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A FAQ for the Anarchism Reddit.

This is an FAQ for the Anarchism subreddit. It is a collective effort from all the people you're likely to encounter there and we strongly advise you read it through before starting a self.anarchism post as a lost of issues have been questioned and answered previously in depth.

If this subreddit is too much for you and you're just sorta, kinda interested in libertarian communistish take on mainstream stuff we have just the ticket for you: r/SortaKindaInterestedinLibertarianCommunist-ishTakesonMainstreamStuff

Please edit this page if you think you have something to improve.

  1. What is Anarchism?
  2. Why do you people dislike "Anarcho"-Capitalists so much?
  3. Why are so many people here hostile when I ask an honest question?
  4. Why are there so many moderators?
  5. Isn't there a better way to organize the Anarchism subreddit?
  6. Why are you banning people and deleting comments?
  7. What is/was the /r/Anarchism Shitstorm of 2010?
  8. What are those funky star icons next to some names and how can I get one?
  9. What sites/blogs do you people read?
  10. What are some good documentaries on Anarchism?
  11. What about Human Nature?
  12. What about crime?
  13. I buy into some ideas behind Anarchism but…
  14. What about voting in elections?
  15. Black Bloc Demonstration Tactic
  16. Common Topics
  17. Reading
  18. What is "Riot Porn"?
  19. Got any cool anarchist-related wallpapers?

Introductory

I have a question....

What is Anarchism?

The definition of Anarchism is simple but complex. We can give you a simple phrase (Opposition to Hierarchical Authority) or a few words (Direct Action & Mutual Aid) but this is unlikely to cover you without a bit more context. Fortunately, we have an Anarchist FAQ which has provided in-depth explanations for most common questions about and arguments against Anarchism. We cannot suggest it enough as a first stop in your understanding and you will save yourself a lot of misunderstandings if you at least read the first chapter.

This thread highlights anarchism's critique of and dedication to challenging social hierarchies, as opposed to focusing only on capitalism and the state:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Anarchism/comments/dcw01/honest_question_what_does_feminism_lgbt_rights/

Other than that, there's quite a lot of other introductory material and even more detailed and specific arguments. A scholar thus can't go wrong from a visit to the Anarchy Archives. Unfortunately, Anarchism is a movement with a rich history of 150 years of ideas and struggle and thus the amount of literature is quite overwhelming at times. For that matter, not all anarchists agree about several fundamental questions--there are different motivations for anarchism and varieties of anarchists.

If you are confused or unsure about something, you can also check Anarchy101. If you need to ask questions to anarchists, this is a great dedicated place to do so.

Why do you people dislike "Anarcho"-Capitalists so much?

Not all of us do, but the contentions are significant. Section is WiP. Here's something to hold you for now.

Why are so many people here hostile when I ask an honest question?

Anarchists are one of the most vilified groups in modern history and we're quite used to trolls and other subversive elements trying to prove that "Anarchism cannot work." While we do not mind honest misunderstandings, we do expect that someone has an open enough mind to accept that they're possibly wrong in their understanding of what anarchism is. Due to the sheer friction of having to repeat for the umpteenth time that we're neither violent, not authoritarian, nor pacifist, nor utopian, sometimes, especially when the one asking comes out as stubborn or trollish, people will snap. Please understand that and frame your questions civilly.

Sample threads on this subject

Structurally

Why are there so many moderators?

Why does r/Anarchism have moderators? Isn't that contrary to the principles of anarchism?

We have moderators to enforce the agreed upon rules of conduct of the subreddit. A common argument against this is that "anarchism" means no rules. It doesn't take very long to see that this interpretation of anarchism is paradoxical: isn't "no rules" itself a rule? You can't prohibit the enforcement of rules without having created a rule against rules. What's more, even with this interpretation, no one would consider rape or murder as acceptable activities in an anarchist community, so even the "no rules" interpretation has rules.

In truth, anarchism means, at its core, no rulers -- there are rules, but they're not decided upon by and enforced by a ruling elite whose authority to do so cannot be questioned. This includes even the strictest, and harshest, rules imaginable, so long as one is free to leave the community without harm. Think of the difference between torture and going to a bondage club.

Why do you prohibit certain words?

First, to be clear, it's not a strict prohibition on certain words, but on oppressive language -- individual words can be either liberatory or oppressive, depending on who's using them and how. Additionally, offensiveness does not enter into it; we have no problems with offending people.

But in general, we do this because words can hurt. In English speaking countries, it's not uncommon for parents to admonish their kids to take to heart the adage "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me". This is, of course, fantastic advice -- what wonderful world we would live in if language was utterly powerless -- unfortunately, the sticks and stones principle is not a fact of being human, just a suggestion; on careful reflection, it's clear that words can hurt and language can be oppressive.

Consider that a Vietnam vet suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder can be involuntarily thrown into a state of horrible mental anguish with the appropriate verbal cues; no one serious thinks it's harmless to pop up behind one and yell "CHARLIES INCOMING!" or something of that nature. Similarly, people who have suffered emotionally or physically enough to suffer emotional disorders like depression are undeniably more at risk of self-harm and even suicide, and language, despite being just language, can cause a person to do these things. As such, we strive to avoid all such language as much as possible, in an attempt to create a safe space for all people.

A second, less obvious reason is that we don't want to allow the subreddit to fill with off-putting behavior. It's not exactly welcoming to a new redditors from marginalized groups if the subreddit is full of racist, sexist, etc. language.

Isn't that oppressive?

While it's tempting to conclude that this sort of policy is itself oppressive on the grounds that it's a form of censorship, we don't find this to be a valid conclusion. This isn't meatspace, where there are real, significant consequences from being kicked out of a community, this is the internet, and more importantly, this is reddit. No one is obligated to participate in this subreddit, and if they want to call black people niggers, or call women cunts, they're free to create their own subreddit (and indeed, many such subreddits already exist). No one will stop them, least of all us. you just can't do that here. And let's be completely honest, if someone is unwilling to avoid such language when asked politely, the chances that they're not racist, sexists, or whatever are pretty low.

Obsolete: Look at the /r/Anarchism Shitstorm of 2010

Isn't there a better way to organize the Anarchism subreddit?

Why are you banning people and deleting comments?

There's been a shitload of discussion on this issue during the /r/Anarchism Shitstorm of 2010 and at the moment the rules are fluid. We're working on a community driven solution and at the moment, only the most egregious trolls and hate speech is being removed.

It's been suggested that people compile a history of past bans on the Banned Wankers wiki page

What is/was the /r/Anarchism Shitstorm of 2010?

This post should provide some context. The Shitstorm is still going strong on November 2010 as the community is struggling to find a common middle ground.

What are those funky star icons next to some names and how can I get one?

The stars simply signify that the redditor in question identifies most or is part of a particular tendency within the anarchist movement, or is a capitalist. Not all people have them as however as this is an opt-in feature. The colours you'll see are

This is the post where they were introduced.

If you want to get a star yourself, simply click the (edit) link where it appears next to your user-name in the sidebar.

There's been a lot of discussion on this subject already as well as a community vote.

Communally

What sites/blogs do you people read?

What are some good documentaries on Anarchism?

Theoretically

These are common questions and concerns people bring about Anarchism in general. While the AFAQ has done a good job in explaining many of these, it may be worth seeing some of the discussions on this subject we've had in /r/Anarchism

What about Human Nature?

By far the most common concern people have brought about Anarchism. It's been discussed ad infinitum but it keeps getting brought up often nevertheless.

What about crime?

I buy into some ideas behind Anarchism but…

What about voting in elections?

Activism

Black Bloc Demonstration Tactic

This is a primer on origins of the tactic: Autonomia and the Origin of the Black Bloc

Black Bloc Papers

These are discussions and posts in /r/Anarchism on the topic

Miscellaneous

Common Topics

These topics and or links seem to be posted with some frequency in /r/anarchism and those who's been here a while have seen them and discussed them more than once. Do us all a favour and try to avoid posting them again, unless you have some insightful commentary to make on them.

Reading

These are discussions and posts in /r/Anarchism about reading recommendations

What is "Riot Porn"?

Riot Porn or Protest Porn are videos and images of people rioting and protesting. When it appears the usual arguments and counter-arguments are trotted out: Is it educational, inspirational, a useful tool to help people overcome their-hangups and warm up for doing the real thing together? Or does it glorify a fantasy world, mythologize and even endanger the individuals it portrays, distract attention and energy from the real thing altogether?

The most vital thing to recognize about pornography, of course, is that it is the opposite of sex. It exists to serve its own ends: every representation represents representation itself before anything else. The camera angles, the soundtrack music, narrative structure, and editing must answer to their own integral logic first - otherwise, the work is simply unwatchable - and even if they do not, they come no closer to capturing reality. Watching a documentary is nothing like experience in real time, on location, with concrete stakes and personal context. And, of course, if what you're truly interested in is changing the world, it doesn't really matter what you watch.

So as with any commodity produced in this society, which necessarily carries within it all the old ideologies (objectification, commodification, production, passivity), the first and last question is what can be done with it to subvert its conventional role. Never use anything - or let it use you - for its intended purpose. What can you get out of a video beyond what the video has been designed, with the best intentions, to get into you? Can you send a copy to your grandmother, show it to your English class as part of an assigned presentation, track down a local cable-access television station that is willing to broadcast it, display it at punk shows or art openings, splice footage from it into videotapes of family vacations? Sneak copies into rental stores where your friends work, in the container in place of *Fight Club* or *Natural Born Killers* or some sappy movie that contains vague references to the rainforests being destroyed, along with a note to the effect that there are real struggles going on much more exciting than mere action movies?

All this will come - we can only hope. As with any porn, it's clear what is going to happen: you're going to sit down, watch it, and fantasize, trying to relate yourself to the far away action taking place on the screen. Just don't let your desires to live out those fantasies end when you turn your computer off. You can live your own dramas, making the adventure movies and political documentaries you once watched with such fascination and envy irrelevant to you except as points of reference for your own experiences... and further plans.

Protest porn. Demand the real thing.

Got any cool anarchist-related wallpapers?

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