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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Anarchist Utopia

Milo Nickels

What do you picture when you hear the word "anarchy?" Do you picture a mob of angry people smashing windows and looting televisions? Do you picture fire, destruction, and carnage? Do you picture idiots with T-shirts tied around their faces throwing rocks and tipping over cars?

If you are like most Americans, these are the exact images that pop into your head, and that is very unfortunate.

Although many people (correctly) believe that chaos would be the absolute end result of anarchy, it is important to remember that "anarchy" itself is not a synonym for "chaos" (although it is quite often and unfairly used that way).

Unfortunately, one bad apple spoils the bunch, and most people who openly call themselves "anarchists" are those bad apples. The ironic part is, most of these people are "anti-capitalists" and, therefore, support political systems where governments control economies. How can you honestly call yourself an anarchist if you support government control of anything?

To assume that all anarchists are riotous punks is no different than assuming that all democrats are welfare bums or all republicans are war mongers. We mustn't focus on the bad apples.

Anarchy, in reality, is nothing but a political philosophy. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines anarchy as follows:
  1. a: absence of government b: a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority c: a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government.
  2. a: absence of denial of any authority or established order b: absence of order: disorder anarchy of nature
Note: the word Anarchy itself is composed of two parts: An · archy, An (meaning without), Archy (meaning government or rule). The literal translation, then, is simply "without government"
Notice what is missing from those definitions. There are no mentions of violence, upheaval, riots, or chaos. The closest they come to any of that is definition 2b whereby anarchy can be thought of as "disorder," but disorder does not automatically or necessarily lead to violence either; nor is disorder always a bad thing. Without disorderly gene mutations we'd still be monkeys. In particular, you should pay attention to definition 1c. Anarchy can be thought of as a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom. This is the side of anarchy that everyone seems to forget, and it's a far cry from gas masks and Molotov cocktails.

If you are someone who typically equates anarchy with chaos, please challenge yourself to open your mind. Try, just for a minute, to think of anarchy from the utopian perspective:
  • Would you rather live in a world where police enforce laws, or one where people respect the lives, rights, and property of their fellow man to the point where police and laws are no longer necessary?
  • Would you rather live in a world where welfare is required to keep people afloat, or one where all people have the capacity and drive to earn their own way?
  • Would you rather live in a world where banks and businesses must be bound by government regulations and restrictions, or one where the bankers and businesses could be trusted to pay fair wages and sell goods at fair prices?
  • Would you rather live in a world where governments have to control the people, or where people are responsible, sensible, and thoughtful enough to control themselves?
Obviously, we don't live in such a world. And, sadly, we never will. Like virtually all utopian ideals, a completely free (anarchistic) society is an impossibility--constrained by human nature. Anarchy itself isn't bad; people are. Human nature is fraught with greed, aggression, lust, and ignorance. This dark side of human nature is the only reason that people require governments at all.

Although the vast majority of societal ideals and visions of utopia are unobtainable, simply because they are bound by human nature, this does not mean that we should stop striving for those societal ideals or seeking those utopias. Just as we will never wipe out all racism, all terrorism, all poverty, or all greed, we will never be able to eliminate all government. But the grim reality that we can never be perfect, should not stop us from striving as a people to be better. We can always have less racism, less terrorism, less poverty, less greed, and less government.

Please, if you are someone who automatically envisions destructive chaos when you hear the word "anarchy," try to think about what that word could actually mean. If you are one of the morons in the above picture, calling yourself anarchists but proving exactly why governments are necessary, stop acting like an idiot.

The real road to achieving an anarchist utopia is not through violence, disrespect, and chaos. All of these activities only lead to more government. An entirely free society, where government is no longer necessary, can only exist where people respect one another, accept responsibility, treat each other fairly, and have compassion for their fellow man. In short: we don't need government if humans are humane.

If you truly understand how wonderful our world could be without government, I hope that you will go forth -- and think like an anarchist.

Milo Nickels began blogging and cartooning about politics in the year 2000. After achieving some notoriety at that time, Milo took a break. Now, Milo has launched a new website, Five Cent Revolution where he continues to write about political issues. In particular, Milo focuses on constitutionalism, critiques of modern liberalism and progressivism, and defends individual liberty above all else. Milo wants the government out of our wallets, out of our business, and out of our lives to the greatest extent possible.

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Sunday, January 9, 2011

How To Be A World-Class Survivalist in 5 Simple Steps

Joy Paley
Activist Post

With the recent econopocalypse, it’s no wonder that people are becoming more interested in what it would take to survive after our current society has undergone a major shift. After all, if something we thought was intrinsically stable—our financial sector, and the guarantee of ever increasing wealth—is actually pretty flimsy, well, a lot of other things can be brought into question too. Take out a seemingly small piece of the puzzle, like access to gasoline, and you find that your local grocery will run out of goods within 2 days. Learning the basic skills to survive without the modern conveniences of society is a way to prepare yourself for these unpredictable shifts. And, the skills you’ll hone in the process—self-reliance, problem solving, and cleverness—are ones that will definitely benefit you in your everyday life.

1. Get In Shape
It’s not that exciting of a tip, but it’s probably the most important in terms of survival. Having an in-shape cardiovascular system will mean that you’ll be able to run, forage, and do any other intense aerobic activity that comes with living outside of society. Keeping your muscles strong is to key for chopping wood, building shelter, and generally being useful when physical brawn again becomes as important as intellectual ability.

2. Learn Basic Wilderness Skills
Before you hit the military surplus store for thousands of dollars worth of MRE rations, first put a little effort into really getting good at basic skills for navigating outside of your comfort zone. First, learn how to build a fire
, without a gallon of fire starter and newspaper. Review how to build a protective shelter outside and how to find water. These three most basic skills aren’t easy—but they are sure to come in handy when you’ve got no lights, heat, or running water.

3. Invest Wisely in Supplies
Now that you’ve shown your commitment to survivalism by knowing a few basic essentials, you can consider investing in the supplies that will make your life easier, after society’s collapse. Don’t head down to your local REI store though—you can burn through your entire nest egg on commercial wilderness and survival gear at those fancy places. Think utility and budget.

• Stock up a pantry of canned goods—think beans, tuna, veggies, fruit, and soups
• Get bulk basics like oil, sugar, salt, peanut butter, rice, lentils, and any other grains you prefer
• Pick up a rechargeable LED flashlight for every member of your family
• Get several 5 gallon jugs of water
• Create a comprehensive first aid kid
• If you don’t have one, purchase a firearm and stock up on ammunition

4. Learn How to Feed Yourself
No matter how many Costco jugs of peanut butter you buy, your food stock isn’t going to last forever. Any survivalist has to know how to feed themselves when the going gets tough. This includes growing food, foraging, fishing, and hunting. Stock up on seeds, and start with a small vegetable garden. Learn to identify and find edible and medicinal plants in your area. If you’ve never hunted, start small. Find, catch, kill, and cook a rabbit or squirrel to start.

5. Learn Antiquated Skills
Back before the days of Super Wal-Mart and excess income, regular people like you and me knew skills for surviving the year. In the winter when there weren’t any fresh fruits and vegetables, people depended on canned, pickled, smoked, and other preserved food that they had prepared in the summertime. Candles offered valuable light, and handmade soap kept them clean. These are the types of skills that will not only keep you alive longer, but will actually make living a little more enjoyable.

Joy Paley is a science and technology writer from Berkeley, California. She is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and writes on accredited online degrees for Guide to Online Schools.


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