Is it just me or is Anarchism actually growing as a movement. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's particularly popular yet, but it's pretty obvious to me that more and more people are being attracted to its cause. Take the internet for example. I've noticed on sites like you tube, there have been tons of videos added recently dealing with anarchism. And what's even cooler is that people actually seem to know now what Anarchy stands for, and don't just give the whole "Anarchy=Chaos" thing. There's still an ongoing debate between the people who think it can work, and the people who think it can't, but I dunno, it definitly seems to be a more widespread ideology than say 10 years ago. Has anyone else noticed this or are things pretty much the same as they were 5 years ago?
i think a lot of people are waking up in the sense of realizing their idiological fanatacisms of the past just not only haven't lived up to thier claims, but intrinsicly cannot. and disillusioned fanatics do have a tendency to just as fanaticly throw their babies out with the bath water as they swallowed their own self deceived perceptions of them, hook, line and sinker, before waking up to realize they were gettting screwed. and you know, what's going on now makes it pretty hard for people to keep lying to themselves, however much they may want to. so really more and more, anyone who has any kind of sense, is going to start sounding at least a little bit anarchist. this isn't a fanatical faith in anarchism as such, but a realization that no idiology is worth a dam when held to fanatical 'purity'. =^^= .../\...
I think only a brand of "anarchism" (if you can call it that) is sort of popular with younger generations, and that is anarcho-capitalism or individualist anarchism. And unfortunately for the wrong reasons. Namely, political alienation, lack of learning, and self-indulgence. Then there are the microbiotics who resent Western civilization in all its aspects as though there were microbiotics anywhere other than the West. Check out the Gucci-wearing yuppies and the tree-hugging fanatics...they all say the same thing: "Fuck politics! Fuck the state!" Anarchism could be a very convenient label if you gives you the liberty to read neither newspapers nor Karl Marx. Neither vote, nor learn how to smuggle and use machine guns to stage an insurgency. You're right, anarchism=chaos is out, anarchism=convenience is in.
Wow, way to dismiss an enitre global movement. I think the greeks and the latin americans alone would have something to say about your anarchism=convenience analysis. Maybe you run acrtoss that in the Che on t-shirt U.S. suburbs, but there is a global movement under way. Marxism has been tried and tested. Big movements now(and not just with teenage rev-wannabes) are green and/or anarcho(on the left at least, islamic movement is a whole nother beast).
You must know a lot I don't. And I am Latin American at that. I confess I was thinking of the U.S. and perhaps Western Europe in particular. That being said I don't know what your parameters are for "global movement." I haven't heard of one since the end of the Vietnam War.
Anti-Capitalist / Anti-Globalization / anti-Free Trade is a global movement by far. Ever since Seattle protests against G8 and Free Trade meetings have been huge.
i dunno if its growing a movement. but people are becoming more aware, and setting up their own collectives, groups and what not. its still a shame we get bad looks when we're protesting outside the likes of MnS's...lol. people are either uneducated, or not willing to open their eyes. they want a 'simple' life...but hey, i aint gonna go into a preaching rant-ass off, so dont worry. the end. lol.
Is it a growing movement? Well, new people join it all the time. The same as new people join other political parties, movements, whatever. Other people leave and become inactive. I guess people "discover" anarchism, go out and find other people who believe the same thing, and start thinking it is a growing movement. But a growing movement in a meaningful way? You just have to look at this forum - barely alive, full of splitters and hardly going anywhere - to see the health of the movement. What did the Seattle riots accomplish - a bunch of people couldn't get into a building one day, and then the next day life went on - so what.
pepik, this forum is not really a good guage of the movement. its not a political, anarchist, or anti-authoritarian forum, its a big collection of forums that happens to have an anarchy forum tucked away.
