All I do is try to hold people to their stated principles, like ACAB or prison abolitionism, because I thought we fucking meant that shit when we said it.
We do, but we have our own house to clean and we do no favors to anyone by wasting energy on other countries. Anarchism is a thing that can only begin locally, the people that are protesting the Cuban government aren't anarchists, they are demanding US intervention.
And then I talk to the people who are nominally on my side, and it turns out they just want to slap a coat of red paint on all the terrible things capitalist states do. They start repeating conservative talking points without a hint of irony. They’re perfectly willing to justify anything a socialist state does under the reasoning that America is worse. Red Scare in reverse.
Cuba isn't a "capitalist state" it's one of the most besieged nations on earth alongside Palestine and DPRK.
If your “socialism” has police, prisons, billionaires, or re-education, I want nothing to do with it, and that’s a hill I will die on.
You're thinking of communism, the end goal of socialism AND anarchism, also Cuba does not have any billionaires that I am aware of.
Isn’t a better world supposed to be the point of all this? Or is it just about winning?
No it's about supporting our comrades around the world and not doing things that advance imperial interests. There are tiers of hierarchy, the top being US imperialist hegemony, first we must unconditionally oppose that (this does not mean uncritical support for anti-imperialist states, for example Syria certainly deserves less praise than Cuba).
We're anarchists, why would we tie ourselves to Lenin's definition of socialism? If a worker goes to work the grow capital they'll never themselves use. Whether that's for the state or an employer, that's capitalism.
We should oppose US intervention, but there's no point making apologies for Cuba or any other state.
Capital is power, and capital concentrated into the hands of a state that serves its people is much different than capital/power concentrated in the hands of private entities or states that serve private capital.
In the perspective of world systems theory, capitalism used as power to fend off imperialism is much more beneficial for the working people of the world than capital used as power BY imperialists. It’s as simple as that.
I agree, it is more humane capitalism. Russia challenges western hegemony and Norway does capitalism more humanly. Both are capitalist states and I don't see a point in using a different name for them.
It is better that Cuba exists as a communist controlled state than as a capitalist controlled state.
That's not the core of my argument. It's that we should be against bad things, even when they're for the greater good.
Punching nazis is what you do when you can't deradicalize them. It's an unpleasant act and in my experience anti fa demos are traumatizing. But when there's immanent harm, you do what you must.
Like I said, anarchism is anti violence, not pacifist
We do have the luxury. We need to tell stories that affirm our values and ends, which means opposing violence. We also need to oppose imperialism. We can do both.
Obvs we need to be careful about what stories we tell where, but we still need those stories.
If you punch them in the street, it is neither. If you punch them while they're locked in a jail cell, it is unnecessary.
WRT capitalists and counter-revolutionaries, if someone is poised to repress you, you fight them, disarming and expropriating them. Once they're expropriated, and don't pose a material threat, do you still need to kick them while they're down?
Being against bad things outside of the recognition of the context of the reality of global geopolitics is not really being against bad things if the outcomes turn out worse. Look at the USSR collapsing: anarchists like myself usually argued that the USSR was just state capitalism and as bad as the USA. But that collapse has been a disaster for the working class both in Russia and globally. I’d rather fight the worst imperialistic capitalist hegemon and work our way toward fixing the bad things in less-bad countries. To do otherwise is to strengthen the hegemon.
In the past, as an anarchist, i once celebrated any resistance by anarchists or working class people against any oppression no matter what. But having seen that rebellion be used seamlessly by the global capitalist hegemon over and over to tighten its grip globally on control and power, thereby making things worse overall for the global working class, I have changed my mind and think there are irresponsible ways of rebellion that actually strengthen global capitalism even when they sometimes overthrow a local node of oppression. The only path to anarchism is through state communism that builds power against the capitalist network of world power until it can crush it. It’s literally the only way.
We do, but we have our own house to clean and we do no favors to anyone by wasting energy on other countries. Anarchism is a thing that can only begin locally, the people that are protesting the Cuban government aren't anarchists, they are demanding US intervention.
Cuba isn't a "capitalist state" it's one of the most besieged nations on earth alongside Palestine and DPRK.
You're thinking of communism, the end goal of socialism AND anarchism, also Cuba does not have any billionaires that I am aware of.
No it's about supporting our comrades around the world and not doing things that advance imperial interests. There are tiers of hierarchy, the top being US imperialist hegemony, first we must unconditionally oppose that (this does not mean uncritical support for anti-imperialist states, for example Syria certainly deserves less praise than Cuba).
We're anarchists, why would we tie ourselves to Lenin's definition of socialism? If a worker goes to work the grow capital they'll never themselves use. Whether that's for the state or an employer, that's capitalism.
We should oppose US intervention, but there's no point making apologies for Cuba or any other state.
Capital is power, and capital concentrated into the hands of a state that serves its people is much different than capital/power concentrated in the hands of private entities or states that serve private capital.
In the perspective of world systems theory, capitalism used as power to fend off imperialism is much more beneficial for the working people of the world than capital used as power BY imperialists. It’s as simple as that.
I agree, it is more humane capitalism. Russia challenges western hegemony and Norway does capitalism more humanly. Both are capitalist states and I don't see a point in using a different name for them.
It is better that Cuba exists as a communist controlled state than as a capitalist controlled state.
That's not the core of my argument. It's that we should be against bad things, even when they're for the greater good.
Is punching Nazis authoritarian or anti-authoritarian?
I know this is reductive but that's the point we have to get to the bottom of this issue.
Punching nazis is what you do when you can't deradicalize them. It's an unpleasant act and in my experience anti fa demos are traumatizing. But when there's immanent harm, you do what you must.
Like I said, anarchism is anti violence, not pacifist
The issue is that we don't have the luxury of denouncing violence as a blanket position given the reality we face.
We do have the luxury. We need to tell stories that affirm our values and ends, which means opposing violence. We also need to oppose imperialism. We can do both.
Obvs we need to be careful about what stories we tell where, but we still need those stories.
Telling stories will totally stop violent neo-nazis from attacking our comrades.
I don't understand this non sequitur.
Telling stories is not a viable method of resisting imperial violence.
That's why I said "we can do both"
So punching nazis is good, therefore some forms of organized resistance against reactionaries is also good?
If you punch them in the street, it is neither. If you punch them while they're locked in a jail cell, it is unnecessary.
WRT capitalists and counter-revolutionaries, if someone is poised to repress you, you fight them, disarming and expropriating them. Once they're expropriated, and don't pose a material threat, do you still need to kick them while they're down?
Being against bad things outside of the recognition of the context of the reality of global geopolitics is not really being against bad things if the outcomes turn out worse. Look at the USSR collapsing: anarchists like myself usually argued that the USSR was just state capitalism and as bad as the USA. But that collapse has been a disaster for the working class both in Russia and globally. I’d rather fight the worst imperialistic capitalist hegemon and work our way toward fixing the bad things in less-bad countries. To do otherwise is to strengthen the hegemon.
In the past, as an anarchist, i once celebrated any resistance by anarchists or working class people against any oppression no matter what. But having seen that rebellion be used seamlessly by the global capitalist hegemon over and over to tighten its grip globally on control and power, thereby making things worse overall for the global working class, I have changed my mind and think there are irresponsible ways of rebellion that actually strengthen global capitalism even when they sometimes overthrow a local node of oppression. The only path to anarchism is through state communism that builds power against the capitalist network of world power until it can crush it. It’s literally the only way.
Which is why I've been qualifying it this whole time, we agree lol