An Anarchist FAQ - Anarcho-communist Edition
I've been an Anarcho-communist for the past 6 years, in those six years i've admitted affiliation with the Anarchist Federation in my area and that has gotten me a lot of questions, some good, some repetitive and i will answer those frequently asked questions here. So without much more mumbling; here is the Anarchist FAQ:
What is Anarchism?
There are two meanings to this question, There is the straight forward question of "what does it mean" and then there is the "What do Anarchists fight for". What i fight for is not the same as other anarchists, not all anarchists agree on the end goal, all we know for sure is that Capitalistic society in its current standing is not what humans are built for and that it needs a revolution to build a society that does work for us. But the main meaning is what does Anarchism mean, Anarchism is the active opposition to ALL unjustified hierarchy, i went into what unjustified hierarchy means in my other post that i will link to in the end of this.
What is Praxis?
Praxis is just the short-hand for walking the walk not just talking the talk. For example, a good form of praxis would be seeing the effects of climate change, seeing an empty garage and turning that garage into a organization that will transform diesel cars into electric cars or Biodiesel cars.
OR, if you wanna get more risky about it, another form of praxis is that you notice the Alt-right or Fascists are holding a protest in your area near a community that is predominantly Jewish, so you band together with your comrades and hold a Counter-protest to de-legitimise the Fascists or keep them away from those they wish to harm.
Why are Anarchists so opposed to Capitalism?
Well most legitimate Anarchists are opposed to Capitalism for some-what Marxist reasons. Capitalism drives a wedge between groups of people and makes the majority of people poor and unable to create a good life for themselves. We've seen time and time again, with various forms of Capitalism including Social Democracy and Neo-liberalism that no version of Capitalism truly helps the working classes. The Goal of the left should be to lower the upper classes power via taxes to help the working classes, but we see more of the same Neo-liberal spin on left leaning ideals. So Anarchists see the system needing to be revolted against, not reformed. Since in Countries like the UK, reforms turn things like the NHS into Political Ping pong and all that does is damage the integrity of the state and the lives of ordinary working class people.
Communism didn't work in Russia so why would it work here?
Well there are two answers to that, there is the whole Russia wasn't Communist, which is a correct analysis of the USSR OR there is the simple answer. Communism isn't the be all and end all of what Anarchists are fighting for. Anarchists are fighting for Liberation, and if Communism is what is needed to get Liberation then that is the route we will take. But at the moment, Communist and Marxist Theory is all we really have. Anarchist literature is still in modern development and will need some tweaking to work. Whilst with Communist Literature there is literally tons of the stuff, and where there are different versions of communism there are good ideas that we can mash together in a Anarchist system. I'm a Synthesis Anarchist, so i'm open to mashing things together for the better good but of course there are Anarchist Absolutists who only want what Kropotkin envisioned. Those ideals of Kropotkin are good ideals but they do need modernisation and we only get that with open dialogue with other left wingers.
Can't you have Capitalistic Anarchism?
Short Answer, No. Capitalism by its merit creates hierarchies based on those with Financial and Social Capital and those without. Those without have not power or merit in society and those who do have those things get to sit and act like kings. If you want to still have markets but without the accumulative nature of Capitalism, there are things like Left wing Market Anarchism and Mutualism. Those allow for a left wing spin of markets but still allowing enough leeway on Currency that you can still have businesses and workplace culture that is typical of today but with more economic liberation and social liberation.
Can you be an Individualist and an Anarchist?
Yes, Absolutely. In fact, in most anarchist circles you'll find yourself to be the majority. Yes, in Left wing circles, its not uncommon to mind individualists and Collectivists living side by side without agitation.
See Also my post on Anarchist tendencies where i go more in depth
