Mad and unruly #1

by doomwyte

#1 Oct. 8, 2015

Mad and Unruly

radical literature for radical readers

Thoughts on Green Anarchy

There are conflicting definitions and views of green anarchy out there. Some confuse it with primitivism, the belief that science and technology should be abolished. Below, I give a brief introduction to what I have found that green anarchy means to me.

As written in “What is Green Anarchy?” by anonymous, “We understand and celebrate the need to keep our visions and strategies open, and always welcome discussion. We feel that every aspect of what we think and who we are constantly needs to be challenged and remain flexible if we are to grow. We are not interested in developing a new ideology, nor perpetuating a singular world-view.” There is no one right answer.

Question everything, and keep learning!

So what exactly is “green anarchy” anyway?

To start with, it stems from the concept of social anarchy, or a more general anarchy.

Corin Bruce defines this as, “the view that all

social hierarchy should be abolished.” Bruce further defines green anarchy as, “the view that all hierarchy should be abolished.” The key word that is missing in the second definition is “social.” Green anarchy reaches beyond dismantling hierarchical human relations and seeks to include members of other species in our quest for equality. I believe that it should be clarified early on that no one here is suggesting we intrude on hierarchies outside of our sphere of influence. Instead, we should seek to unravel hierarchies that are a consequence of human activity. This form of anarchy easily fits in to the concept of “total liberation.” This is the belief that the struggle for all types of liberation should be united. Consequently, in addition to the fights against sexism, racism, homophobia, and so on, there are two new additions named by Bruce. These are speciesism and environmental domination.

Speciesism? Some roll their eyes and laugh at this term. Even activists have compared this term to such things as “inbuilt racism.”

To each their own, I say, but in my own opinion, there is nothing inertly racist about believing that there is a bias against other

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species. See, these people seem to think that putting animal issues on the same level as human issues is an insult to the humans.

Stop right there. That’s speciesism right there. Why should animal comparisons be an insult? Animals are noble creatures. On the other hand, however, we have to be careful that we avoid disliking humans. While I don’t support anthropocentrism, I don’t see humans as unimportant either. I believe that all humans are naturally good, and deserve equal rights and second chances. We are not inherently destructive. However, the systems that we have created have been greatly detrimental to the planet on which we live.

This is not the fault of any individual, or even humanity as a whole. The fault lies in the harmful social constructs that have been created over the years.

Let’s talk further about speciesism. This concept is naturally linked to the idea of animal rights, or animal liberation. This revolutionary appreciation of the moral rights of other species is essential to green anarchy. If you think about it, the abuse and exploitation that animals have faced at the hands of humankind is a form of hierarchy.

And that is exactly what green anarchy is out to abolish. Prejudice in favor of our species, and against the welfare and interests of other species, is presented as just as irrational and immoral as other types of discrimination. A lot of people just don’t – or won’t – understand how this philosophy can apply to non-humans. The key here is that

#1 Oct. 8, 2015

animals are sentient beings. They have a conscious, they can feel pain and pleasure; they can suffer. So, the argument here is that it doesn’t matter what species an individual is a member of. It merely matters whether or not they are sentient.

Green anarchy expands even further, beyond human and non-human animals, to include the environment around us. This brings us to the concept of social ecology, first proposed

by Murray Bookchin. Simply put, social ecology is the idea that humankind’s desire to dominate the natural world stems from the idea that humans must dominate each other.

Therefore, social issues and ecological issues are indivisible, as they both deal with the same type of hierarchical interactions. This leads us to a truly revolutionary interpretation; to fix our ecological issues, we have to undergo some deep-seated social change. The purpose of this would be to tear down hierarchy and build a truly egalitarian society. Bookchin’s vision of such a society is a “decentralized, community-based, directly democratic means of organization,” (Bruce).

Environmental concerns would be a basic precept in said society. Keep in mind, however, that green anarchy doesn’t necessarily mean primitivism. Generally, this theory strives to combine the desirable aspects of both primitive and modern societies. Ideally, this would create a society that is more decentralized and focuses on ecological wellbeing, while also emphasizes reason, science, and technology.

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What does this all mean? That’s up to you.

My take away from this brief introduction to green anarchy is that, as Bruce stated in his essay, “… green anarchism… represents… instead an expression of anarchism in its most highly developed and most coherent form.” The victimization that stems from the State and capitalism extends beyond the human race. We are not alone in this world, and we must remember that our actions affect those beyond our own species.

Those who desire change must remember the concept of total liberation; in order to overcome one form of domination, we must overcome them all.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” –Martin Luther King

#1 Oct. 8, 2015

by doomwyte

To Change Anything

#1 Oct. 8, 2015

and see all the possibilities. Surely some are better than this.

CrimethInc has produced an excellent booklet, which is discussed in this miniarticle, called “To Change Everything.” You can find it for free online at tochangeeverything.com.

This anarchist call to action begins by stating boldly, “To change anything, start everywhere,” (Hence, the title of this post).

On the adjacent page, they present a simple yet mind-blowing challenge: if we want things to change, which we certainly do, then shouldn’t we try a different approach?

Someone once told me that that’s the definition of insanity: trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

So what can we do about that? In my inexperienced (yes, I admit it) opinion, we have to twist our views around and look in some different places that we never thought to look before. The solution is out there, but we as a society are so intent on maintaining the status quo, that we can’t see it past our blinders. It’s time we cast off our blindfold

What is ‘this?’ Good question. According to David Weick, our oppressors include the centralized political State, dominant capitalist-military-political ruling class, and a complex array of institutions that bind these together, and further bind the social organization to them. Essentially, I am talking about the global system of hierarchy in all forms – as before stated, political, military, and economic. Lots of people see the problems in this system, and oh boy, are there problems. But most people decide to deal with the problems by advocating reform.

I’m not accusing anyone of this as a necessarily ‘bad’ thing – it’s just that reform would be inadequate. You can put different people ‘in charge,’ but the system remains the same. Its very existence requires major power imbalances. Obviously, such a system is inherently corrupt. When centralized power is involved, people must control others in order to control themselves. Everyone goes around essentially focusing on putting other people down in order to give themselves a boost. This isn’t necessarily a conscious endeavor – it’s just a fact. The problem with even the most democratic governmental system is that the people aren’t really in control. You can vote on who is running the whole shindig, but is that really going to

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drastically change what is occurring? There are different administrators, but the actions remain unchanged. But it gives this illusion of control – you helped pick the president! That satisfies its participants and makes them content with the system as a whole. This way, the masses aren’t liable to rise up and overthrow the operation, as that sure would be inconvenient to those in charge.

But where do these governments get their power? Do they generate it out of thin air, or maybe from solar panels? No, power doesn’t work that way. Instead, the government’s power comes from us, the people. We give it to them. We let the government monopolize all the force so that we have nothing left, nothing, so it seems, but to obey. However, the good news is that we don’t have to! We can change. We can change our thoughts, our actions. Our power, which we hand over so willingly to the authorities, can be used for good. And as a matter of fact, if we apply it ourselves, it can be more effective than it ever was when the government used it.

Then there’s the issue of money. It is always an issue, isn’t it? Capitalism is a destructive beast, and according to CrimethInc, it has a foundation in property rights. Everyone wants to keep his or her personal belongings, right? Isn’t that what “property rights” are? But having no property rights isn’t the end of the world. It doesn’t mean losing all your personal belongings. Instead, it gives you full control over your stuff. See, when the State says it’s giving you “property

#1 Oct. 8, 2015

rights,” if you think about it, they’re giving you the ‘right’ to use stuff that should be yours already? Why do you need the government to give you the right to have and use items that you worked so hard to earn?

With centralized power over your property, such as in our global system, none of your belongings are truly yours. They belong to the system. The mechanism of money is a perfect breeding ground for inequality. It gives people value based on their profit, not on their actions. Life becomes a scramble for financial gain. Is that what life is really about?

I sure hope not. Let’s break it down. Making a ‘profit’ means gaining more control over resources. What’s the point of wasting your life in the rat race, trying to earn and earn and earn to gain privileges, such as food and housing, that should be a right in the first place? Everyone these days is pursuing this ghost of “profit” instead of actually accomplishing things for themselves. Without money, people would be valued for the good they do, not how fast they can make bank.

Without profit, there’s no incentive to do meaningless, unproductive things – only things that are applicable and have value.

Instead of taking advantage of each other in the scramble to the top, we would end up developing a network of interdependence that would let us all gain from our collective actions.

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That’s all well and good (not really), but what can we do about it? There’s a motley assortment of solutions. I firmly believe that there is no one magic pill that will fix everything. But we have to start somewhere, and an apt beginning seems to be to divorce ourselves from those in power. We can work ourselves out of vertical hierarchies, and establish horizontal systems of organization in which no one person, or group of people, can control all the rest. We can develop autonomous communities and gradually separate ourselves from the catastrophe that we currently let rule our world. We start by looking to the power within ourselves, liberating ourselves from domination and possession. Yes, it may sound cliché. But how about it? Liberation means, among many things, expanding your sense of what is possible. Look beyond the horizons and search among the stars. There’s an answer out there. It won’t come all in one piece, and it may never come together fully, all at once, but a better world truly is possible. There’s lots of work to be done, and no time to wait.

Remember; to change everything, start anywhere!

#1 Oct. 8, 2015