I want to like anarchists, I really do, but then I see them post shit like that and I just have to :cringe:

Anarchists, why are some of you like this?

  • MarxMadness [comrade/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    "Abolish XYZ" is confusing because sometimes it means "literally abolish immediately," but sometimes it means "radically change but have something to serve the social function." It will often be used to mean both things even on the same topic depending on who you're talking to.

    In the 1850s, when people said they wanted to abolish slavery, they meant literally abolish immediately. Today, when people say they want to abolish ICE, just about everyone who says that wants to literally abolish the agency immediately. But when you get to stuff like "abolish the police" or "abolish prisons" or especially "abolish school," you get a mix of both. The matter is further complicated when people say things like "I want to abolish the police, and I mean abolish abolish, but we should totally have some sort of community defense organization that would investigate murders and such."

    It's a lot clearer to say "here's what XYZ should look like in the future," or "here's how we should handle the stuff XYZ nominally handles today."