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OK, let's talk about that.
I have been much influenced by Frederick Mann's concept of building
freedom as opposed to fighting for freedom. Most of his work, therefore, is
in the area of building alternative institutions and structures for use now.
These alternative institutions and structures make up a REAL free
market. Now, to complement this, it would be wonderful if structures and
dynamics for local co-operation were established. The knowledge and means
exist if people will use them and DO it. It does not seem to be happening
though.
When I began the Telesis project, I considered myself to be an
Anarchist and began forwarding "stories" from the A-Infos anarchist news to
this mailing list. Over time, the news seemed to become increasingly
irrelevant to anything; and gradually I came to understand that the
mainstream ANARCHY(TM) movement that exists today is not at all
revolutionary and is largely ANTI-revolutionary.
Another concept from Frederick Mann is that there are levels of freedom
with their own specific "consciousness" and related activities. "Protest"
(as a "consciousness" and activity) is actually a lower level. Today's
mainstream ANARCHY(TM) is a movement, philosophy
and "consciousness" of protest. Libertarianism, on the other hand, is rooted
in the concept of the Sovereign Individual. This principle DOES appear in
early Anarchist writings, but it is rarely discussed and certainly not
EXPRESSED in today's ANARCHY(TM) which is fanatically ANTI-INDIVIDUALIST. An
Anarchist(tm) is not a Sovereign Individual. No, s/he is completely
identified with the Mass, the "working class", the oppressed, the victims.
Struggle and protest are the "doingness" that come from this "beingness"
(identity).
J18: "Man, we were all there...and we held up SIGNS!!!"
Which is about all that an Anarchist(tm) can do. S/He has identified
with powerlessness to the extent of making "POWER" itself a "devil" of hir
ideology. Lao Tzu observed long ago that social ills result from the
powerlessness of the people. However, the Anarchist(tm) has turned this
around. Rather than empowering themselves and other people, they seek to
exorcize "POWER" from the universe. The Anarchist(tm) is NOT a Sovereign
Individual and so can not BUILD FREEDOM.
Now, I am not saying that protest does not have a place or serve a
purpose, but consider: What did J18 REALLY accomplish? A lot of energy went
into it worldwide. Would it not have been better if that energy had gone
into forming The sort of mutual aid societies and their connected community
centers that Hakim Bey discussed in his essay THE TONG or into local ACUR
(alternative currency) projects that would REALLY help to break the money
monopoly?
Zero
..I'd like to be
under the sea...
http://is.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/index.html
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