Post by Walker on Jul 1, 2012 16:14:36 GMT
This is some beginning thoughts on a proposal for another anarchist primitivism. Mired in debates now considered old, divisive, laced with sectarianism and logical fallacy, anarchist primitivism, as an anarchist tendency, has been on the decline while various tendencies of anti-leninist/pro-situationist insurrectionary communism, insurrectionary anarchism, egoism and some forms of left anarchism have increased.
While platformist/specificist left anarchism has typically presented the largest criticism of anarchist primitivism, its tendency has declined in influence while anarchist syndicalism seems to be rising. In addition to this, a quick search of anarchist primitivist criticism quickly shows that platformist anarchist is not the only host of critique. Pro-situationists, insurrectionary anarchists, even nihilist anarchists have come out against various views of anarchist primitivism. While much of these criticisms are founded on misunderstandings, misinterpretation and abusing logical fallacies, it is clear that anarchist primitivism, as a tendency, has lost some major battles by not answering these criticisms.
In the United States, the IWW may be gaining ground as Occupy is either declining or transforming. Nihilist anarchists, on the flip side, are also gaining interest influenced by groups like the Informal Anarchist Federation of Europe and Latin America. The Coming Insurrection and Tiqqun gives libertarian Marxists and anarchists a second wind with attempts to call the existing resistance that once thought of itself as part of the Occupy movement a new thought, the thought of commune. These attempts to define their movements of attack as commune perhaps have captured the narrative of anarchists like no other present tendency. Whether these were the last throes of Occupy at its most militant and radical or whether these movements are preparing for another round of activity is still uncertain.
Repression after the NATO protests in Chicago has generated a new fear. A voice of Crimethinc attempts to show that a pattern of repression exists while I propose that the pattern only exists because the dominant order manufactures its existence. Even if anarchists were not attempting radical or militant activity, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies would still look through our population for signs of dissent to prop up and knock down.
It is the Summer of 2012 and several protests are lined up with the threat of the United State's first black president being voted out of power taking the momentum anarchists have generated and channeling this momentum towards efforts to defend the establishment from Republican hyperbole. The main stream media's recrafting of the Occupy movement's narrative as attempting to remove corporate money from politics is a difficult narrative to defeat as the curious seek out avenues of dissent.
This is where we are presently and anarchist primitivism has only played a marginal role in affairs, focusing more attention on another marginal movement, the deep green resistance movement, than on attempting to keep relevance in the present dialogue. John Zerzan's radio show, Anarchy Radio, speaks positively of the black bloc tactic, as do his guests. The Wild Roots Feral Futures gathering has already occurred, perhaps re-energizing the green anarchist movement, but will it do so in favor of anarchist primitivism or deep green resistance? This I'm uncertain of.
However, the loudest voices of green anarchy don't capture larger imaginations. It keeps attaching itself with views that look backwards rather than present-creating-future. Mired in activism and activist tactics, grasping to American indigenous movements without criticism, the voices for "decolonize" maintain white guilt (i.e. colonizer) viewpoints whether intentional or not. This creates the same problems as nationalism and only resists being pushed back rather than pressing forward. The values of yesterday, the values of today, will be destroyed in the crafting of values of tomorrow.
This sentimentality is found only in the losing vestiges of old culture not yet eliminated or assimilated into the dominant order. Certainly there is much that can be learned from these fading cultures and forgotten ways of life, but it is conservative to keep on about it. Meanwhile there is much more going on.
(to be continued.)
While platformist/specificist left anarchism has typically presented the largest criticism of anarchist primitivism, its tendency has declined in influence while anarchist syndicalism seems to be rising. In addition to this, a quick search of anarchist primitivist criticism quickly shows that platformist anarchist is not the only host of critique. Pro-situationists, insurrectionary anarchists, even nihilist anarchists have come out against various views of anarchist primitivism. While much of these criticisms are founded on misunderstandings, misinterpretation and abusing logical fallacies, it is clear that anarchist primitivism, as a tendency, has lost some major battles by not answering these criticisms.
In the United States, the IWW may be gaining ground as Occupy is either declining or transforming. Nihilist anarchists, on the flip side, are also gaining interest influenced by groups like the Informal Anarchist Federation of Europe and Latin America. The Coming Insurrection and Tiqqun gives libertarian Marxists and anarchists a second wind with attempts to call the existing resistance that once thought of itself as part of the Occupy movement a new thought, the thought of commune. These attempts to define their movements of attack as commune perhaps have captured the narrative of anarchists like no other present tendency. Whether these were the last throes of Occupy at its most militant and radical or whether these movements are preparing for another round of activity is still uncertain.
Repression after the NATO protests in Chicago has generated a new fear. A voice of Crimethinc attempts to show that a pattern of repression exists while I propose that the pattern only exists because the dominant order manufactures its existence. Even if anarchists were not attempting radical or militant activity, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies would still look through our population for signs of dissent to prop up and knock down.
It is the Summer of 2012 and several protests are lined up with the threat of the United State's first black president being voted out of power taking the momentum anarchists have generated and channeling this momentum towards efforts to defend the establishment from Republican hyperbole. The main stream media's recrafting of the Occupy movement's narrative as attempting to remove corporate money from politics is a difficult narrative to defeat as the curious seek out avenues of dissent.
This is where we are presently and anarchist primitivism has only played a marginal role in affairs, focusing more attention on another marginal movement, the deep green resistance movement, than on attempting to keep relevance in the present dialogue. John Zerzan's radio show, Anarchy Radio, speaks positively of the black bloc tactic, as do his guests. The Wild Roots Feral Futures gathering has already occurred, perhaps re-energizing the green anarchist movement, but will it do so in favor of anarchist primitivism or deep green resistance? This I'm uncertain of.
However, the loudest voices of green anarchy don't capture larger imaginations. It keeps attaching itself with views that look backwards rather than present-creating-future. Mired in activism and activist tactics, grasping to American indigenous movements without criticism, the voices for "decolonize" maintain white guilt (i.e. colonizer) viewpoints whether intentional or not. This creates the same problems as nationalism and only resists being pushed back rather than pressing forward. The values of yesterday, the values of today, will be destroyed in the crafting of values of tomorrow.
This sentimentality is found only in the losing vestiges of old culture not yet eliminated or assimilated into the dominant order. Certainly there is much that can be learned from these fading cultures and forgotten ways of life, but it is conservative to keep on about it. Meanwhile there is much more going on.
(to be continued.)