Welcome to /r/Anarchy101!

I understand that the ideal society is pedestrian and bicycle friendly, powered by robust public transportation systems, and that many of the issues we face today are directly due to cars and the infrastructure needed to maintain their hegemony.

But that ideal future is quite a way ahead because infrastructure will take a long time to change even if there is the political will to do so.

Where I am from, and I am sure many othera from developing countries would agree, there aren't that many traffic laws and those that exist are rarely followed. The lack of order on the road makes driving cars more dangerous (and scary) than in the west.

But I am also very wary of demanding more policing of traffic because I know that these laws aren't going to be applied fairly, and many laws are drafted to serve the rich than to serve the common person.

So Tl;Dr: what are alternatives to policing for improving traffic regulation NOW?

I am a queer disabled 13 year old and my brother in law will be deported because of Trump's policies, my school district is super crowded, and with trumps defunding of the education system, it will probably get worse.

I am tired of having to watch my world fall apart because of fascism. I'm tired of having to watch others suffer. I can't do anything.

All I'm asking is for something to do. I live in conservative Texas so I don't even know if I could organize....

Are there any resources for a TRUE beginner when it comes to protecting ourselves while online? I genuinely don’t even understand VPNs. I barely understand what a server is. I’ve been gallivanting online knowing full well none of my activities were super secret or anything, but I’m wanting to put more of an effort into at least taking basic precautions. Anytime I try to start learning I get so confused right off the bat. So truly, I either need a baby’s guide to computer safety zine or some type of class format that explains what things are and how we as anarchists can apply them, if that makes sense? Does something like this exist somewhere? Like some anarchist hacking group that teaches “for dummy” classes? Thank you for any help and/or resources!

This isn't really a post asking what anarchism is. I already know what anarchism is. Or at least I think I know. While there are many definitions of anarchism, anarchism generally refers to a political philosophy and social movement against all forms of domination and hierarchy which can be rectified through horizontal forms of social organization. The etymological meaning of anarchism is “without ruler or authority.” The reason for writing this post is to ask: for people "new" to anarchism such as myself why there is a compulsion to know what anarchism is in a mechanized, static, objective way?

Maybe it's because unlike other political philosophies/social movements (specifically those on the Left), there isn't a core manifesto for anarchism. Yes, there are many introductory texts, text considered canonical to the anarchist movement, and core thinkers, but there is not one text like Marxism (The Communist Manifesto), Leninism (Foundations of Leninism), or Trotskyism (The Revolution Betrayed). In a way, this isn't true though as these political philosophies/social movements have changed over time. Still, the fact that there doesn't seem to be an ur-text for anarchism is both frustrating and invigorating. Frustrating because it is hard to trace historically as a political philosophy/social movement. Invigorating in that anarchism, even in its 19th century European form, was unique as it didn't have an authoritative text ideology sprung from, which is truly anarchist.

I wonder if this has to due with my upbringing. Aside from being a total perfectionist, in the Western world it feels like there is a preoccupation with knowing over experiencing as experience is not accepted as an adequate form of knowledge or knowing. My compulsion to want to know what anarchism is in its myriad of definitions is possibly an actualization of this, and the differences in the ways anarchist theorists and activists explain what anarchism is can be intriguing. For example, in Anarchy Alive! Anti-Authoritarian Politics From Practice to Theory, Uri Gordon situates anarchism as a decentralized social movement, political culture, and collection of ideas while in Anarchism and Its Aspirations, Cindy Milstein doesn't really provide a core definition of what anarchism is, although it is introduced along the same lines of the little definition I gave in the first paragraph. Both imply that anarchism is less of an identity and more of something people do it—it is a practice.

If this is so, which I believe it is, continuing to read anarchist texts in the hope of knowing what anarchism is might be fruitless because anarchism is something you do, you take part it, you experience. Plus, one introductory text is probably enough to get a general sense of what anarchism is and can be. Maybe it's better to go back to other introductory texts and analyze their definitions after I experienced anarchism is as well as read more specific texts on it, meaning texts about the history of anarchist mobilizations and thought, specific anarchist theories, or maybe imaginative literature.

Ultimately, I am wondering if anyone else has had this experience with learning about anarchism: the need to bottle up its revolutionary essence with a definition that you can give to others, perhaps to defend yourself, your politics. Is this an effect of living in the Western world, in a civilization determinate on categorization through domination, the myth of objectivity, and hierarchies of knowledge? Or am I just a perfectionist and an online anarchist spinning in his chair, forgetting the real work is done on the streets?

~

Looking forward to hearing other people's thoughts!

How would you explain to someone the difference between the historical individualist tradition (Warren, Tucker, Stirner, ect) and what people call "anarcho"-capitalism today.

So - I preface this by saying that I am not trying to ask this through the lens of some totalitarian "ah but the only way to prevent crime is to torture people forever, don't you see" lens. Anarchy would - assuming resources, infrastructure, etc - reduce the motivation for most economic, resource-driven crimes to practically nil. If we assume that people are generally decent - as, in many cases, they are - then that works out nicely. There's no reason to murder someone/steal from someone for stuff you need if you have the stuff you need.

However, I'm somewhat curious about the way anarchism deals with crimes that are somewhat separate from this. Obviously, things like rape and child abuse are ultimately about power (crimes of passion, forgive me, is just a nice title to put up), absolutely - but they're hardly tied entirely into are my resource-related needs met? Is the idea behind anarchism that eliminating the existing systems would entirely remove these issues? Is it sort of a community/mob resolution to these individual cases (if so, how does one prevent 'oh well Jeff is a fine upstanding member of the community, I don't believe he'd beat his child', the way such things occur nowadays)?

Basically - I'm of the idea that anarchism would generally resolve a good chunk of crimes, but it just seems fantastical to assume that it would resolve everything simply by virtue of existing, so, how do the remaining individual cases get resolved, when people are simply murderously jealous of a neighbour for being better-looking/more socially succesful/whatever, or abuse their child for the irrational reasons that they do, or any number of such things? How do such things get prevented, and then resolved after the fact?

I've been hanging around here for a while asking questions in other people's posts but I might as well ask my question outright so I can move on.

With regards to common state activities such as regulating markets to encourage efficient resource redistribution, arbitrating just violence, and maintaining shared infrastructure, the answers to people's questions generally seem to assume the following:

• communities are able to get at least their minimum calorie requirement directly out of the land beneath their feet
• communities have a low enough populations that everybody in a geographical area knows everybody else, and every member of the community is valuable to the survival of the community
• Communities are spread out enough that they can live as they please without bothering their neighbors
• All communities have low enough population numbers overall that resources can't be over-exploited

The trouble is that the last time these conditions existed on this planet was the American frontier, and that required the largest genocide that the human race has ever seen, and possibly ever will see.

So my question is: is anarchy anathema to cities, or even large towns?

And if so, how do anarchists plan to keep the population numbers low if there is no way to establish, maintain, and enforce an agreement between communities to do so?

And if not, what is the anarchist solution for ensuring that tons of food will be distributed to a place like New York City, or ensuring that tightly packed places do not descend into violence on a regular basis?

Edit: I have been assured there are answers to these questions, but nobody has actually given me them, only told me that they exist.

Communism is a stateless, classless, moneyless society. This sub defines Anarchism as a self-managed, stateless, classless society. What is the difference? Do anarchists disagree with a transitional period between capitalism and communism? (I don't just mean reform, revolution is included as well.)

What are you alls thoughts on living as an anarchistic in another country such as a slum in South America , that does not have police presence?

I own a lot of books on practical topics (gardening/farming, canning/preserving, amateur radio, conflict resolution, first aid, knitting and sewing, etc) that I’m planning to digitize with a bookeye scanner sometime this year, and I’d like to share them somewhere they can be helpful. Are there any online libraries or other repositories that specialize in practical manuals?

As stated in the headline. I always use these words to describe the same thing.

As a disabled person with low cooking skills, what do you think community-based food service would look like? I think it would be really cool to like walk down to like a district cook house where people volunteer to help make meals for people with fresh ingredients and hang with friends. I could also see there was something conceptually like restaurants still existing in some form. Because some people really find cooking as a creative outlet and want to share it with other people, and helping people fill a need is just a nice thing to do.

Has anyone developed these thoughts more deeply, I could read?

How willing are anarchists when it comes to cooperating with other leftists who don't have the exact same opinions and ideas?

Hey comrades,

With Trump re-elected, we need to face what this means for us as anarchists and how we’re going to handle what’s coming. This regime has already shown its hostility toward dissent, minorities, and anyone outside its power structure. If authoritarianism ramps up, we have to be ready.

What do you all think will happen next? Will we see escalations in policing or the targeting of anarchists and leftist movements specifically? How should we prepare for that? Should we expect new laws, tighter surveillance, or even more direct violence? And if so, what strategies are most effective to resist and protect each other?

I think we need to build networks of mutual aid, create autonomous spaces, and strengthen our supply chains. We also need to be discussing ways to educate and organize the wider public, both to support them and bring them into the fight. But what do others here think about strategies? How can we stay flexible and prepared for what’s next without just reacting to their every move?

Let’s pool our perspectives and skills here so we’re not caught off guard. We’re in this together, and we’re stronger if we’re thinking collectively.

Have you heard of rewilding? A lot of people want it to become part of the anarchist ethos, and some already consider it central. Maybe this is the time to pull away from civilization altogether. My own version of anarchism blends with Wicca and esoteric movements, which are really compatible with being deep in nature.

Maybe now is the time to remove ourselves from the urban scene. But the problem is that if things get too bad there, that darkness will eventually flow into the wild and crush the green spaces we seek to protect.

At least, that could happen. So I’m facing some deep questions about how to deal with this. Right now, I'm an urban anarchist, but I'm seriously considering separating from urban life as much as possible.

But is it just running away? Or is it time to get even more involved and be prepared for what could come?

I think it’s important not to project too much, but I also think there’s something happening right now that we all have to pay attention to. I’m trying to figure out what it is. I want to get out of my own echo chamber and hear your points of view.

I’ve been listening/reading a lot about the Russian revolution and civil war. Every time the anarchist forces are brought up they mention that they had a kind of democratic hierarchy because it was needed in the heat of battle but never go into detail about the logistics of that system. Does anyone have more information? If there is a book specifically about anarchist military’s I’d love to read it.

So after the government is removed and the police has been abolished, what happens to the people who are in prisons? Does everyone get out, or do we keep the ones that are actual awful stains on humanity still there?

Rehabilitation works, but only if the person wants to be rehabilitated and is willing to change. so what happens to the ones who aren't willing?

I would consider my self a student of anarchism for a little over 4 years now and honestly, besides this community, it is a bit lonely where I am. I struggle to find people with whom I am idea logically aligned, and whenever I used to try and share what I had learned I wasn't able to combat their scepticism in a productive manner. But a few days ago I was finally able have a discussion with someone (a centrist of all people) where we were describing our ideal world. I discribed anarcho-communism in all but name, I touched on community self defence as a way to combat those who would try and take power for themselves. I was able to provide real world examples of of anarchy working with the help of good old "Anarchy Works" by Gelderloos and they came out of it, I think, a little more radical than they were before our talk. And at the very least I was able to show them a better world is possible. So thank you guys for giving me the tools I needed to describe how I have felt and what I have wanted in a world for so long. I don't know if this made any sense but I wanted y'all to know I really appreciate this community.

Silly question i know but if the world become anarchist would it be better to fly flags and bear symbols of the previous states? The symbols of the states before they became symbols of the states used to be symbols of the ethnic groups and peoples who came before the states.

I for one would still want to be able to fly the Australian flag if theoretically the world became anarchist.

Any good books/podcasts that go in depth on Mutual Aid to recommend?

that go beyond basic 101 videos/articles

I live in a closed society with hatred and racism. Generally in my parts the identity of anarchist or leftist is quite unsympathetic to the point of threat.

Every time I go out, I notice looks and somehow i am 'afraid' of thuggery, etc. How can I defend myself against them? Any martial arts? Tactics to avoid physical confrontation? Ways to feel confident? Anything is welcome even shared experiences!

Thanks!

I can find resources on theory and all that but I'm more curious about what influenced your thought processes anecdotally, where you came from before deciding on the anarchist label.

I know I'm not the only person bitter and looking to other solutions after Nov 5. I wasn't even a liberal necessarily, more of a socdem/demsoc, moreso just opposed to accelerationism and not of the belief that Americans were ready for any kind of radical shift in government.

But now we're here, looking ahead at fascism, and I'm trying to humble myself and reevaluate my own wrong assumptions about the best course of action to take. I fear being pulled to a more authoritarian way of thinking when the anarchist or left libertarian model feels more moral to me.

I’ve recently been told to look into anarchism due to hating politicians, and from what I can find there doesn’t seem to be an answer to this question despite it being the most common critique of anarchism, although I’m fully willing to admit that I may have done bad research lol.

I want to attach a flag to a painters pole to have a portable flag for actions. Does anybody have any good advice for how to attach it? I’m also open to alternatives to a painters pole, but the portability/concealability seems ideal.

Idk where else to post this, but it’s essentially Praxis

Just outta curiosity, what do some of y’all’s political compass look like

I have read from "anarcho-capitalists" and some market anarchists on this topic and I think that the case for "private" defense is pretty interesting, but I am unsure as to how an anarcho-communist would hope to organize a sufficient fighting force to defend against invaders. One response I have heard from a variety of anarchists is essentially, "it doesn't matter, I'm an anarchist because the state is unethical. Even if it failed instantly it would still be worth it". That is fine but I am hoping to hear more direct predictions as to what anarcho-communist community defense might look like.

I've always been more of a reader and theory nerd than anything. I have protested in the past through groups like YDSA but ultimately I wasn't as active as I should and could have been. Protests, canvassing and mutual aid are probably not enough.

I'm a recent college grad so I did that stuff at my school. I'm back home now but I don't know any activist orgs in my area cause all my friends were through uni lol.

I did some looking and it seems that groups like Food Not Bombs aren't particularly active? I tried signing up but the latest their schedule went was March 2024.

I'd like to get more involved with libsocs or mutual aid organizations in my area and start organizing. I don't know that many lib socs here and I'd like that to change. Community is more important than ever.

So if anyone is in Chicagoland (I don't want to be more specific on the internet, especially given recent events), I'd love to connect.

Hell I'd love to do a theory reading circle or something if nothing else. But a 2nd trump term is going to be bad. And I want to be part of the move to help people when shit hits the fan.

Hope this is okay to post, since I'm just trying to learn more about anarchism through interaction with non-anarchists

As an experiment, I decided to hop into r/conspiracy and ask them to tear apart my ideas and also try to understand how they think about anarchocommunism. Some of the discussion was cool, and then there were the people who think hierarchies are human nature. Really annoying. Why would I subject myself to all this? Just to see how my arguments work when they're not in a vacuum or echo chamber.

Anyway, these are my results: https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/s/ozm7z9IaZm

If you don't mind, I'd like some insight on my responses and their accuracy. An evaluation of my beliefs and dreams as an ancom. Might be a learning experience for you too.

I’ve been on a Fichte binge lately, and have found his texts such as the Foundations series very enjoyable and fun to read. Does anyone know if anarchist thinkers ever Commented on Fichte in their works, or Defended Fichte against Attacks by other thinkers like Hegel? Have any anarchists done a systematic Anarchistic defense of Fichte’s system of thought?

Can you recommend me some podcasts on anarchy, preferably on YouTube or Spotify? Been trying to get into anarchy since 2 months, been reading Anarchist FAQ, yet I need something listenable while I'm at work, at gym, etc.

Before I start, I want to say that I'm in no way trying to insult or be aggressive towards anarchism, I am simply elaborating so you guys know where I'm coming from. Im gonna start by saying that I despise the idea of anarchism, at least the stereotypical one. And I have anything with the word communism in it. I am Cuban so the mere idea that anything communist related could work feels insulting to me and my family. However, this question has been been on my brain for quite a bit, and as someone who is critical of both political sides and hates the idea of political ideology/identifying yourself to a single ideal, I want to research as many parts of each side as I can to further build my own opinion and critiques. With that being said, I don't understand anarchism. I get that you don't like the hierarchy, but when presented with the idea of a power vacuum, the only response I see from anarchists on Reddit is that "everyone will just agree to not take over". That sounds overly optimistic of human nature, which I believe to be inherently pretty bad. Also, I do not understand the idea of creating institutions and things like that while simultaneously having no structure. It seems that many anarchist ideas in general rely on the optimistic idea that everyone will just magically agree with each other and not section off into groups as if it's mad max. This is what I don't understand. You view government as solely a means of controlling people and extracting money out of them, but without a central body to enforce laws and such, there is no guarantee that anyone will follow them. Every argument I've seen on Reddit for anarchism is either very confusing or straight up self contradicting. Can someone give me some straightforward examples of types of anarchism so I can understand? Also, if I reply to your comment with something that seems to be defensive or against your argument, it's simply me trying to make dialogue to get further elaboration on your point, it isn't me trying to be mean or something. Maybe I'm just not very socially aware, but many people take it that way when I do that. Anyways, I hope this wasn't too long winded, and I'll definitely have more questions in individual comment threads, but I hope you guys will see that I'm asking this all in good faith and I hope you'll help me out :D. Thank you in advance