What is up with these Anarchists, anway?

Wow, my first guest post, ever. Thanks BoBo, this is different. I'm used to hosting conservatives on my site, not the other way around!

I'd like to let you in on my secret for consistent Anarchist rantings. I drink a lot of coffee, then I listen to Micheal Savage or drop in on pacifists when they post about how bad it is to be mean or some other such nonsense. There is nothing like blogging while hopped up caffeine and irritation, it's that masochism that keeps me going. But enough about my sex life...

I can already hear the questions...Anarchy? What the hell? And what does Anok mean anyway?

Anok is loosely translated to mean "Without Master". Meaning that we, as individuals being of sound mind do not need masters in our lives telling us what to do, how to do it, and whom to do it with. We are perfectly capable of making these decisions on our own, and we don't need a government or religious appointed nanny to help us out. In many ways, this is a similar ideology that many (true or classic) Conservatives have, at least with regards to limited government.

But politically speaking, Anarchists are actually apolitical. Not that we aren't political, because many of us do become so, but that our "political beliefs" are off the political barometer. We are neither left nor right, nor moderate. Generally speaking this is because we have no use for any government, also referred to as the "State", as a whole. We oppose government, in general. So it's hard to be political when you don't support (government) politics.

And yet we are, because the world is political, and thus we are too.

Many Anarchists are little bit Right, a little bit Left, a little bit Independent, a little bit Green and a whole lot of Attitude. I personally just stick with the attitude. That said, I have blogged extensively on the finer details of the various ideologies of Anarchism, activism, movements, theories, ideals, etc but I would like to keep my post on BoBo's blog brief. I'm brevity challenged as it is, and getting into all of that could take days, if not years. Feel free to poke around however.

I think I'll just talk about some general ideas, for a moment. Personally speaking I see no need for man made laws, I loathe Capitalism, and feel that all governments are corrupt. I only have respect for those who earn it, meaning a political position or economic position of power means approximately zip to me, unless the person in it has done something worthy of respect.

I firmly believe and support the idea of self sufficiency, personal responsibility, and self defense. It takes a lot of work to be an Anarchist. We are not lazy buggers. (OK, maybe a couple are, but they're posers anyway), not Hippies, not Pacifists, and yes, I bathe. Many of us are trying to operate in a world that supports ideologies and lifestyles that we do not, or cannot support ethically speaking. There are various ways of going about this, and you can ask me, but I'm keeping it general.

Sheesh!

"So what do you mean you're an Anarchist, why does your blog talk about US politics so much?"

The short and sweet answer is, because I may be an Anarchist, but I still live under a government. Ergo, I talk and debate and discuss the world I live in, not the world I dream of. My observations of US and Global politics is, of course seen through an "Anarchy filter". They are on sale now at Hot Topic! No, but seriously, I do the best I can to take my experiences, my opinions, and my observations and apply them to real life situations (in politics) and attempt to change other's perceptions by suggesting Anarchist alternatives.

I challenge the status quo, as it were.

There is something else that needs to be defined here, however. Anarchy does not mean "chaos". Anomie means chaos, Anarchy is simply an ideology that opposes the State or any oppressive structure that controls and dictates our actions. It also does not mean we can do as we please. There is something called natural law that every living thing must adhere to. Many Anarchists also recognize legitimate authority, even if on a temporary basis. Legitimate authority can be interpreted differently, by different people, however I feel that it is any authority that works collaboratively with, is intrinsically tied to and part of, a collective group on a small scale and uses that authority to further the survival of said group. This authority is typically rooted in natural law and common sense, and isn't at all arbitrary.

I also have respect for Leaders as opposed to people in positions of Power. The difference being that Leaders do not seek to possess power, and use their skills to enhance the society, or group by teaching the group how to accomplish whatever task the Leader is leading. Essentially a Leader is a teacher, who is part of the group, rather than a strict Authority whose power was bestowed to him or her.

Parents are Leaders, with legitimate authority over their children. Royalty, the Super Wealthy, Presidents, and Elitists are not Leaders. They are, in my book, Power Whores.

Pffft. All you Anarchists are the same!

Well....There are several fractal groups of Anarchists that divide themselves up over specific ideologies. Anarcho-Syndicalists, Anarcho-Communists, Anarcho-Capitalists, Anarcho-Tribalists and so on and so forth. If I were to belong to any of the groups, it would be the last - an Anarcho-Tribalist. I believe in the Tribe, that is to say your group, be it family, friends, neighborhoods whathaveyou. I believe that by bringing self regulation back down to proper proportions, and forcing those who claim any Leadership whatsoever to live among those they plan on leading and work cooperatively with the whole tribe, you create a state of living that relies on natural law, and legitimate law and have no further need for man made or arbitrary laws.

In any case, many Anarchists do, or will occasionally side or sympathize with hard leftists, such as Socialists and Communists. But there is an inherent flaw to that strategy, in the fact that no matter what kind of government takes place of the old one, an Anarchist will always be a threat. Essentially, Anarchists and the Left are rather strange, and violent bedfellows. It's exciting for a while, but the spark goes away when the Leftsts no longer want to play.

Oh will you please shut up already?!

Alright, alright, I'll leave you with this thought. The next time you choose to do something, I want you to think about the governmental system you live under for a moment. Ask yourself if, when you choose an action, do you really choose the appropriate consequence? Do you actually have control over what happens to you? In an Anarchist world, your actions dictate your consequences naturally. If I choose to smoke pot alone in my home I am also choosing to cause possible brain damage, possible cancer, and eating too much junk food and getting fat. These are the natural consequences of that specific action. But under a government, that has arbitrarily made pot smoking illegal, I not only get the natural consequences of my actions, but I get possible jail time too.

And tell me, is making a person into a criminal in society's eyes because they are fat, diseased and stupid an actual consequence of choice? What purpose, if any does that serve? (For the record I don't smoke pot, but you can use the same equation for a great many of our laws).

For your reading enjoyment, when you have a spare decade, these posts address some of the topics I touched on tonight in greater detail:

Why governments don't work
Do as you're sold, the mindless mantra of America
Your vote is your voice
Unmistakenly Lawless
The Pansification of our World
Fair trade, for real.

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