The Origins of Anarchy

"When, in some obscure country town, the				of the privileged classes, doing all that they can,
farmers come together to a special town				committing all types of crimes, so that they can
meeting, to express their opinion on some subject				prevent this change of organization, these
which is vexing the land, that, I think, is the true				revolutionary changes.The arguments presented
Congress, and the most respectable one that is				by all Conservative theorists and parties are
ever assembled in the United States."-- Henry				always the same. Whenever presented with a
David Thoreau,				new reform, an alteration of modern society, a
"Slavery in Massachusetts," 1906 Houghton Mifflin				change in organization of social order, we always
edition printingWhat is it that turns a man or a				hear the same arguments. We will always hear
woman in to an Anarchist? When I ask this				their primary argument: humanity was not built
question, there are many others that I might as				for this new system. There is no way that the
well ask. What is it that makes a person a				nature of humans could ever allow for a utopian
Communist, a Socialist, a Liberal, a Leftist, a				dream. Man is naturally cruel, greedy, and
Syndicalist, a Freethinker, a Non-Conformist -- all				mean-hearted, and it is his baser instincts that
words in to one, what is it that makes a man a				should be given free reign in the social order;
Progressive? I know the definitions of these				otherwise, the functionality that we appreciate of
terms. I am quite familiar with that part of the				today's economy would completely fail. "It won't
question, "what makes a person a progressive?"				work!" Of course, though, this was the same
A person is made a Communist by his ideal of				argument the Conservatives presented to
turning all farms, factories, and mines in to public				Abolitionists and Women Suffragists. They claimed
property. Another individual is made an				that, if the slaves were freed, or if women were
anti-authoritarian by his ideal for a social				allowed to vote, that the nuts and bolts of social
organization where authority must respect all the				organization would snap, and we would end up as
rights of the private citizen. Those who call				hunter gatherers again. They also tell us that
themselves Liberals are supportive of reform				these new reforms will compromise our integrity.
measures in the system, such as welfare to				"By giving women the right to vote, it saps the
alleviate poverty. All of these individuals, all of				morality out of men," is the argument. They will
these little sects, collectives, and groups work to				make references to god and religion, or just
change the world. Respect for the freedom of				about any obscure, unknown, unseen principle.
association, speech, and thought; demilitarization of				Since religion has kept men in shackles for
all western nations; regulations to protect the				hundreds of years, these industrialists feel content
working class; a fair tax that takes more from				that it can still keep them in slavery for the
the wealthy than from the poor. It is understood				coming years. Whatever the case, the arguments
by nearly everyone that these are the common				of these Conservatives always fail. Our social
ends that these progressive groups organize to				organization is a much more effective system
achieve.The essential premise of every group I				than theirs, in theory and in practice. There is no
mentioned was the improvement of mankind by				argument that can bypass that simple fact.It is
certain changes, reforms, and other alterations of				we, the Anarchists, the Progressives, the
habit and policy. "By following the suggestions we				Communists, the Socialists, and the others who
present here, in heart and in mind, following them				want to compromise the position of a few top
as a practice and believing in them as a theory,				individuals in order to give peace and liberty to the
we will create a better condition of civilization,"				general population. Because of this, we have a
they all say, "We will support this change. Some				second reason to come together and work in
will offer our support in finances, others in action,				cooperation. We call this reason a sense of
others in their vote, and others still, just in their				justice, of right conquering wrong, of good
voice. In effect, we will be creating a new order				triumphing over evil; we are motivated to work
of social organization and cultural understanding				side by side so that we can achieve the greater
that will alleviate misery and create happiness." All				good. In marches, we stand face-to-face with riot
of our arguments generally seem to be based on				police. In unions, we always must accept the fact
philanthropy; we have the same motives as those				of a lockout or losing our jobs. We are rebellious
men and women who want to end suffering and				and non-conformist students in the schools and
make a utopia out of the existing social order.				organizers of the people. The fact that we must
That is to say, not that class of individual who				band together, that we must have a living and
calls themselves revolutionary, or even reformer,				breathing solidarity with our brothers and sisters,
but one who goes by the title philanthropist,				that we are fighting together against the enemies
humanitarian, or saint to the poor and unwanted.				of goodness and truth, that there are people who
These people who are trying to improve the lot				are working to oppress us, all of these facts bring
of mankind when they build hospitals, arrange for				us together and make us fight harder.
funds to cure cancer or educate the people,				Philanthropists never bring people together to
organize community activities, or they work to				"achieve social justice" or "eliminate the system
feed those whose our social order has hurt the				that has caused so many toxic excesses." Only
most. This is always the case when it comes to				revolutionaries come together in order to obstruct
the poor, minorities, or other groups that have				the path of the god Moloch, to organize so that
been disadvantaged by the present situation of				our combined strength is enough to outdo the
society. Today when we look back, at authors				enormous, centralized, regimented forces of the
like Saint-Simon who argued for a fund be set up				defenders of slavery. That is where this sense of
for innovation and technology, or promiment				justice always come from. We unite not just as
figures like Jane Addams who managed a charity				bringers of a new way of life, the prophets of an
house. While we praise these people as the great				ideal civilization realized through cooperative effort.
forefathers of the philanthropy movements, in				We unite as active and powerful changers of the
their time, they were considered revolutionaries,				current standing order. We work together not to
breakers of society's tides. In their own time,				ask for scraps from our masters, but to demand
these defenders of science funds and poor				and take our liberty back from them!The first act
houses were considered unorthodox, maybe even				of becoming a revolutionary is in understanding
un-Christian and anti-social.The goals of these				that the current state of society is not the only
humanitarians and revolutionaries are the same: to				way social organization can take place. There is a
create a society where there is less evil and				better way for the world exist and there are
greater good. What is the difference, then,				better policies for men to adopt. Should these
between the philanthropists and social agitators?				progressive policies gain widespread approval, the
The motives of both may essentially both be the				primary miseries of civilization will be abolished and
same: we want to create a world that is much				the excesses and corruption of the spirit will be
more desirable. The philanthropists do this through				eliminated. The philosophers will look at this new
charity work, while the revolutionaries do this				culture and this new people, and maybe they will
through trying to change the system. The first				call them ideal, but I know the poets will look upon
respect the social order and desire not to change				our new world and say it is free. The second step
it, while the second feels that all of the ills of our				in becoming a revolutionary is accepting and
present system are caused by the regulations				believing the fact that this free world is and
and laws of the people. The call of the charity				always has been possible, but there are privileged
worker is, "Work together, in order to help those				individuals of the current system who have
who have been lost." But the call of the				mobilized their power against the interests of the
revolutionary soldier is, "Work together, in order				people. In order to set up a food bank or housing
that we might overthrow today's oppressive				for the homeless, philanthropists are not hindered
regime." We differ from the humanitarians in				by police officers. But in order to destroy the
many marked ways. Most notable of all				system that causes starvation and homelessness,
differences, there is the question of how society				we are are attacked, harassed, and beaten by
respects these two groups. Rarely has the				the stormtroopers of the present order. They
established order ever taken an opposition to				bitterly oppose us, because if we succeed, then
charity groups. They don't seek to change things,				they lose their power, and the world loses all
but only to alleviate temporary miseries; and they				forms of slavery and authority. The third and final
do this as though the suffering they end is not a				step of becoming a revolutionary, of becoming
part of the system's excess, but in accordance				the gunpowder to spark an explosion in social
with the idea that the humans of this society are				relationships, is action. We must act. We must
flawed. They believe in the theory that humanity,				proliferate these ideas, organize unions, protest,
not the social relationship, needs to be reformed.				march in the streets, publish, distribute, exchange,
Either it's the poor not trying hard enough, or it's				cooperate, manage, organize, organize, organize.
the wealthy not being liberal enough. The theories				That is the call to the Anarchist of our world.The
of charity workers never ceases to impress the				only reason that liberty means anything to us is
imaginations of revolutionaries.We want to alter				because authority means something to us. If we
the system, change its rules, revolutionize the				were ignorant of their tactics of imprisonment,
social organization. The traditions or heritages that				torture, executions, censorship, and deception; if
the members of human history have carried with				we were totally blind to their methods of
them must be abandoned. There is a better word				oppression, coercion, and violence, then we would
for such "traditions": prejudices. And they must be				not cling to liberty as an all-serving agent of good.
left behind, ignored, and not our source of				It was not until disease came about that
guidance, if we are going to live cooperatively and				physicians stressed prevention methods of
mutually in order to achieve peace and happiness.				spreading germs. It was not until cancer came
In desiring to change social roles, we				about that medical professionals became so
revolutionaries act as an enormous threat to				engrossed in chasing the cure. And it so happens
those who have power. The defenders of Civil				with our cause: the illness Capitalism and
Rights acted as a threat to those the white				government shows with the extraordinary
community that had accepted the prejudices of				amounts of poverty, unemployment, and misery.
an ancient society. Martin Luther King's efforts				It seems to be a perpetual hell on this earth,
focused on allowing African Americans in any role				solely because the heritage and traditions of our
in society, whether as members of the ruling				forefathers included Capitalism, an idea that would
class, employees of any business, or students of				serve as the right hand to exploitation. The one
all schools. The advocates of Free Enterprise				common string that can be found in all of these
were an enormous threat to the feudal lords.				progressive movements, whether Anarchist,
They wanted all serfs to be freed from what has				Syndicalist, Libertarian, Liberal, Communist,
always seemed to be a perpetual slavory of the				Socialist, or Marxist, is to overthrow authority
poor and downtrodden. The Feminist movement,				where it is harmful towards mankind.
the anti-Child labor movement, the Socialist				Progressivists of human sexuality argue that the
movement, the Environmentalist movement -- all				state should have no authority over sexual
of these organizations of citizens were brought				activity; group of individuals can do whatever they
together so that the social order would be				want, so long as there is consent. Unionists always
rearranged for the interests of all. We are a				organize so that employers do not have as much
threat to the established "way of things," this				authority over them. And those proud members
rightfully demonized thing called culture. All of the				of the civil disobedience squad are in opposition to
members who benefit from the culture, all of				the government's use of authority in foreign
those who hold high positions, or moderately high				countries, through aggressive militarism and
positions, all of them have an interest in				imperialism. We may use all of these titles and
preventing the revolution from achieving its aims.				names that we've applied to ourselves in so many
Whether it creates happiness or not, whether it				cases. But the goals of these leftist activists is all
prevents suffering or not, it doesn't matter. Their				the same: to eliminate the painful condition of
argument is and always will be: "We may or may				being a slave in obedience to an unjust
not believe in our way of doing things. That's not				authority.As men and women who seek change in
the point at hand. The point at hand is that I can				society, our primary objective is this: to organize
live like a king so long as you live like a slave. If				the social forces in a way that justice, peace, and
you stop being a slave, I won't be able to exist in				equality genuinely exist. For this reason, we are in
the lavish conditions that give me luxury and				the same ranks as social reformers, organizers of
comfort."Philanthropists and charity workers				charities, pro-bono legal counsel for the poor,
organize in order to save the system. Their calling				distributors of foodboxes to low-income families,
to hand is the betterment of mankind. That is the				and those who cook food to give to the
initial instinct that draws together Socialists,				homeless. What makes us, the revolutionaries of
Communists, Leftists, Progressives, and				the world, different from these philanthropists is
Anarchists in their efforts: the betterment of				that we believe the misery of society was
mankind. However, we differ widely at this point				created by its organization. In our opinion, poverty
in the road with our brothers of good heart. We				is not simply the biproduct of the Capitalist, so
want to destroy the system, in order so a more				much as it is the direct result of Free Enterprise.
effective social organization can take place, where				War, Imperialism, and Colonialism, the exploitation
the miseries of mankind are absent and where his				of these foreign countries, is not an indirect result
freedom is prized above all else. In their efforts,				of government, but the chief aim of all organized,
they are met with kindness and felicity. But in our				hierarchial groups. Racism, bigotry, prejudice, and
efforts, as revolutionaries and agitators of the				cultural clashes are not so much caused by
government, the coals under the foot of the				differences of heritage, so much as they are
giant, we are opposed, detested, and persecuted.				caused by lack of a truly free education. We
The Haymarket Riot was caused by police				analyze society, and see the very causes of all
officers shooting and killing unarmed protestors				the suffering that humans are enduring. And, as
who wanted an eight hour work day. Thousands				revolutionaries, it is our goal not to repair the
of Pacifists were arrested by the government for				damage done by the system, but to change the
refusing to take up arms against their fellow				system. That is the manifesto of a revolutionary.
brethren of European nations in the first world				Life,
war. Those who burned their draft cards during				PunkerslutPunkerslut (or Andy Carloff) has been
the Vietnam conflict were likewise arrested. The				writing essays and poetry on social issues which
authors of unpopular essays, pamphlets, and				have caught his attention for several years. His
journals have always been oppressed by society				website provides a complete list of all of these
or looked upon with suspicion by authorities.				writings. His life experience includes homelessness,
Whether they released publications that question				squating in New Orleans and LA, dropping out of
sexual morals or supported equal rights, their				high school, getting expelled from college for
books have been censored and their publishers				"subversive activities," and a myriad of other
have been fined. There is this enormous structure				revolutionary actions.

Edata Plus

The Origins of Anarchy