Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 18:18:50 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Reply to "Bob Welch: Anarchists' stance ironic"


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 15:38:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jamal Hannah <jah-AT-iww.org>
To: bwelch-AT-guardnet.com
Subject: Reply to "Bob Welch: Anarchists' stance ironic"

> June 22, 2000
> Bob Welch: Anarchists' stance ironic
> bwelch-AT-guardnet.com
> Columnist, The Register-Guard
> 
> LIKE JUST-RELEASED POWs, they took turns Tuesday in front of the Lane
> County Jail to talk about police brutality, about "ruthless" tactics,
> about being served peanut butter sandwiches in their cells.
> 
> Anarchists and onlookers, they came to share their tales of woe in the
> aftermath of a weekend confrontation between police and protesters that
> led to 67 arrests.
> 
> But as I listened to story after story, I couldn't help but note a
> certain irony: What they were describing was, well, anarchy:
> 
> Cops breaking the rules. Cops wreaking disorder and violence. Cops
> victimizing innocent people for the sins of the masses.
> 
> Sound familiar? It's the stuff anarchy is made of: a disregard for
> rules, a bent toward violence and a justification for victimizing
> innocent people (such as store owners) for the sins of the masses
> (corporate greed).
(rest of article deleted)

First of all, I want to point out that there is a difference between the
media-popularized concept of "anarchy" which means random violence and
lack of personal responsibility, and the "anarchism" of activists who
actualy stand for _extended_ personal responsibility and a society based
on social harmony, not disorder.

Anarchists, that is people who actualy read anarchist theory, and act on
it, spend their time doing things that can lessen government, corporate,
and small business influence on the public's lives, and instead emphasize
that working-class people must and should be in charge of their own
destiny.

Undoubtably there are a small number of people who get the idea of
"anarchy" from misleading sources: the media, the whackos, the wing-nuts
and the irresponsibles who claim that all anarchy is about is random
violence, lack of planning, and individualistic isolation from society
(like the Unabomber in his remote cabin).  The anarchist movement is doing
what it can to dialogue with and educate these people.  It takes time.  We
can't just round up every violent person and lock them up.  People need to
be convinced that rational, logical choices and community respect are the
basis of anarchism, and not petty vandalism.

I do not agree with your stance that corporate greed represents the
masses.. no, corporate greed is just a larger version of capitalist
greed.. business greed. It is people who see the world in terms of
resources to be exploited, and working people as tools for extracting
wealth.

Anarchism is also known as libertarian socialism... it is the belief that
working class people are made misirable and exploited by both the state,
and by capitalists who use the state to control people.  It also accepts
that "Communist" and "Socialist" and "Labor" and "Democrat" governments
also exploit and use people... all of these political parties deny that
working people have a right to control their own lives and communities.
(Communists, for example, believe that their party must be in charge of
everything, rather than the working people themselves.)

Anarchists believe in personal reponsibility - that is, being in charge
of ones own life and ones own choices _as much as reasonably possible_,
while at the same time realizing that we are not alone, and that we can be
more productive by working together with others, seeking help from others,
and offering help to others.

Anarchists do not believe in forcing their views on people, but instead in
bringing about a social revolution through verbal persuasion, organizing,
and setting positive examples of alternatives to the present systems,
wheather they are the United States, Cuba, Russia, or China, or any other
system that exploits it's people.  Anarchists would never allow some
small group of "leaders" to impose their will on the public
at large, but instead would educate the public about alternatives
and help people who actualy make the choice to change the system... only
a movement by the majority of people would be a legitimate one.  People
who claim they "know all the answers" are generaly shunned by anarchists,
who believe that each individual must figure things out for themselves.

Anarchists are also opposed to racism, sexism, homophobia, antisemitism,
and un-democratic methods of producing needed or wanted goods, as well
as the undemocratic and irresponsible bio-engineering industry, and also
the wage-slave market where western businesses throw people out of
jobs because they can get cheaper labor in 3rd world countries with weak
labor and environemental laws.

Please see these two web sites for further information. I hope this
has been helpful.

A People's Libertarian Index:
http://flag.blackened.net/liberty/

Anarchists Against Terrorism:
http://flag.blackened.net/noterror/

 - Jamal Hannah
   Cambridge, Massachusetts
   jah-AT-iww.org