If You're Reading This, You're Probably an Anarchist: A Short Exploration of the Philosophy of Anarchy Within our New World Order

Anarchy graffiti by Banksy

"Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based of five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, and county commissioners."

—Edward Abbey

When most "normal" people hear the word "anarchist", they imagine shadowy paeudo-intellectuals, tossing bombs into buildings. They imagine angry white punk rockers smashing glass panes, disturbed youths in ski masks starting fires. They imagine terrorists.

To a government, an anarchist is a threat to the structure that holds up their institutions, structures made of laws to keep the people oppressed and submissive, lies and secret operations, corporate interests, and endless, seemingly infinite money. It is likely that the way we think of anarchists is, in fact, shaped and guided by the actions and propaganda of governments, which have made it clear that anarchists should be thought of as terrorists, and terrorists, of course, are public enemy number one.

"I think it only makes sense to seek out and identify structures of authority, hierarchy, and domination in every aspect of life, and to challenge them; unless a justification for them can be given, they are illegitimate, and should be dismantled, to increase the scope of human freedom. " -Noam Chomsky

There are many types of anarchy, spanning the whole spectrum of political and philosophical thought. The types of Anarchism I am referring to in this article are individualist anarchism, social anarchism, and green anarchism. Individualist anarchism is similar to social anarchism in that it opposes state (basically, the government), capitalism, and authority. However, social anarchism equally values the freedom of the individual with social solidarity and mutual aid. Green Anarchism is very similar to social anarchism, but emphasizes the rights and freedoms of animals, nature and the environment as well.

These types of anarchy are all opposed to authoritarianism and capitalism, and often also oppose colonialism, globalization, and the destruction of nature. So yes, if you are reading this, you most likely are an anarchist. I will take a page from Jeff Foxworthy's book and say:

You know you have anarchist leanings if you believe any or all of these statements:

• You don't agree with capitalism as a system in which the lower classes sell their labor to the wealthier classes, because it is the only way to survive.

• You see the state (the government) as a corrupt, violent entity, legitimizing the use of violence against other countries (as in wars and military occupations) and its own citizens (i.e., local military occupations, prisons for profit, riot police, and police violence), but severely limiting the ways in which individuals can legally protect themselves against this violence.

• You believe that authoritarian hierarchies that demand obedience and control the lives of the people are inherently negative forces.

• You oppose a ruling class that includes elected representatives, morally corrupt corporation leaders, and billionaires that exploit the working class (meaning, in this case, all people who have to work in order to survive) to benefit only the ruling class itself and elites.

If we, as a country, would actually stop to examine ourselves and who we have become as we swiftly transform into an authoritarian oligarchy, we would see that being true anarchists is what many liberals and many conservatives have in common. Governments don't want us finding common ground, especially one that is so threatening to their very existence and sense of power.

Anarchy is a snake, pinned down by the authoritarian's sword. The leader smiles as the huge snake thrashes and whips under his sword. What this leader doesn't know if that the snake is pregnant, and with the piercing of the sword into the leathery skin, an opening is created, and hundreds of baby snakes are released. The important thing to remember is that this government, this deceptive, multi-headed machine made up of brainless sheep and megalomaniacs, only has one sword. And we are many.

*In the next issue, we will dive deeper into the types of anarchy and solutions and ideas presented by some of the great anarchistic thinkers.