Unfortunately for those of us that take Anarchy seriously and personal, there has been a great perversion of the word over the past decade-perhaps longer. I want to know where juvenile kids wearing the circled 'A' get off ruining a perfectly legitiment lifestyle and political theory by wearing Anarchy for no other reason than attention and reputation. This mainstream corruption of the fringe and extreme happens all the time-the music biz, clothing, and chain stores. My congratulations to Green Day, who managed to irreversibly ruin the definition of punk, and to Hot Topic who has capitalized off of the scene's we work hard to support by using private means. Again, the cooperate machine crushes the private individual.
But I'm talking about Anarchy-that rebellious theory that means ultimate personal freedom-the unbinding of the shackles of authority. Sounds great-all I have to do is wear a lot of A's with circles around them and break laws, and suddenly I'm an Anarchist. Sure-just like if I like the Offspring and wear a chain-wallet I'm a punk rocker. Whatever happened to understanding the fundamentals of the trend? Why promote Anarchy? And do you even know what it really means? Do the names Proudhon, Tolstoy, Godwin and Kropotkin sound familiar? If you can't answer these questions, what business have you attempting to support our theory? Would you wait four weeks for a Crass t-shirt you ordered from a small, private punk-run shop, or run down to the handy Hot Topic and get the same thing? If your not interested enough to study the theory and actively support it, your not legitemant enough to wear the sign. You single-handedly ruin its reputation for all of us who seriously stand for Anarchy. My thanks to you.
Hans Kung, the catholic theologian, used an argument that I'd like to apply here:
1) Anarchists are the strongest argument against Anarchy.
2) Anarchists are the strongest argument for Anarchy.
If kids who are primarily concerned with reputation and having an ego as the anarchist punk rocker are proudly showing off our sign, naturally people are going to assume that Anarchy is nothing more than a method for gaining the attention of other kids. On the other hand, if we use Anarchy as a tool to first better ourselves, then those around us, and show other people that it's ideals actually change things and make them better, we can have a positive effect-people will understand and perhaps support our ideas; that of Anarchy.
What I'm saying is look at why you wear the symbol. It's a valuable tool for letting other people know where you stand, and not to be taken lightly. Have a real reason, and act on that reason. Don't just talk about it. Don't just say you want Anarchy, and hate government. Do something! Get out and actively help out. Make people aware, write essays and articles, support your local punk scene, and if you don't have one, get a bunch of people to start one. Support cooperative (i.e. anarchist) distributors. Anok and Peace is a great outlet, and they are putting Anarchy to practical use. Do the same! It's not hard.
Anarchy is an attitude about not letting authority or anyone else run your life. You are yourself, and you define yourself. Don't let anyone else tell you how or what to think. Do what you want to do, but make it constructive for the benefit of yourself and others. Anarchy is not an excuse to break laws and wreak havoc. It's a tool for bettering society without the need of the Government. By supporting Anarchy, I'm not supporting the destruction of Government. I'm telling them I can do things better by myself, and don't need a set of rules to tell me how to live my life.
I believe it was Kropotkin who said," Implied freedom is implied duty." So you're free-so you want to define yourself. So do it! You have a responsibility to actualize yourself and your own betterment. But if you want freedom for all, you have a duty to help all. You have the responsibility to do all you can to cooperatively better your own community, and society if it comes to that. Do not underestimate yourself-remember, we all stand for the same thing: Peace and Freedom. You are not alone.
I'm curious to know if anyone is doing anything about this. If you or someone you know is putting Anarchism to work, let me know and I'll include it in the next article. That's what this is for; remember, we need to communicate and share ideas. Direct your email to: aalance@student.nnc.edu, and you're snail mail toward: Andrew Lance, Box 1265, Tehachapi, CA 93581.
Be Free.
