Depends on you threshold but we have had it for a while
Getting to “choose” which pack of political racketeers gets to be the public face of capitalist looting and pillaging falls outside my threshold… which means that we’ve never had anything that can be called “democracy” with a straight face.
If we accept the liberals’ definition of democracy we might just as well accept the tankie’s definition of socialism, too - both are equally warped and vile.
Anarchists saved and improved countless lives in the last few years by doing direct action. They rescue(d) and support(ed) refugees, fed people all over the world, setup bail funds and so much more.
Actually impacting other peoples lives (and your oen) directly is a pretty appealing alternative imo.
They rescue(d) and support(ed) refugees, fed people all over the world, setup bail funds and so much more.
This is all great - but lots of organizations and movements are doing direct action of all kinds. Can you seriously tell me that this represents a functional political movement that would be capable of surviving and thriving if a convulsive revolution were to kick off tomorrow?
Anarchism has been very productive in improving the lives of those who practice it. Bringing about things like the 40-hour week. Anarchism doesn’t have to become the sociopolitical system to be beneficial. Look into prefiguration and also look at the comm rules.
Can you show me anywhere in the world where anarchism is as strongly represented in labor movements as it was in Spain during the 1930s?
Looking at the past does not make the present any better.
Anarchism doesn’t have to become the sociopolitical system to be beneficial.
So what should it be then? A vanguard in everything but name?
Look into prefiguration
I’d love to… but where is it? Every time I ask anarchists this, they point me to social projects such as that happening in northern Syria and Chiappas in Mexico - social projects that reject the anarchist label. And I don’t exactly blame them for rejecting it, either - trying to “preconfigure” something when your theory is too damn orthodox to even allow you to understand what “preconfiguring” should actually look like is a pretty obvious sociopolitical dead-end.
Can you show me anywhere in the world where anarchism is as strongly represented in labor movements as it was in Spain during the 1930s?
Can you show me anywhere in the world where Liberal Capitalist Democracy was strongly represented in 1400s? See how absurd this statement is?
So what should it be then? A vanguard in everything but name?
The opposite. Improving the lives of people practicing it in the here and now through anarchist praxis. People can practice direct action for mutual aid right now.
Liberalism is literally the ideology of the status quo now.
Is it absurd to point that out, too?
Prefiguration is a theory of praxis
Soooo… the failure of anarchism to actually preconfigure anything since the end of WW2 in the face of massive liberal counter-insurgency is perhaps tied to anarchist’s theories about preconfiguration not being remotely good enough - if they even exist at all?
Liberalism is literally the ideology of the status quo now.
Is it absurd to point that out, too?
What’s absurd is to claim that a radical socioeconomic reconfiguration can’t happen because it hasn’t happened yet.
Soooo… the failure of anarchism to actually preconfigure anything since the end of WW2 in the face of massive liberal counter-insurgency is perhaps tied to anarchist’s theories about preconfiguration not being remotely good enough - if they even exist at all?
Anarchist prefigure things all the time. Mutual Banks, Cooperatives, Anarcho-syndicalist unions, food banks, soup kitchens and so much more. Don’t know what the fuck you’re on about.
Perfectly true.
But anarchism hasn’t exactly been very productive over the last century when it comes to providing alternatives, has it?
Who said anything about anarchism? I’d be happy to just get democracy back.
When did we have democracy?
Depends on you threshold but we have had it for a while. No need to spend money on elections or news media if we didn’t have a democracy.
Getting to “choose” which pack of political racketeers gets to be the public face of capitalist looting and pillaging falls outside my threshold… which means that we’ve never had anything that can be called “democracy” with a straight face.
If we accept the liberals’ definition of democracy we might just as well accept the tankie’s definition of socialism, too - both are equally warped and vile.
Anarchists saved and improved countless lives in the last few years by doing direct action. They rescue(d) and support(ed) refugees, fed people all over the world, setup bail funds and so much more.
Actually impacting other peoples lives (and your oen) directly is a pretty appealing alternative imo.
This is all great - but lots of organizations and movements are doing direct action of all kinds. Can you seriously tell me that this represents a functional political movement that would be capable of surviving and thriving if a convulsive revolution were to kick off tomorrow?
what a shitty and irrelevant argument
Anarchism has been very productive in improving the lives of those who practice it. Bringing about things like the 40-hour week. Anarchism doesn’t have to become the sociopolitical system to be beneficial. Look into prefiguration and also look at the comm rules.
Can you show me anywhere in the world where anarchism is as strongly represented in labor movements as it was in Spain during the 1930s?
Looking at the past does not make the present any better.
So what should it be then? A vanguard in everything but name?
I’d love to… but where is it? Every time I ask anarchists this, they point me to social projects such as that happening in northern Syria and Chiappas in Mexico - social projects that reject the anarchist label. And I don’t exactly blame them for rejecting it, either - trying to “preconfigure” something when your theory is too damn orthodox to even allow you to understand what “preconfiguring” should actually look like is a pretty obvious sociopolitical dead-end.
Can you show me anywhere in the world where Liberal Capitalist Democracy was strongly represented in 1400s? See how absurd this statement is?
The opposite. Improving the lives of people practicing it in the here and now through anarchist praxis. People can practice direct action for mutual aid right now.
Prefiguration is a theory of praxis
Liberalism is literally the ideology of the status quo now.
Is it absurd to point that out, too?
Soooo… the failure of anarchism to actually preconfigure anything since the end of WW2 in the face of massive liberal counter-insurgency is perhaps tied to anarchist’s theories about preconfiguration not being remotely good enough - if they even exist at all?
What’s absurd is to claim that a radical socioeconomic reconfiguration can’t happen because it hasn’t happened yet.
Anarchist prefigure things all the time. Mutual Banks, Cooperatives, Anarcho-syndicalist unions, food banks, soup kitchens and so much more. Don’t know what the fuck you’re on about.