Anarchy 101

I'll have you all know that I am an anarchist and feel very strongly about my opinions and views. I grew and am growing up in an anarchist family. I've only met one other person who truly understands anarchy and would ever consider it. That's why I wrote this.

Anarchy 101:

1. Human nature is not to be a vicious selfish brute. We have been conditioned to think this by our society, but this ludicrous Hobbesian idea should not be allowed to stand any longer. Almost everyone on this thread has said, on the issue of crime, that they personally would not go out and murder, steal and rape, but it is ever so obvious that there a so many other people that would do just that. But the basic fact is that over 99% of all criminals are victims of circumstance. They have been forced into a life of crime by their conditions, conditions that have been imposed on them by a central, semi-dictatorial authority (i.e. a government). So, we would not in fact devolve into a cesspool of criminal chaos if government were removed; in fact we would most likely benefit from it. After all, when we are all equal, there is no need for crime.

2. Just because there is no hierarchy, does not mean there is no support infrastructure. If every person used their own unique talents for the benefit of the community, for the general good, then why shouldn't everyone receive adequate health-care, education, and other necessities? People need not be ordered to help their friends and families. They can simply do it themselves.

3. A common argument that has been put forth is that anarchy, like communism, can only work on a small scale. This is true. But why shouldn't the world be split up into a multitude of small, self-sustaining, anarchist communities? It's quite probable that this is how the world will end up anyway, as peak oil and the collapse of society as we now know it occurs.

4. Another common argument is that an anarchist society would be overwhelmed and conquered without a central authority. This brings up an interesting point: the similarity between militaries and pennies. If you eliminate all militaries, you eliminate the need for all militaries at the same time. As with pennies. This is why I am a firm advocate of a unified, global anarchist revolution. If all military powers are eliminated at once, there is no threat of a hostile take-over.

5. There is historical precedent for functioning anarchist societies. In fact, in case you have forgotten, that is how humanity lived out it's first few thousand years. More recently, some Native American cultures had lived in semi-anarchist, fully autonomous societies for millenia before they were wiped out by Europeans who lived in less enlightened, militarily minded societies. More recently still, during the French, Russian, and Spanish revolutions, anarchist societies sprung and lived in harmony and peace until they to were crushed by their less enlightened brothers and sisters.

Finally, as a rebuttal to all you naysayers, I have never seen nor read V for Vendetta, although many friends have expounded it's seemingly innumberable virtues upon me. I have merely read the works of Peter Kropotkin and Emma Goldman. For a slightly more accesible work, I suggest those of you curious to learn more about anarchism (as it is properly called) to read Derrick Jensen and Ward Churchill.

And before any of you post your undoubtably noble and valid responses to this text, I would like you all to answer this question to yourselves: which would you rather live under, an opressive, lying, corrupt, and morally bankrupt government, or an anarchy? Think well upon it.

That was an excerpt from a debate I had on anarchy. You can see the entire thing here.