ANARCHIST QUESTION AND ANSWER Q: Why is the anarchist movement plagued with internecine problems? A: Currently the anarchist movement is plagued by internecine struggles that destroy the potential for change that are inherent in its basic philosophy. Although mutually destructive struggles within a movement are not just a problem for the anarchist movement, they seem to have a far greater influence within the anarchist movement than most other movements. The significant role internecine struggles play within the anarchist movement are directly related to the inability of most anarchists to distinguish between basic philosophy and strategy. The anarchist movement9s greatest strength and its achilles heel lie in its diversity. Without an agreement on a definition of anarchism the very diversity that is the life-blood of the anarchist movement becomes its nemesis. The best way to resolve this enduring problem is to go back to the original source of the word anarchism and use the original definition to define who we are and what we stand for. The word anarchy is derived from the ancient Greek ?anarchos9 which literally means "without a ruler". An anarchist is somebody who believes that people don9t need rulers to live their lives. How an anarchist society is created, how decision are made in a society where there are no rulers and how access to wealth occurs in a society without rulers are matters of strategy not basic principles. Individuals and groups have the right to explore different strategical options within the anarchist community. Some strategies will be discarded others will be pursued. Cultural, social, religious and familial factors all influence what type of strategy is pursued by different groups and individuals. Allowing different groups to pursue different strategies is the best way to expand the influence of the anarchist movement. The internecine struggles that occur within the anarchist movement are not struggles about the definition of anarchism, they are struggles about different strategies. It9s illogical, counterproductive and down right stupid to be involved in mutually destructive arguments about strategy. We need to accept that different groups will pursue different strategies. Who is right and who is wrong will be determined by the results different groups achieve. If we are willing to accept that groups and individuals have the right to determine what strategy they will pursue to create a society without rulers, the time, effort and energy that is expended in internecine struggles could be used to breakdown the power of the State and corporate sector and create an anarchist society. ACTION BOX - PASSIVITY Passivity is the hallmark of post modern society. A community whose very soul is encapsulated in unbridled consumption is by its nature passive. Passivity is the single greatest mode of social control that a ruling elite has. It can be generated by fear, by hopelessness and by diversionary spectacles. Dictatorships use fear to create a passive pliable population. The more monolithic the structure that controls people9s lives, the greater the level of hopelessness and passivity. In neo-liberal democratic culture passivity is generated by the creation of never ending consumer choices. Politics becomes something that is external to everyday life. While people have the disposable income to consume they are cocooned from the realities of the social and political realities that control their every movement. Passivity is the single greatest enemy of the activist. While people believe that you can9t fight City Hall or that deciding what television channel they want to watch is the hallmark of a free society, change especially radical egalitarian change is difficult if not impossible. The activist needs to fight not only against the State and corporate ideology but the passivity that allows the State and corporate sector to dominate cultural, social and economic life. People should be encouraged to overcome the inertia created within a passive society by becoming involved within established groups or setting up new groups. Participation within an organisation that9s democratically structured whether it9s a stamp collection, sporting or social organisation develops the skills that are necessary to break down the passive culture that plays such a prominent role in post modern life. It gives people the experience that they required to control their own destiny and make their own decisions. Once that fear of freedom is broken, people develop the confidence to create structures that challenge the State and corporate domination of their lives. That9s why face to face meetings of people still plays such an important role in extra parliamentary activity. Although activist in the west have access to sophisticated means of communication ranging from the Internet to the mobile phone, they still need to be involved in face to face struggles to break down the bonds that has allowed the ruling classes to use the new technology to increase levels of passivity within the societies they dominate. AUSTRALIAN RADICAL HISTORY THE EUREKA SERIES No.15 SATURDAY 2ND DECEMBER 1854 Few diggers slept in the stockade on Friday night, they slept in their own tents or in friend9s tents and returned to the stockade on Saturday morning. Drilling recommenced at 8.00 in the morning and the blacksmith inside the stockade continued to make pikes for the diggers who didn9t have access to firearms. Drilling stopped around midday when the catholic priest Father Smyth arrived to tend to the needs of the Irish Catholics. They listened to his pleas no to fight, but sent him on his way empty handed. By mid afternoon 1500 men were drilling in and around the stockade. Around 4 o9clock that afternoon two hundred Americans, the Independent Californian Ranges under the leadership of James McGill arrived to lend a hand. Their arrival bolstered the men9s spirits as the Independent Californian Rangers were armed with revolvers and Mexican knives. McGill who had had some training at West Point was appointed second in command to Lalor. McGills put his military training to work and set up a sentry system to warn the stockaders of the British attack. He also decided to take most of the Californian Rangers out of the stockade that night to intercept British reinforcements from Melbourne. By midnight only about 120 diggers remained in the stockade, most were armed with a few rounds about twenty had only crudely fashioned pikes. Rede, the Chief Gold Commissioner9s network of spies relayed the information that most of the men who had spent the day drilling had gone back to their tents for the night and that the Californian Rangers had left the stockade on a wild goose chase. Rede understood that the time to crush all "that democratic nonsense" that the miners had spoken about and agitated for over the past three years had come. He knew that if he didn9t use the 700 to 800 men he had at his disposal at the government camp, he would lose the opportunity to nip the revolt in the bud. Late on Saturday night he chaired a meeting with Captain Thomas the commander of the 40th regiment, Captain Pasely of the Royal Engineers and Commissioner Amos that organised the attack that was launched on the stockade a few hours later. Next week - The military musters its forces for an early morning attack. FROM http://www.ainfos.ca/A-Infos/ainfos10719.html
