The recent thread got me thinking of ways that we embark upon successful anarchist outreach? Indeed, what does anarchist outreach even mean?
Anarchist outreach should be the arm of the movement that is entirely devoted to extending the message and increasing the general public's awareness of anarchism. This is only one form of anarchist action, the others being the dueling twins of "liberal" style social action and more militant insurrection activities. While these two things have a goal to bring about a revolution, no revolution is complete w/out a complementary CONVERSION of the hearts and minds of the people. Now surely "liberal" style social action and militant insurrection represent the ideals of anarchism and aid in this conversion by deeds, but neither of them are "outreach" in the sense of drawing people into the intellectual fold of anarchism, where conversions occur. This becomes clear when we see anarchist actions blend w/the actions of other groups (from hippie peace protests to community garden projects to rioting inner city black youth). As such, when anarchism is in the public eye it's going to be associated w/activities that the vast majority of people are going to find fruity (at best) or dangerous (at worst); in addition, anarchism tends t get drowned out. This is where anarchist outreach steps in. Anarchist outreach is nothing more and nothing less than anarchist propaganda, and it absolute MUST accompany, in a VERY visible way, the other forms of actions. As such, anarchist outreach must seek to be constantly crafting public opinion even when it's not accompanying the other forms of action. And, as w/"liberal" style social actions and insurrection actions, when the time comes, EVERY anarchist is responsible for outreach as well. The thing about outreach though is that the time for it is ... all the time: everyone we talk to is a target for our propaganda, and yes, I do believe that we should be active propaganda mouthpieces and that this is something wholly different than works/deeds based activism.
Now, how does this play out?
Well, we have a wide variety of media at our disposal: web, print, radio, tv, and movies. For a wide array of reasons, the latter three are very difficult to break into, though that's not say they shouldn't be seen as impenetrable media. Print can be hit and miss: it's time consuming to operate, is pretty expensive if you want to be taken seriously, etc ... . So, I'll talk about the medium we're currently engaged on: the web.
The web has many advantages: easy to use, cheap, accessible, etc ... . It also has many disadvantages which become readily apparent if you've ever tried to generate hits for a website.
When we're talking about web anarchist outreach, this site (and others like it: infoshop, crimethinc, submedia.tv, etc ...) is only a small piece of the puzzle ... indeed, it's the endpoint of what should be a far broader and more insidious outreach program.
I'm going to give a brief rundown on how I've come to supplement my other outreach activities, which occur in my classes and other f2f occasions, with a healthy presence on the web.
1. Web communities: there are an almost infinite amount of communities on the web that have absolutely jack squat to do w/anarchism ... and that's a good thing. Why? B/c by engaging people in these environments you can catch them w/their guards down vis-a-vis anarchism. Every anarchist should be an ACTIVE member of as many of these communities as they have the time for. I'm active in 2 communities (one for boardgames and one for a sports team). It's best to narrow down your participation to a number of communities that you can maintain an ACTIVE presence on.
2. Types of web communities: Try to find communities based upon other things you're interested in ... you want to be in non-political web communities. In doing so, you're already building common ground w/your audience by your shared interests. It's important to maintain a presence based on this shared interest at all times.
3. Building your persona: You shouldn't ever just be an anarchist. You want to be a fully fledged and commonly known member of the community ... like in Cheers where everybody says your name when you walk through the doors. In other words, be yourself in every aspect ... in the process, you will make friends, who will serve as your support whether they're anarchists themselves or not.
4. Anarchist outreach: Once, you've become a working member of the community either find the forums dedicated to Off Topic discussions or specifically political discussions. It is very important that you don't enter these discussions wearing your anarchism on your sleeve ... treat these OT discussions (and especially forums) as terra nova and assume that everyone there is hostile to anarchism. You want to engage in these discussions w/out bringing up anarchism or citing anarchist thinkers, so just talk politics like everyone else. Use sources they're familiar with. Take sides (you'd be surprised who'd you'd be allied with sometimes). Over time, you should be trying to become an oddball on the forum, someone people have a hard time pinning down. To those who think this might be difficult b/c anarchism is solidly on The Left, consider how it easy it is to take the side of a conservative in a discussion about the bailout/stimulus (screw the feds ... get them out of our business: rah, rah, sis, boom, bah). Essentially you're trying to plant seeds in the minds of the rest of the community that anarchism is not irrational & dangerous, but it does provide alternative ways of looking at things. In general, these seeds cannot be planted if you "come out" as an anarchist.
5. Coming out: By being a sane and likeable member of the community, you've already done a heaping amount of outreach, but this doesn't do anarchism any good if people don't know you're anarchist. At some point you're going to have to "come out" ... you're going to have to reveal yourself as an anarchist. This is extremely tricky, b/c if you do it wrong or too soon, you can kill the goodwill you've created. Did I mention that people that don't like "anarchy?" So, every time you think you've found an opportunity to "come out" ... don't. Put it off ... put it off until you literally can't take it anymore. The more time between your initial participation and the "coming out" the better. Now, as a long as you've been yourself the entire time (short of coming out and saying you're an anarchist) and have been genuine w/your posts, "coming out" won't be seen as some sort of big trick or an elaborate ruse. It'll just be seen as an "oh that makes sense, now I know why he's been so hard to pin down, but hmmm ... wait a second, he's not a unabomber freak ... interesting." After you've "come out" keep on keeping on as you've been doing, but now you can also begin to introduce anarchism as such ... always slowly and carefully, you'll probably be the face of anarchism in that web community represent us well.
The overarching goal of anarchist outreach is to normalize anarchism on an intellectual level.
For an example of how this works, I'll use my participation in an online board game community (yes, I'm a gamer dork ... shove it! :) ).
The following link is for a discussion I started regarding the worker expropriations in Argentina:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/378676
The next thread is the first thread I started about Anarchism itself ... it garnered a huge audience and a ton of very quick activity, which indicated 2 things to me: that people are looking, starving for something different in politics & society AND that I had a LOT still to learn about how to negotiate my presence in the community.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/352857/page/1
This is the thread where I "came out:"
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/352546
And this is the thread that finally pushed me to "come out" in the first place ... the idea that people wouldn't let their kids play w/my kids just b/c we were anarchists was really troubling:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/352324
Anarchist action doesn't have to be big to communicate ideas. Anarchist action doesn't have to be "practical demonstrations" to communicate ideas. Anarchist action can be as small and impractical as a strategic conversation over the water cooler or in a thread on a random web community. The opportunity for outreach is all around us, and we must constantly be looking to seize those opportunities.
Peaceful resolve is a view that some anarchists hold dear, while other anarchists see insurrection as
the only resort. For the purpose of this article i will put my own views aside for fear of being biased.
anarchopacifist or insurrectionist, that is the question.
Taking a lengthy look at the options that these two views provide, we will analyze and evaluate the pros
and cons of each.
Anarchopacifism: Viewing violence as counter-productive, anarchopacifists utilize peaceful methods to
dismantle the government such as non-participation. The realization that the people its self is the life
blood of the system, cutting off the bloodstream will cause the system to collapse and fail. Viewed as
idealists per anarchist standards, they continue their cause of changing every ones mind about the
nature of power and that violence causes the state to tighten its reigns when people cry out in fear
of terrorism, thus strengthening the state.
The problem I see with anarchopacifism is that conceptually it is correct but only in outstanding
numbers. In all reality anarchists make up a very small percentage of the population and changing the minds
of millions is highly improbable. This ghandi-esque point of view is commendable but extremely idealistic.
Insurrectionary anarchists: The view in which the existing government is overthrown by force, usurping
their power and giving it back to the people once obtained. The problem with this is that in history,
this usually paves the path for yet another tyrant. This method will more than likely be the eventual
outcome. This however would also require a major political rallying point that the people as a whole
could stand behind, such as the exposure of treason by the state against its own people. (lol, about
1000 instances just came rushing into my head). without a rallying point, direct action would be viewed
with disdain by the masses and be labeled a terrorist act.
HMMM, I wonder, If we could just find a middle ground here...
(for the record, I did my best to keep opinions out, its just so damn hard.)
A study was conducted in 2006 and 2007 by Shayne Snyder and colleagues at the Southern Nevada Water Authority
in Las Vegas. This is what was found, tap water contained....
Atenolol: A beta-blocker used to treat cardiovascular disease.
Atrazine: An organic herbacide that is used to decline fish stocks and and alter animal behavior.
(Banned in The E.U.)
Carbamazepine: A mood stabilizing drug used to treat bipolar disorders. (I dont remember being
diagnosed with that.)
Estrone: An oestrogen hormone secreted by the ovaries.
Gemfibrozil: An anti-cholesterol drug. (Great for washing down that Big Mac.)
Meprobamate: A tranquiliser used in psychiatric treatment. (Again, I dont remember being diagnosed.)
Naproxen: An anti-inflamitory linked to increases in asthma.
Phenytoin: An anti-convulsant used to treat epilepsy.
Sulfamethoxazole: An antibiotic.
TCEP: A reducing agent used in molecular biology.
Fluoride: AAAAhhh. Here we go. Fluoridation of the water. Fluoride has been directly linked with reducing
people's IQ's. In 1995, neruotoxicologist Dr. Phyllis Mullenix published research showing that fluoride was built
up in the brains of animals that were exposed to moderate levels. Other interesting results included
offspring suffering psycological effects similar to A.D.D. Young and adult animals given fluoride suffered
opposite effects such as sluggishness and hypoactivity (sedation).
The toxic effects of fluoride on the central nervous system was subsequently confirmed by previously
classified government research. Two new epidemiological studies which confirm fluorides neurotoxic effects
on the brain have showed that children exposed to high levels of fluoride had lower IQs.
"And it seems to me perfectly in the cards that there will be within the next generation or so a pharmacological
method of making people love their servitude, and producing ... a kind of painless concentration camp for entire
societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them but will rather enjoy it,
because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda, brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced
by pharmacological methods." Damn, I wish I could remember who said this.
At the end of World War II, the US government sent Charles Eliot Perkins, a research worker in chemistry,
biochemistry, physiology and pathology, to take charge of the vast Farben chemical plants in Germany. The
German chemists told Perkins of a scheme which they had devised during the war and had been adapted by
the German General Staff. The German chemists explained of their attempt to control the population in any
given area through the mass medication of drinking water with sodium fluoride, a tactic used in German and
Russian prisoner of war camps to make the prisoners "stupid and docile".
Anyhow, just some fun facts to play with. Enjoy your next glass of refreshing sedation.
On February 9th, a 52 yr old homeless man was beaten by Fresno Police officers. The police department is
struggling to justify the beating, claiming thet the tape did not catch the attack of the homeless man ripping
off one of the officers badge. The two officers are under investigation by internal affairs. The vulgar display
of power is apparant in the video and has recieved attention across the nation. What I am seeing is more
than just police brutality, this is a clip of the class war.
Our comrade Stan has also sent me an update on himself and the status of Military Health Care.
Stan Wrote...
Hi A.O.C.,
In case you don't remember me, my name is Stan, and I am the soldier who emailed you back in early January about how ridiculous the Army is and how I want to 'get out' more than anything in the world. I thought I would update you on another piece of the pie that is supposed to be a great reason to join the service: free health care. LOL!
Here's the low down of the GREAT Army medical care:
1) IF they allow you to get treated (ie. take time out of your 'busy' schedule to see a doctor, because everything we do in garrison is so important - HA!) they treat you like a smuck, coward, and weakling because you are requesting medical attention. (More or less 'suck it up')
2) The usual treatment is done by the outward look of the patient, and not a diagnosis of the problem. You 'look' ok, so just get some rest, stop being a bitch, and 'drink water'.
3) If you really do have a problem, it takes MONTHS to get anything done (surgery wise), and often weeks to months health wise. Don't forget, everything here is done by Army doctors and not civilians. When you are treated by a civilian doctor in the real world you have the privilege of knowing that he/she has gone to med school and earned their reputation to be a registered doctor. Not in the Army. A year of brief and unsupportive general health training, followed by another brief school of specific training towards their field is all these people get. Imagine getting surgery on an ankle or knee, in which you would want the best care possible. Actually, don't imagine that, because the inexperience of the person performing surgery on you will scare you.
4) When and if you are allowed to get your problem or illness treated by your superiors, the bureaucratic and completely in-efficient system that the Army uses to handle patients will put you at the long end of a waiting list that takes ages to work through. (You think there would be a system for the severity of the problem at hand, but the way the Army does things is at their convenience, so someone with a broken leg will be put on the waiting list for two months out, after someone who needs something significantly less, like a consultation who will get it at the end of the week. There is no order and no sense whatsoever. From experience, having a broken leg has taken me MONTHS to get it treated because of the constant loops I've been thrown in that I have to sort out myself, with no help from the medical staff).
5) Don't get me started on Army Dentists.
6) The Army will NOT take care of you if you have gotten injured, and more than likely you will not receive any disibility or beneficial pay after your discharge, should anything happen to you. I would provide a source here, but just look up any anti-war group or in particular 'AVAW' (Army Vets Against the War) and you will see a list of people who received little to no medical care for their amputations or paralysis caused by a pointless war.
More to come. Generally when you are young and looking for opportunity, don't look twice at the Army. The benefits they wave in front of your face are little more than exaggerated lies. The 'top notch' medical care that they advertise should be called 'third world health care', or rather, 'third world health care if and when you are able to receive it, based on the convenience of those in charge of you, who have no medical knowledge whatsoever and could really care less about your well being!!!!!"
FUCK
Live safe. Live happy (or try to). And by all means live on the streets before even thinking of enlisting in any branch of service. Your country needs you, so give it the finger.
"My motivations for creating The Evilness of Power are varied. I wanted to clarify the ideas and channel the
strong emotions I'd been internalizing since I became an activist in 2004 and which I had been sketchily
trying to articulate in my youtube channel since late 2006. I also realized that there weren't that many
documentaries dealing exclusively with the concept of hierarchy--perhaps none at all--.
I noticed how relatively easy and effective it would be to weave together some of my youtube videos
with parts of programs, films, documentaries etc to offer a more comprehensive examination of hierarchy
and hopefully contribute to revolutionary change."
After 9/11 the government used widespread public fear as a method to
deprive us of certain rights. Of these was a 2005 bill passed that
would allow for a national identification system (known as "Real ID")
to be implemented. This bill was never debated yet it was passed
unanimously, as it was tacked as a must-pass appropriations bill to
fund troops and tsunami relief effort. Although 16 states have passed
legislation rejecting this bill to make it virtually impossible as a
national policy, there are some states that plan to put Real ID into
action.
Even though it seems we have dodged a national system, (for the
moment being anyway), advanced state ID systems could be just as
harmful. A great deal of the population either did not know about Real
ID or thought it was in their best interest when it was at its peak.
In addition to a major inconvenience this system is a clear invasion
of human rights. Allowing these I.D's to put all of your information
in the computer and make it accessible by DMV workers. It would also
be required to enter certain buildings and to strength gun "control"
laws.
i read through the manifesto and i have a few questions.
1. if morals are based on do what you will, then wont people live in fear? with no absolutes isnt it possible for more people to
do bad things and get away with them?
A) People do all types of bad and immoral things as it is and still get away with it. As I have stated before, anarchy does not
mean chaos. Nothing in this life is absolute except change.
2. how would a government completely on an individual basis work? how could negotiations be made? could society still flourish?
A) Communitys would be set up by like minded individuals, each with their own set of guidelines and repercussions for
infringement on anothers liberties, all of which is determined by the community as a whole. Negotiations would be
done in a similar manner. As far as the community flourishing, the community would be driven by necessity and
survival which is the basis for invention and innovation.
3. has this ever been proven a valid system of government? has anarchy ever shown itself to be reasonable and worth repeating?
A) There have been talks of puting anarchism to the test in a sociological experiment as far as real life, just take a
look at the factory workers in Argentina.
4. couldn't a person just go live off on their own if they wanted to completely be in charge of their own life? why
take down a country, when only a faction wants this?
A) We as a society are moving closer and closer to globalization and when this happens we will all be fucked. Nowhere
to run, nowhere to hide. Small communes will be brought to their knees for breaking away and labeled as insurgents.
For those anarchists living in America, we are living in the belly of the beast. Despotism being the eventual outcome
of the American war machine, sooner or later we will need to throw our bodies on the gears to make it stop.
-Agent of Chaos-
