism. Not just for porn and music anymore, bittorrents provide a wealth of resources for anarchist or learning about anarchism.
5. Radical Cash. Want a free way to get hundreds of people to see your message, website, or art? Break out your wallet.
6. A Political Party for Anarchists? Well . . . sort of! Hang out, have a good time, and stick it to the man!
7. My (Autonomous) Space. Admit it. You already spend too much time on Facebook. Might as well do something “constructive” with your time!
8. Googlewashing. Ideal for big groups, Googlewashing lets you control the media. Sort of.
9. BookMooch. Useful both as a source for radical literature, and as a viable alternative to capitalism.
10. KnowMore. Odds are you are going to buy that computer anyway. Might as well buy it from the nice(er) guys.
Thanks for reading! Let us know at peoplesinformative@riseup.net if you have any ideas for things people can do in their daily lives to live more free or help the anarchist movement.
Filed under: Capitalism, How-To, Open Source Software, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: b. dolan, Capitalism, consumer education, consumerism, fire fox, firefox, foss, know more, knowmore, knowmore.org, plugin, sage francis
We know we have already shown you a number of ways to make your use of a computer more anarcho-friendly. Using open source software, not loading ads, and blocking tracking bugs all make your web browsing experience less offensive. The tool we are suggesting today will make it more educational.
KnowMore.Org, founded by noted rappers Sage Francis and B. Dolan, the site aims to educate the public about the social implications of their purchases by uniformly reporting on and rating the practices and policies of large corporations.
Their reasoning is this: The more people know about where there money goes, the more likely they are to support morally superior companies, and thus either force corporations to change their habits, or drive them out of business.
Our reasoning: We live in a capitalist society. Until we fix that, we might as well make sure our money isn’t going to fund union leader assassinations.
You can use KnowMore.Org two ways. You can browse the website and look up companies there. OR if you are using FireFox, you can install the KnowMore extension, which automatically alerts you when you visit a website owned or operated by one of the companies they have on file. You then have the option to leave the site, go to KnowMore.org to learn more about the company, or ignore the warning and go about your business.
Ideal for personal education, as well as group enlightenment when installed on shared computers, the KnowMore extension allows you to more intelligently do what you must.
Filed under: Capitalism, Environmental Activism, Food, Organizer Resources, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: bookmooch, books, library, radical
Bookmooch is a not-for-profit book website where users can list books they own, but don’t want, and exchange them for books they do want. This can be a valuable resource for organizers, or people looking to get their hands on text that otherwise (for financial or political reasons) would be out of their reach.
For example, as you can see HERE, HERE, and HERE, there are plenty of radical texts available on this site for free. Not Wikisource free, where you have to read it off the computer or pay to print, but a real, honest bound book, simply for getting rid of a book you didn’t want anymore anyway.
Here is how it works: When you join BookMooch, you can list books you have available that you are willing to part with. If someone wants a book (and they will, I have only been a member for a few weeks and I already have sent/received eight books) you’ve listed, they request it through the website and provide you with their address. You then ship it (usually only $2-$3 within the U.S.) to them, and you receive one point. With that point you can browse the website, find something you want, and request it, continuing the cycle.
I know that sounds complicated, but trust me, it is very intuitive, and most importantly very easy. But this resource isn’t just for spreading radical literature. Even if you only list Michael Crichton books, and only request Rachel Ray cookbooks*, you are still fighting rabid consumerism, helping artists, and doing something better for the environment. How? Firstly you are focusing on using resources efficiently rather than blindly buying. Since you are giving an otherwise unwanted book an new life, you are keeping it out of the landfill, and you aren’t giving your money to the mega-conglomerate bookstores that are slowly driving neighborhood bookstores out of business.
So, you get a book for free (well, the cost of shipping), clean out room in your back room, and support alternatives to capitalism? Sounds like a good day to me!
*Actually this is a delicious recipe. Enjoy.
Filed under: Mutual Aid, Organizer Resources, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: 2004 election, google, google bomb, googlewashing, patriot act, power rangers, Propaganda of the Seed, search engine, search engine bomb, search engine wash
Let’s face it, you use Google. While it is doubtful that you have issue with their decision not to share your browsing information with the government, you may have issue with a single entity dominating the Internet, and computing, so completely. But odds are when you want to know who that guy from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” is doing now, you’re going to Google him. And that is why this works. Google is by far the leading search engine in the US (if not the world) so if you want people to find something, you want it on Google.
Google is rather protective of how it generates it’s search results, but we do know one thing: linking plays a part in that. It focuses on anchor words. For example, if I were to link the words “Giant Inflatable Duck” to this image of a . . . well, giant inflatable duck, it will be more likely to show up as a search result in Google.
Done individually such links aren’t likely to have a large impact, unless your search term is so obscure as to not to have many results. However when multiple people googlebomb, the effects can be significant.
The effect is compounded when people use their signatures in forums, message boards, or blogs as a tool. These fields automatically update older posts, so if you update your signature at that Power Rangers board you have been frequenting a bit too much over the last 5 years you will multiply your impact by the number of posts you have already logged.
It is up to you what you googlewash, but so long as you keep in mind that this is only a tool and not a substitute for more substantial activism, it is doubtful you can stray far. Use it to promote a rally, a group meeting, or your favorite radical blog!
Filed under: Food, Organizer Resources, Propaganda of the Seed | Tags: blimpie, bruce springsteen, charlie wilson's war, co-op, dance, dinner party, end of america, freegan, fresh, graffitti, hotel rwanda, local, mischief brew, movie night, Music, occupation 101, one big torrent, organic, party, potluck, public enemy, radical, ron paul, rosario dawson, system of a down, the coup, this revolution
So you are reading “Down With The Anarchists!” and listening to John Cage‘s prepared piano works, but you suspect that you are the only anarchist you know. How sad, right? WRONG! There are a number of things you can do to remedy this false illusion, but one of the easiest, and possibly the most fun, is to throw a party!
The idea here is that people come to parties, because who doesn’t love a good time? So while you are throwing a party, why not add a little radical flavor? That way while you are socializing and having a good time, you will be addressing issues and in a small way making the world a better place.
Below are some ideas for how to make your party a little more important:
- Radical Music: Music is arguably the most important part of any get together, and a radical plaGraphitti Night:ylist is a very easy way to get revolution into the conversation. Bands like Public Enemy, Mischief Brew, and The Coup all make great party music with a great message. But you aren’t limited to radical artists. Mainstream musicians like Bruce Springsteen and System of a Down make music with a radical message, and can keep those with more pedestrian tastes satisfied.
- Movie Night: The film industry loves a good bit of soul, so their commercial exploitation is your gain! Big ticket movies like Hotel Rwanda and Charlie Wilson’s War are easy to find and readily accessible to even uneducated viewers. Others like This Revolution are less flash and glamor but make up for it with message and content. For the truly hardcore, why not bypass big media all together and just download a documentary from One Big Torrent. Occupation 101 and The End of America are both suggested by this author, but hey, with all this selection and no cost, surely you can find something you want to watch.
- Dinner Party: The simple fact is people like food. So how about a dinner party! Ideas here range from just hitting up your local co-op and whipping up some organic snacks for your friends to having a full out freegan potluck! What is a freegan potluck? Well the rules are simple: Everyone has to bring something, and no one can pay for anything. It could be as simple as home grown veggies or as rare as dumpster diving an entire hoagie platter behind Blimpie. If your food is bountiful enough you could even stage an improvised Food Not Bombs and share your luck with those who need it.
- Graffiti Night: If your friends are particularly mischievous, why not go out at night and make your town a little more beautiful? What you do here will be limited by your own resources and abilities, but inspiration abounds on the Internet so don’t give up just because you can’t think of anything at first.
These are all just meant to be stepping off points. You know your friends and you know what you like doing so tailor these points to better suit your circle.
Share and enjoy!
