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Anarchy is all the rage, according to Teen Vogue, and it’s right up there with the revival of mom jeans!
The article entitled “Anarchy: What It Is and Why Pop Culture Loves It” was penned by self-proclaimed “anarchist” and Teen Vogue labor (!) columnist, Kim Kelly.
PEOPLE ARE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT ANARCHISM AND (CHECKS NOTES) TEEN VOGUE IS ON IT! Anarchy: What It… https://t.co/4sWtjmIqnZ
— janet taylor (@janptaylor) September 9, 2018
Oh, please. Break it down for us, Teen Vogue!
Anarchism is a radical, revolutionary leftist political philosophy that advocates for the abolition of government, hierarchy, and all other unequal systems of power. It seeks to replace what its proponents view as inherently oppressive institutions — like a capitalist society or the prison industrial complex — with nonhierarchical, horizontal structures powered by voluntary associations between people. Anarchists organize around a key set of principles, including horizontalism, mutual aid, autonomy, solidarity, direct action, and direct democracy, a form of democracy in which the people make decisions themselves via consensus (as opposed to representative democracy, of which the United States government is an example).
Get that, kiddies? The United States is baaaaaddd. We have a representative democracy in America. Best listen to the writers of Teen Vogue if you want to make a difference in this country. Seriously, parents, would Teen Vogue steer our kids wrong?
Kelly is also a member of the New York City-based anarchist group Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council (MACC), that “demonstrates a vision for a society in fundamental opposition to the brutal logic of contemporary capitalism — a society based on mutual aid, cooperation, and radical democracy”.
According to Kelly, anarchy is sooo much more than catchy lyrics to a revolutionary punk rock tune by The Sex Pistols in the late 70s, which she claims turned a whole bunch of punk rock kids on to the movement (funny, all I wanted to do was slam dance and stick safety pins in my ears). She goes on to romanticize anarchism by throwing in some suggested reading from the likes of Karl Marx, Noam Chomsky and Pierre-Joseph-Property-is-Theft-Proudhon.
Classic anarchist traditions include mutualism, which is situated at the nexus of individual and collectivist thought; anarcho-communism, which favors community ownership of the means of production, and the abolishment of the state and capitalism; anarcho-syndicalism, which views unions, the working class, and the labor movement as potential forces for revolutionary change; and individualism, which has similarities with libertarianism, and emphasizes individual freedom above all. More recent, more post-modern schools of thought, including anarcha-feminism, Black anarchism, queer anarchism, green or eco-anarchism, and anarcho-pacifism, have found firm footing in today’s anarchist communities.
Oh, brother. Because just plain ol’ anarchy is not intersectional and inclusive enough, I guess? You can read the whole article here.
Seems the writers at Teen Vogue are clueless about what happens to people like the writers at Teen Vogue in situations of anarchy.
— JRamsay (@spirit_lead) September 8, 2018
Capitalism bad, they say. Anarchy good, they say. Repeat after them, young ones.
Hypothetically, whatever would happen to a company such as Condé Nast (the publishers of Teen Vogue) in an anarchist society? All of those advertising pages and all of that revenue? It’s a curious thought…
I wonder if perceptive teenage girls would take a look at some of Condé Nast’s other publications, too-most notably Vogue itself and its editor, Anna Wintour. I hope they would do a little more reading about her as well, before they make the decision to go full-on anarchist. I trust they will find Ms. Wintour has an office that is quite spacious, her pick of Channel suits, Manolo Blahnik shoes and she seldom hob-nobs with the “commoners”. Yet, the editors, ironically sitting in their offices in Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center), want teenagers to actually think anarchy is a great idea. No rules and no government equals mutualism and community. Right. That is, until someone decides to barge into another’s home with a weapon and take all property because owning property is “theft“. Looting someone’s home, however, is not. Okay. Noted.
Anarchism and anarchists are everywhere, and hopefully now you’ve got a better understanding of what they’re fighting for — and against.
Honestly, I’m confused. Are they fighting for no government or state-funded programs for college education and birth control? Doesn’t the government owe them something? Truly, if you are an anarchist, you don’t want the state taking care of you, right? Do they understand this concept?
Oh, right. We’re expecting critical thought and common sense from a fashion mag. Next up: how to properly wear a fanny pack to a protest and how to have a cozy fireside date with your Antifa loser boyfriend. It’s Teen Vogue. All you wanted to know about anal sex and anarchy but were afraid to ask. Pop culture loves it.
Photo: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2010/06/400458.shtml
“…..nonhierarchical, horizontal structures powered by voluntary associations between people…..”
Oh, yeah, THAT’S how you operate an oil & gas refinery, much less a coffee shop.
Same quote, different take.
“…..nonhierarchical, horizontal structures powered by voluntary associations between people…..”
Didn’t we try that? In our non-PC days it was called “The Dark Ages”.
In Doctor Zhivago, Antipov (Tom Courtenay) says “After the revolution people will be different.” This is the flaw in all these grand schemes of leftist political philosophy.
Al Swerengen would have called these little pissants “hoopleheads.”
all other unequal systems of power
And how does this work?
voluntary associations between people
And what about the people who don’t want to be in your “equal” system? Do they get to opt-out?
I’m guessing “voluntary” doesn’t mean to you what it means to most everyone else.
in which the people make decisions themselves via consensus
Riiiiight… “consensus”.
And, of course, one of the biggest problems with a direct democracy is that a really large state/ country/ organization is going to stomp all over a whole LOT of people in the minority by enacting what the majority desires.
suggested reading from the likes of Karl Marx
Wait, I thought this was about removing unequal power structures? And Noam Chomsky?
So, pretty much she’s admitting “anarchists” are just shock troops for “communism”.
Capitalism bad, they say.
Let’s try to avoid ceding the field on this. What we – as conservatives and libertarians – desire is NOT “capitalism”. That’s a marxist term that is NOT describing free (or generally free) markets. What we desire is free markets. With the understanding that a truly free market is never possible, because people – we need some regulation concerning fraud and transparency, perhaps gov’t support to compete with those who receive support from their gov’ts, etc.
But, please, do NOT call it “capitalism”. Do NOT let Marx shape the battlefield. Force them to cede that they consider FREE MARKETS – freedom and choice – to be bad.
All of those advertising pages and all of that revenue?
They wouldn’t need it. No one would need “revenue” because everyone would have everything they needed, provided by everyone’s abilities.
Stop laughing. They actually believe this.
These folks aren’t really “anarchists”, they’re communists (as have been all the anarchists since the term was coined sometime early in the last century). And they need to be treated as such – like all tyrants.
BTW, socialism does work. As long as it’s a small group, with a higher loyalty (to a god, for example), and entirely voluntary. Which means it can last for one generation, usually.
Not even the 12 Apostles backed up by G-d could make socialism work — and they tried. Book of Acts, 4:32 – 5:11.
I’m looking forward to seeing Anarchists swinging on ropes right beside Socialists. Really.
No matter what system you talk about, SOMEONE will be in charge or fight to be in charge..I like a representative republic instead of Lenin, Trotsky, etc.
If you want to know how anarchy works in practice, look at Somalia. Who looks at that and says “gimme some?”
Usually, the Communists deal with the Anarchists shortly after they achieve total power.
It’s an old tradition. Back in the USSR, the anarchists sided with Trotsky against Stalin, and Stalin did the same thing to the anarchists that he did to everyone who opposed him.
DENNIS: I told you. We’re an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week,…
ARTHUR: Yes.
DENNIS: …but all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting…
ARTHUR: Yes, I see.
DENNIS: …by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs,…
ARTHUR: Be quiet!
DENNIS: …but by a two-thirds majority in the case of more major–
ARTHUR: Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!
WOMAN: Order, eh? Who does he think he is? Heh.
ARTHUR: I am your king!
WOMAN: Well, I didn’t vote for you.
ARTHUR: You don’t vote for kings.
Help, HELP! I’m being repressed!
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