the one thing that all anarchists seem to agree with is that centralized government
(the state) should be abolished -- as soon as possible. But without a centralized
govt, how do people deal with issues that affect us all, e.g., global warming? how do
we prevent the neighboring anarchist collective from building nukes?
I prefer Marx, whose vision of "the withering away of the state" (as I understand it)
refers to the _subodination_ of the state to the people, so that the _distinction_
between the state and society withers away.
That's a long-term goal, one that can't be achieved if one abolishes the state as soon
as possible. Abolition of the state NOW simply unleashes the forces of Hobbesian havoc
(anarchy in the worst sense of the word) that are present in actually-existing
capitalist society. Instead, the state needs to be controlled.
Some anarchists would say that delaying the withering away was opportunist or
something, allowing a new class of state managers to arise. But abolishing the state
right away allows rule by those with the most AK-47s.
of course, it ain't bloody likely that the state will be abolished soon -- unless the
system melts down. I doubt that an environmental crisis would produce a very
attractive anarchy.
The IWW (OBU) was great, as a first step in the development of a working-class
movement. Politics are needed too.
Jim
-----Original Message-----
From: Yoshie Furuhashi [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tue 8/12/2003 7:31 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc:
Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Green
>is there a color which represents democracy? I'd prefer democracy to
>anarchism (which precludes democracy).
>Jim
Anarchy, to me, means democracy, i.e., collective self-government,
the very ideal to which Lenin spoke in _The State and Revolution."
Not all those who call themselves anarchists agree with me on this
interpretation, though. :->
I also like the idea of One Big Union. "Would you have freedom from
wage slavery? Then come join the Grand Industrial Band! Would you
from mis'ry and hunger be free? Come on, do your share, lend a
hand!" Listen to Utah Phillips sing the Joe Hill song "There Is a
Power in a Union" at
<http://video.pbs.org:8080/ramgen/joehill/UPThereIsPowerInAUnion.rm?altplay=UPThereIsPowerInAUnion.rm>.
I like the Black Cat log of the Industrial Workers of the World, too
(I have a T-shirt with the logo on it), except that cats rarely go
for collective actions. :-0
--
Yoshie
* Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/>
* Calendars of Events in Columbus:
<http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>,
<http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/>
* Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/>
* Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/>
* Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio>
* Solidarity: <http://solidarity.igc.org/>
