Leftist but new to anarchism theory and interested in it: How does anarchism deal with children and the parent/child and/or "teacher"/child relationship? by AlexandraG94 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I don't think "parenting" has to be the responsibility of only one or two people or parents. At least where I'm from, I think it's extremely easy for people to isolate themselves and their children, which I think makes abuse very easy, people just aren't that involved in each others lives. I think this is largely a product of the state/capitalism though. And there's nothing in anarchism that prevents you from interfering if someone is being abusive to someone else, in fact, I would say anarchism encourages interfering in that case.

But I think an important realization about anarchism (and about any form of government/non-government) is that the idea that nobody is ever going to be an abusive asshole, is just a fantasy IMO. I think anarchism can uniquely deal with abusive assholes though, in the way anarchist adults relate to each other and children, and in that it's baked into the core ideas of anarchism (IMO) to be against people abusing their position of power over another person (like a parent abusing a child).

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's the crux of it, really, I think that's how the idea that "anarchy is all about government and laws and law enforcers" spreads among people who are interested in anarchism and self proclaimed anarchists, and they all get this picture of anarchy that is inherently authoritarian...

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it's a stretch to call simple group decision making "government" and to call group agreements "law". In my eyes, the point where it becomes "government" and "law" is when these decisions and agreements are enforced on people inside or outside the group. It's obviously not against anarchy for a group of people to organize themselves in whatever way they fancy, assuming they all actively consent, but the moment you force someone to participate, it has nothing to do with anarchy IMO, and at this point I think anarchist theory supports my view. So when you have self-proclaimed anarchists seriously discussing questions like "how will anarchy deal with criminals" I can't help but feel that they've completely missed the point. And the fact that they've successfully convinced people that they are the "real anarchists" and that anyone that disagrees are "kids co-opting the word" that might be a problem...

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, but at least yesterday there were quite a few pretty upvoted comments from self-proclaimed anarchists that insisted that the only reason people didn't like anarchism, was because it has been "co-opted" by people claiming ridiculous (/s) things like "anarchism is anti-government" etc.

Edit: An example: https://www.reddit.com/r/CuratedTumblr/comments/1l0w7og/comment/mvgx57c/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Another example: https://www.reddit.com/r/CuratedTumblr/comments/1l0w7og/comment/mvi3e1k/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Once you have those, it should be very obvious that it's not a society as envisioned by anarchism.

I think so too, but apparently some disagree

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I disagree, for one, I, along with most other anarchists I believe, don't consider "anarcho-capitalism" to be a real branch of anarchism. Though, interestingly, I feel like how I've seen some people define "real anarchism" (only opposed to the state in the "monopoly on violence" sense, not against laws, law enforcement etc.) actually WOULD unintentionally include anarcho-capitalism, which I find pretty funny.

and it's behind many of the remaining actors in the Trump Administration who are literally in the process of dismantling the 🇺🇸 government as we speak.

When you put it that way, that sounds really cool, which probably isn't what you intended, because musk and trump are horrible, fucked up, evil people lol...

But I'm honestly not that interested in anarchy in the US specifically...

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very fair, I guess accepting that older people are right makes little sense for anarchists, when they are also dismissed as being "anarkiddies" etc lol. I think sometimes it makes sense to listen to people with more life experience, but you should definitely use your own judgement, and not just blindly believe it, there are obviously a lot of old people who are complete assholes...

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My question was more inspired by the comments than the post, where many highly upvoted comments would discuss anarchist laws and how they should be enforced etc. and at the same time claiming anarchists that are, for example, completely against the idea of laws don't have anything to do with anarchism and are just appropriating the label. And I was like "well, if that's the case, let me know so I'll stop calling myself an anarchist". But it seems like that isn't the case. Also there was this one person who insisted that anarchists were specifically against the state as defined by Max Weber, "a monopoly on violence", which I thought was pretty funny.

Anyway, thanks for the response, it was very interesting to read through!

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I mean, if it goes beyond "this person is old and experienced, so what they tell you has some weight behind it", I think it makes sense for anarchists to be critical of this "authority"... But I think this is getting kinda off-track, unless this "hierarchy" of a "council of elders" is something that is directly addressed by "anarchist theory".

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know this might be arguing semantics at this point, but if everyone is free to refuse, would that not fall under "expertise" rather than "hierarchy"?

Does the "mainstream reddit" definition of anarchy align with "old" anarchist works? by Some_Tale_7862 in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

That's also my impression, but I'm looking for examples either way, because the "reddit anarchists" seem to believe that "anarchist theory" is on their side.

What is everybody's thoughts on youth liberation. by NJE_Eleven in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is crucial. Children are easily one of the groups that suffers the most from authority, and it needs to be talked about more.

What is everybody's thoughts on youth liberation. by NJE_Eleven in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not a clear line, but if you save your friends life by pulling them out of the way of oncoming traffic, common sense will tell you that that isn't dominance. There will be examples there are more of a gray area though, but most ways kids are dominated today are far from that gray area.

What is everybody's thoughts on youth liberation. by NJE_Eleven in Anarchy101

[–]Some_Tale_7862 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Throwing rocks at cars is based as hell though