(no subject)
So someone thinks that my livejournal account is a forum for back and forth shit talking? I mean, there is constructive debate and then there is just usless rants and accusations. This person's posts have fallen into the latter form. However, I guess my limited audience and whoever cares deserves not to be kept in the dark. In fact, all of you are encouraged to join the discussion and add your thoughts.
First off, this person does have right wing view points. The tone of the first post (the deleted post) was definately condescending towards me getting an education and being a punk, among other tings. Also, this person is playing themselves off as the victim because I deleted their rant from my livejournal (which is for my friends to look at and me to look back on). This is not a freedom of speech issue, this is a political and personal issue. Fascists constantly cry "free speech" when we don't allow them to meet in parks. You have a rights, but I do as well and feel that it is within my ability to delete your anonymous, ignorant posts. There are other, better forums where dialouge can be engaged.
Secondly, the claim that "...many anarchists) fail to work in the real world, because they are ... HYPOCRITICAL" is something that would need to be substantiated by evidence. If this is supposed to be an empirical fact, then I doubt this person has even a basic concept of history. In fact anarchists and anarchist ideas have flowered in many different parts of the world many times. For a very small list of examples, Russia 1917, Spain '36, Hungary '56, Paris 1968, Paris Commune 1868, along with many other examples in Korea, Cuba, Argentina, Mexico, USA, etc etc etc. Most of the times these efforts fail because of the repression, people being killed, tortured, imprisoned. It would be impractical right now to examine each of these examples in depth, but it is safe to say that even though there has been some lack of organization, international solidarity, and other things that are important to revolutionary movements, anarchists are still alive, kicking, and trying to "build a new society in the shell of the old".
Yes, I identify with a red and black flag but I have many companeros who associate with black and green or just black flags. One of the main points is anti-authoritarian anti-capitalism. So, for your information, I do have a job. Also, I have no vanguardist preconceptions about "starting a 'grassroots revolution". Being part of one though is a whole different story.
That is one of the reasons I have to disagree with this person on the conformity accusation. Yes, there may be times in class or at work where I hold my tongue. There may also be times during meetings where I am against a strategy or a tactic that other people want to employ but at the same time I will try and work with them so we don't get stuck in sectarian quicksand. Conformity is fitting into a predetermined slot, where someone else thinks one should go. The opposite of that is conscious action, which I employ.
Lastly, I don't put the working class down as a whole for not instantly chosing to become anarchists. There are many people out there who misunderstand what anarchism is and what it stands for. This is in part due to slander perpetrated in the media, in schools, and even by marxist and bourgeiose historians. As anarchists, it is our responsibility to make sure that our history and experiences are available for everyone to learn from, mistakes and successes.
What do we do? Go to www.nafederation.org and check it out! Also, I have reprinted a copy our draft work on aims and principles below:
These Aims and Priciples are still being discussed and have not been voted in by the Federation.
Principles
1. Anarchist Communism is a theory of social, economic, and political organization. As such, the principles of anarchism are best demonstrated by example rather than illusory rhetoric. Anarchism is not based in crude dogmatism, but shapes itself according to the needs of the situation. Thus, as an organization, anarchist communist principles guide our activity, but we define our path based on the condition and situation of our region. Six essential tenets guide our internal and external organizing as a federation.
i. Direct action is taking action independently rather than appealing to the power of politicians, bureaucrats, and employers. It is when we take power into our own hands through strikes, sabotage, shutdowns, ect..
ii. Direct democracy is the equal and direct participation of working people in the decisions that affect us.
iii. Solidarity is the common concern for the struggles we face each day together. It is the combination of unity and action.
iv. Self-organization. Working people must build autonomous organizations in defense of our rights. Our self-organization originates from our needs and actions.
v. Tactical and theoretical unity are necessary for effective coordination of our activities and resources. They ensure a strategically based organization.
vi. Collective responsibility is the wholesale responsibility of our organization to us, and us to our organization. Thus we are all responsible to each other as much as to ourselves.
2. We believe in the necessity of revolutionary organization. Libertarian organization is both the means and the ends of revolution. An anarchist communist revolutionary organization will not lead the revolution. We participate within social struggle, seeking out the radical elements within them. We encourage, support, develop, participate, and popularize the radical elements within the social struggles that mirror our six basic tenants.
3. Revolution is the only path of true social change. While we support all victories of working people, we also recognize the limited nature of reforms. Reforms are steps towards total revolutionary change when they are achieved through revolutionary tactics and are based in an area of struggle that contains the power to eventually create revolution.
4. We are diametrically opposed to any incarnation of the professional state. The state and the system of structural inequality formerly known as capitalism go hand in hand in exploiting working people. To abolish the state, capitalism must be abolished. To abolish capitalism, the state must be abolished.
5. We recognize that our class is horizontally divided along the lines of race, gender, age, ability, and economic position within the working class. We realize that a united class can only be achieved through solidarity within struggle.
6. We are internationalists who organize for worldwide social revolution. Complete revolution must abolish all nation-states and organize the world based on culturally autonomous communities and workplaces federated in directly democratic federal organizations. This said, we critically support national liberation struggles; meaning we seek out and support the radical and libertarian elements within these struggles. We see the defeat of colonialism and imperialism as a step towards international revolution. As a federation within industrialized and imperialist nations, we see it as our responsibility to attack the imperialist beast at home in solidarity with colonized peoples around the world and within North America.
7. We are a regional organization because each region of North America is subject to specific economic and political pressures not felt in other regions. We can most effectively coordinate our resources, energies, and activities by organizing on a regional basis. This does not prevent us from networking our federation with other federations and organizations in North America and the rest of the world, it only defines our focus.
Aims
1. We want housing, food, dignity at work, freedom, and a voice in how our lives are run. We want democracy, equality, justice, and peace. All these things are natural rights that belong to all people. The complete fulfillment of these basic rights can only be achieved through revolution. We will fight for these rights until we win. We are denied these rights because the system we live within is built on structural inequality and neo-liberalism. Our aim is abolish that system and replace it with libertarian communism.
2. We want to take back power in our communities and workplaces, and make democracy a reality. Thus, we want to socialize and democratize the economy, putting it under the control and ownership of all people.
3. We want to eliminate horizontal oppression within the working class through participating in and popularizing solidarity in struggle. We support, respect, and provide solidarity to the autonomous organizations within our class that struggle for their own collective liberation and the collective liberation of the working class as a whole.
4. The work of organization lies in working within these movements to radicalize them, building their autonomy from the state and bureaucrats, and pushing them towards revolutionary goals amid the fight for reforms.
5. We will stop at nothing short of the international working class revolution. We will organize tirelessly towards this end and will defend it by any means necessary.
First off, this person does have right wing view points. The tone of the first post (the deleted post) was definately condescending towards me getting an education and being a punk, among other tings. Also, this person is playing themselves off as the victim because I deleted their rant from my livejournal (which is for my friends to look at and me to look back on). This is not a freedom of speech issue, this is a political and personal issue. Fascists constantly cry "free speech" when we don't allow them to meet in parks. You have a rights, but I do as well and feel that it is within my ability to delete your anonymous, ignorant posts. There are other, better forums where dialouge can be engaged.
Secondly, the claim that "...many anarchists) fail to work in the real world, because they are ... HYPOCRITICAL" is something that would need to be substantiated by evidence. If this is supposed to be an empirical fact, then I doubt this person has even a basic concept of history. In fact anarchists and anarchist ideas have flowered in many different parts of the world many times. For a very small list of examples, Russia 1917, Spain '36, Hungary '56, Paris 1968, Paris Commune 1868, along with many other examples in Korea, Cuba, Argentina, Mexico, USA, etc etc etc. Most of the times these efforts fail because of the repression, people being killed, tortured, imprisoned. It would be impractical right now to examine each of these examples in depth, but it is safe to say that even though there has been some lack of organization, international solidarity, and other things that are important to revolutionary movements, anarchists are still alive, kicking, and trying to "build a new society in the shell of the old".
Yes, I identify with a red and black flag but I have many companeros who associate with black and green or just black flags. One of the main points is anti-authoritarian anti-capitalism. So, for your information, I do have a job. Also, I have no vanguardist preconceptions about "starting a 'grassroots revolution". Being part of one though is a whole different story.
That is one of the reasons I have to disagree with this person on the conformity accusation. Yes, there may be times in class or at work where I hold my tongue. There may also be times during meetings where I am against a strategy or a tactic that other people want to employ but at the same time I will try and work with them so we don't get stuck in sectarian quicksand. Conformity is fitting into a predetermined slot, where someone else thinks one should go. The opposite of that is conscious action, which I employ.
Lastly, I don't put the working class down as a whole for not instantly chosing to become anarchists. There are many people out there who misunderstand what anarchism is and what it stands for. This is in part due to slander perpetrated in the media, in schools, and even by marxist and bourgeiose historians. As anarchists, it is our responsibility to make sure that our history and experiences are available for everyone to learn from, mistakes and successes.
What do we do? Go to www.nafederation.org and check it out! Also, I have reprinted a copy our draft work on aims and principles below:
These Aims and Priciples are still being discussed and have not been voted in by the Federation.
Principles
1. Anarchist Communism is a theory of social, economic, and political organization. As such, the principles of anarchism are best demonstrated by example rather than illusory rhetoric. Anarchism is not based in crude dogmatism, but shapes itself according to the needs of the situation. Thus, as an organization, anarchist communist principles guide our activity, but we define our path based on the condition and situation of our region. Six essential tenets guide our internal and external organizing as a federation.
i. Direct action is taking action independently rather than appealing to the power of politicians, bureaucrats, and employers. It is when we take power into our own hands through strikes, sabotage, shutdowns, ect..
ii. Direct democracy is the equal and direct participation of working people in the decisions that affect us.
iii. Solidarity is the common concern for the struggles we face each day together. It is the combination of unity and action.
iv. Self-organization. Working people must build autonomous organizations in defense of our rights. Our self-organization originates from our needs and actions.
v. Tactical and theoretical unity are necessary for effective coordination of our activities and resources. They ensure a strategically based organization.
vi. Collective responsibility is the wholesale responsibility of our organization to us, and us to our organization. Thus we are all responsible to each other as much as to ourselves.
2. We believe in the necessity of revolutionary organization. Libertarian organization is both the means and the ends of revolution. An anarchist communist revolutionary organization will not lead the revolution. We participate within social struggle, seeking out the radical elements within them. We encourage, support, develop, participate, and popularize the radical elements within the social struggles that mirror our six basic tenants.
3. Revolution is the only path of true social change. While we support all victories of working people, we also recognize the limited nature of reforms. Reforms are steps towards total revolutionary change when they are achieved through revolutionary tactics and are based in an area of struggle that contains the power to eventually create revolution.
4. We are diametrically opposed to any incarnation of the professional state. The state and the system of structural inequality formerly known as capitalism go hand in hand in exploiting working people. To abolish the state, capitalism must be abolished. To abolish capitalism, the state must be abolished.
5. We recognize that our class is horizontally divided along the lines of race, gender, age, ability, and economic position within the working class. We realize that a united class can only be achieved through solidarity within struggle.
6. We are internationalists who organize for worldwide social revolution. Complete revolution must abolish all nation-states and organize the world based on culturally autonomous communities and workplaces federated in directly democratic federal organizations. This said, we critically support national liberation struggles; meaning we seek out and support the radical and libertarian elements within these struggles. We see the defeat of colonialism and imperialism as a step towards international revolution. As a federation within industrialized and imperialist nations, we see it as our responsibility to attack the imperialist beast at home in solidarity with colonized peoples around the world and within North America.
7. We are a regional organization because each region of North America is subject to specific economic and political pressures not felt in other regions. We can most effectively coordinate our resources, energies, and activities by organizing on a regional basis. This does not prevent us from networking our federation with other federations and organizations in North America and the rest of the world, it only defines our focus.
Aims
1. We want housing, food, dignity at work, freedom, and a voice in how our lives are run. We want democracy, equality, justice, and peace. All these things are natural rights that belong to all people. The complete fulfillment of these basic rights can only be achieved through revolution. We will fight for these rights until we win. We are denied these rights because the system we live within is built on structural inequality and neo-liberalism. Our aim is abolish that system and replace it with libertarian communism.
2. We want to take back power in our communities and workplaces, and make democracy a reality. Thus, we want to socialize and democratize the economy, putting it under the control and ownership of all people.
3. We want to eliminate horizontal oppression within the working class through participating in and popularizing solidarity in struggle. We support, respect, and provide solidarity to the autonomous organizations within our class that struggle for their own collective liberation and the collective liberation of the working class as a whole.
4. The work of organization lies in working within these movements to radicalize them, building their autonomy from the state and bureaucrats, and pushing them towards revolutionary goals amid the fight for reforms.
5. We will stop at nothing short of the international working class revolution. We will organize tirelessly towards this end and will defend it by any means necessary.