I was debating the merits of incorporating some anarchist ideology, since my professor has been introducing some things to us.
Anarchism, different types, has its appeal.
but I keep running into multiple positions that i can’t for the life of me understand. This one in particular. How do you have solidarity when you can’t support states or hierarchies?
Also the existence of states, and what it takes to abolish them is of great interest to me. Because it seems to be as simple as uh, implementing direct democracy? Or some form of democratic functions in all society. So all institutions and borders can exist, but if you’re democratic you’re good? Do all situations really have to involve everyone?
so is literally a few elections and renaming institutions enough to replace the nation state? Seems incredibly easy then, i dont know what the fuss is about. (Although i think democratic armies are stupid why should that be a thing.)
Also my professor has an annoying tendency to hate on former socialism whenever its brought up. Also the sort of stereotypical obsession with rojava (which explicitly enshrines the right of private property, but otherwise i support the fight of the kurdish population for liberation) and the Zapitistas (who denounce western anarchism and explicitly identify as a sort of their own ideological deviation from marxism. Libertarian socialism in reality. Not hating on the Zapitistas of course, they’re cool as fuck and i support their fight against discrimination of ethnic minorities and natives. Other anarchists have a liking of Makhnovshchina, which gets a lot of undeserved hate in marxist circles but was more a warlord state than anarchist. But i’d be fine with that because it was a rough time and they were doing what they had to, but explicit denial of this and upholding it is very strange to me.
But these are… states??? Why is it Marxist states that get flak?
wait its probably the purges… yeah i’d be mad about that too if it was me…
Anarchists i think get lots of undue hate towards them as well, with many criticisms brushing them aside being equally applicable to marxism.
Also i dont want to see any marxists give a joking or sectarian answer, or ill report them. Im interested in learning the responses of anarchists, and the best ones i can find are usually here. I can get kind of defensive, i dont like being wrong, but i do genuinely want to learn.
while yes a state hierarchy is not necessary for such things, it becomes far different with an economy.
and i can support a struggle under a state and if the struggle is in the form of a state. see the soviet support of the Viet Minh, Sino Communists, and many other revolutionary movements. I myself would be glad if my state was devoting the power of mass produced guns, military advisors, and diplomatic support to revolutionary movements. I do understand for a state that is not under a dictatorship of the working class, since it strangles solidarity actively. As well as some revolutionary states choosing pragmatism over solidarity due to the states inevitable self interests.
Solidarity is the most important thing! how can you have internationalism without solidarity? How can you learn from other revolutions without actively broadcasting their plight and agitating their support.
And for uniting which side to support, its mostly due to the concern of backing the ‘revolutionary’ side. What happens if they back say israel over palestine? Rhodesia over Zimbabwe?
all these things i think are easily possible with any sort of anarchism i think, as anarchist mutual aid was the basis for communist state mutual aid.
Yes, if individual people have solidarity, then that is not incompatible with anarchism. In fact, that is practically the definition of it! It is important, for all of the reasons you said.
But you said “how can you have solidarity if you can’t have states or hierarchies?”. From that, I understand that you think that ‘solidarity’ can be something that is mandated by the state or hierarchy. I do not agree that that is important.