Wednesday, May 27, 2009
It Is Possible
Call it what you will (anarchism, radicalism, community, etc.), another world is possible - another world where the people themselves are not restrained from the power to control their own lives; a world where communities can work together through communication and cooperation; a world where wealth does not come from the poverty of others, or where power comes from injustice and the oppression of others; a world where not everything has to be split up and sold; a world where we are not pit against eachother in mutually antagonistic roles of dominance and competition; a world where greed and violence are no longer subsidized by governments and rewarded with positions of power; a world where society's governmental and economic institutions are no longer split from one another and delegated to a ruling few. This is not chaos, this is not a pandemic of crime - the dominant social order today, the capitalist-state model, is chaos and violence. This social order is not sustainable; it is not sustainable for the integrity of the human spirit, for the interaction which is necessary in our communities, or for life on this planet at all.
As anarchists, as humans, we must observe and consider the systems of oppression and the privilege which we may experience through such systems. These can include race, gender, class, sexual preference, age, ability and country of origin, for examples. This is not to say that white, middle-class, heterosexual, able-bodied males should not be anarchists. Nor should anyone feel guilty or ashamed of the ways in which they experience privilege or oppression. Only by recognizing and actively confronting these systems of hierarchy can we plant the seeds of a new world based on horizontal power and reciprocity.
We must work in true solidarity with others in struggle. "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." Charity without building a meaningful relationship and recognizing the links between eachother's struggles perpetuates the cycles of oppression. We must reach across the walls and barriers to work together in breaking through what keeps us apart. We can only truly break down these barriers by working together on both sides. Towards collective liberation for all.
As anarchists, as humans, we must observe and consider the systems of oppression and the privilege which we may experience through such systems. These can include race, gender, class, sexual preference, age, ability and country of origin, for examples. This is not to say that white, middle-class, heterosexual, able-bodied males should not be anarchists. Nor should anyone feel guilty or ashamed of the ways in which they experience privilege or oppression. Only by recognizing and actively confronting these systems of hierarchy can we plant the seeds of a new world based on horizontal power and reciprocity.
We must work in true solidarity with others in struggle. "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." Charity without building a meaningful relationship and recognizing the links between eachother's struggles perpetuates the cycles of oppression. We must reach across the walls and barriers to work together in breaking through what keeps us apart. We can only truly break down these barriers by working together on both sides. Towards collective liberation for all.
