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01469: Comments of an anarchist on our dicussion

From: "M. Kolar" <wddm(at)mkolar.org>
Date: Sat, 01 Sep 2007 01:05:51 -0500
Subject: Comments of an anarchist on our dicussion

Comments of an anarchist on our discussion as posted at
http://www.world-wide-democracy.net/forum/read.php?5,511
(the link given below leads to really interesting reading, e.g. on a plan for
viable mixed economy):

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Linking your web site
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 02:47:00 +0000
From: larry gambone


Hi Miroslav,

I am always amazed by otherwise intelligent and well-read people, who when
it comes to the subject of anarchism, reiterate “received wisdom” and mass
media cliches. Furthermore, in the age of the Internet, there is no excuse
fort such behavior as thousands of pages of information are ready at a click
away.

Some thoughts on the debate:

Anarchism is not a “thing” but a never-ending process. We will most likely
never eliminate coercive authority, but the task is to minimize it.

Direct democracy has always been part of anarchism, yet anarchism is not
reducible to direct democracy alone. Furthermore, direct democratic
movements are not in and of themselves anarchist. Rather direct democracy is
a common aspect that is shared.

My goal is not so much to make everyone anarchists, even if it was possible,
but to show the convergence of ideas that has been developing among all
people who are dissatisfied with the undemocratic and authoritarian nature
of our present economic and political system.

Any movement to change this situation will be larger than any single
ideology and will encompass a number of differing — yet at a fundamental
level — similar views. Anarchists have important things to say about power,
organization, the work place, etc and ought to be part of that process.

Anarchism is applicable to the large scale or universal. Federalism is the
answer to uniting great masses of people without engaging in top-down
centralization. As but one example, 40 million French people belong to
Mutual Aid health care systems. Much of this system was developed by
mutualist and syndicalist anarchists in the past and exists not as a
top-down corporation or state bureaucracy but a decentralized federation.
There is even a non-statist form of nationalization that was developed by
anarcho-syndicalists after WW1 See “A Neo-Proudhonist Program” in
http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/worldwidemovements/reform.html
Thus "public good" could be dealt with in an anarchistic way.

Cheers, Larry

---------

Larry's blog: http://porkupineblog.blogspot.com/



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