Revolution!

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by Marcel Votlucka

You say you want a revolution?

The revolution will not be televised. It will not be glamorous. It will not be a sudden overthrow of world governments. It will not be a violent, climactic struggle against the Dark Side of the Force. Instead, it will be a quieter revolution of the mind.

The biggest hurdle to such a transformation is the statist psychology and "sense of life" shoved down our throats from an early age. It underlies all the wars, programs, ideologies, and institutions that anarchists oppose. It is, in short, a negative, malevolent view of the world and of human nature. What distinguishes this psychology?

Fear, envy, passivity, irrational thinking, collectivism, moral relativism, unearned guilt, learned helplessness, and a sense of humanity as fundamentally bad . . . these are our true enemies.

Fear and envy are great weapons against people's spirits. The ten o'clock news or your typical newspaper pushes endless stories of violent crime, sudden disasters, endless hazards and dangers, and freak accidents – scaring you, like they scared me when I was a kid. It puts into overdrive the part of your mind that detects threats. Feel the envy of hapless losers who, in the name of "equality" or "social justice," preach against people with greater artistic or academic talent, business acumen, financial security, success, and moral integrity than themselves. That kind of talk lights a fire under people's inadequacies and breeds resentment of others . . . . Fear and envy lead us to fight amongst ourselves as well as see enemies where there are none; foreigners, fellow citizens, even our next-door neighbors. More critically, they open the door for false saviors to "protect" us or "end inequality" (through force, of course). And it all just goes downhill from there.

Passivity further weakens us. It keeps you simmering in silence as petty bullies, ignorant bigots, bosses on a power trip, and crooked politicians get away with crap they shouldn't get away with. It lets people evade responsibility for themselves, throw that burden on others, and blame others for their own failings (welfare and lawsuits against McDonalds come to mind here). It makes students stay nervously silent when asked for their opinions in class. It makes people stumble in confusion when there's nobody watching them and telling them what to do. Passivity is really a more extreme form of laziness; waiting for other people to take care of things, to ask the right questions, to take action. And there are plenty of people who are more than happy to grab the ball while you're lounging on the bench.

Meanwhile, irrational thinking leaves our minds cloudy, less able to think things through and more willing to accept B.S. just so we can feel better or feel like our fears, prejudices, and actions are justifiable. Listen to frantic voices on the radio scream about human beings, no different than you and I, who are part of an "Axis of Evil" or "steal our jobs" or "invade our borders" or otherwise threaten us. Look on as people justify absurd practices, policies and government programs through emotional appeals – not actual facts, reason, or principle. And watch as people buy it hook, line, and sinker! All because thinking for two minutes is a painful experience beyond mention . . . .

Collectivism is a threat too. It's hard for anyone to argue for their own life, their own liberty and their own happiness when they lack a firm concept of self to begin with. How often do you hear that we must surrender individual interests to the "greater good" – whatever that means? Have you ever noticed a sort of twisted team mentality when it comes to nation-states or petty politics? Democrats versus Republicans, America versus Iraq . . . . On a similar level we also get rich versus poor, black versus white, straight versus gay, man versus woman . . . . Within these "teams," collectivism takes away that voice inside you that says that you own yourself, you are not a mere cog in a machine, and therefore you are not to be dominated by the "team."

Moral relativism eliminates our ability to distinguish right from wrong. Witness people who say "Well, right and wrong are subjective!", "We're limited in our perception, you can never really say what's what!", "We should never judge others!" Then watch them drown their consciences in cheap beer and American Idol when bullies and tyrants abuse their rights and freedoms.

Finally, unearned guilt leads us to feel like we are fundamentally bad, which leads to self pity, which in turn makes us willing to accept false saviors – a church that says you are going to Hell if you don't please an invisible man, a self-help guru or psychic hawking B.S., the latest "miracle" product or diet, or even an up-and-coming political candidate promising to "heal" us. Guilt, like racism or other absurd belief, has to be actively taught from childbirth, preying on people's insecurities. People are made to feel this way regardless of anything they have actually done, and in the end they stifle that part of them that says they are capable, competent beings who don't need a savior.

You're wondering, why do I blather on about this? What does any of this have to do with anarchism?

Your mind is really all you have to defend yourself from being illegitimately controlled, dominated, and taken advantage of. Some of the above characteristics are just part of being an imperfect human; we all have justifiable fears and uncertainties and sometimes we allow ourselves to fall into irrational thinking. Others have to be actively taught, social reinforcement keeps them in place and can inflame them to monstrous levels. As the years pass, you reach a point where you end up tearing your own self down, and nobody has to do it for you – not the schools, not your family, not society, not the ad men, not the Pentagon. In the end, this sinister process weakens your mind and spirit, it makes you less able to stand up to those who wish to dominate, hurt and control you.

This is the kind of psychology that dominates today – one fit for losers, victims, and slaves.

You say you want a revolution?

It's time for a new psychology to motivate a freer and possibly more humane society – one fit for the 21st Century and beyond. This is where the revolution lays.

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Read the rest and stop being atardit.

i dont think theres anything you can do brah. the world is going to sh-t! wich is why im just gonna live the rest of my life happy and not care

Coercive power does not bother me. I think it is usually necessary to maintain social order. What is more important are the values (the axiology) and the knowledge system which justify power.

Sounds like Nietzsche's ideas.

Do you plan to kill off god in your revolution?

I'm against a monopoly on that coercive power. If everyone has it, there will be less power disparity, less conflict, more order, more peace. Voluntary adherence to the rules seems to create voluntary associations.

Well, as I indicated, I care less about coercive power than I do about constructions of knowledge by those who have the power. Sometimes, for instance, I think that my country, the U.S., could do with a benevolent despot who would, despite popular protest, provide universal health care, guaranteed housing, etc.

Well, as I indicated, I care less about coercive power than I do about constructions of knowledge by those who have the power. Sometimes, for instance, I think that my country, the U.S., could do with a benevolent despot who would, despite popular protest, provide universal health care, guaranteed housing, etc.

Anarchism is interesting. However, I question whether a society with no political coercion is possible.

Personally, I am a Foucaultian (as in my avatar). Coercive power does not bother me. I think it is usually necessary to maintain social order. What is more important are the values (the axiology) and the knowledge system which justify power.

Would you mind taking a trip to saudi arabia and telling the nearst mullah that you're an apostate.

http://www.strike-the-root.com/62/bylund/bylund2.html

The black market functions just like a free market, except for the fact that the risk premium is severely greater due to the threat of State sanctions. This might limit the number of services and the effects of competition slightly, but it is still much more like the free market than the State-controlled “market” will ever be. But even though “counter-economists” will learn about the most profitable strategies in the marketplace, there are two especially important consequences of this approach, and they solve the problems of the common libertarian strategies discussed above.

Firstly, it does not involve politics at all. There is no reason whatsoever to accept a “half bad” compromise instead of being true to your principled, libertarian conviction. Contrarily, actively taking part in the counter-economy one will gain an even greater understanding for the free market and how liberty truly works. And others will learn through the same process, and will by doing it gain personally both financially and morally.

Secondly, it is a radical and revolutionary process rather than a speedy revolution. It replaces the functions of the state one at a time and relies solely on market forces while doing it. Eventually the State is undermined and will crumble to pieces, but this will not lead to the chaos a revolution might bring about. Instead, the necessary functions will already be there – as established and well-functioning, competitive service providers in the marketplace.

Of course, this strategy might fail if it is exposed to State oppression too soon, i.e. if the State identifies the threat for what it really is. This risk should be very limited, especially since the people entering the network are likely to be libertarians – and all of them benefit from not exposing it. The incentives are not for squealing on the counter-economic network but to join it and take as much advantage of it as possible.

Also, the chance of success must be considered much greater than the alternatives: to engage in politics or direct and speedy revolution. The beauty of this idea is that it is so simple: you only have to live your life in the way you already tell people you want to live it. It does not involve politics, compromises or force, yet it is essentially a controlled revolutionary process towards a much better world.

Counter-economics is a very simple and powerful strategy for creating a truly libertarian world, starting with yourself and your neighborhood. It is a mystery that libertarians do not embrace it, especially considering the alternatives.