It's been irreparably tainted by authoritarian states, and associating ourselves with brutal dictators does so much damage to anarchism.
Comments
thirdnature wrote
while i tend to agree with the first part (had a convo with a coworker about this the other night, they thought 'russia' invented communism), communism is more than just the workers isn't it? it's everyone in a community wanting to actively participate in the life of the community, especially anarcho-communism, it's about communities that foster freedom and evenly distribute power and resources to all its members and foster individuality/free choice.
ziq wrote (edited )
Definately. But it's also an ideology that came out of the industrial age, and puts a lot of emphasis on that.
thirdnature wrote
i'm not tryin to be annoying or pedantic hah i just wanna get my stuff straight: i don't see that over-emphasis on workers that would make communism irrelevant td. reading kropotkin, goldman, bookchin, graeber, among others gives me the impression that communism has always been an inclusive thing, it was moreso marx who elevated the workers as the primary concern rather than communist theory as a whole. anarcho-communism goes beyond the whole class analysis into psychosocial models of hierarchy which wouldn't allow it to restrict itself in that kinda way.
sorry if sound like a fuck hah like i said im just tryin to dot my i's and cross my t's. i've only been reading into this stuff for a couple of months, so i take every opportunity to try and straighten my shit out
Defasher wrote
I think this thread is post-left propaganda in disguise, and I love it.
thirdnature wrote
HAH well im pretty sure the idea that communism gives precedence to the workers isn't true, unless you think communism=marxism, so yr prob right heh
ziq wrote
I agree, and I've never identified as a communist because of that reason. The word will never belong to us.
Mullvaden wrote
Well, you have a point. But I don't think anarchism will automatically get people a positive image either, it's usually mentioned in relation to social unrest and trouble most people shy away from. As always it's about what you do or say that matters, not what little political subculture you are currently subscribing to.
ziq wrote
While that's true, state propaganda will slander whatever we call a movement to overthrow the state.
The good thing about 'anarchism' is no one can say "But anarchism only works on paper". It's been proven again and again that it works, unlike 'communist' states that have always led to disaster.
Halstan wrote
If the word "communist" or "anarchist" is ever used while talking about yourself, the vast majority of people will write you off completely. Just say you believe in super localized govt and continue everything else the same.
zombie_berkman wrote
i always say syndicalist even tho they are like 99% the same thing
Naokotani wrote
So we are assuming that anarcho-communist and anarcho-syndacalist are the same thing?
NeoliberalismKills wrote
I've always assumed anarcho-syndicalism was a practical means to anarcho-communism. At least that's how me and most the anarcho-syndicalists I know think.
Defasher wrote
That word was perverted by tankies so long ago that there's no way it'll ever mean anything other than 'state capitalist dictatorship' to the majority of people. It's also lost all relevency in a post-worker world.