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Welcome to the anews podcast. This is episode 34 for October 20. This podcast covers anarchist activity, ideas, and conversations from the previous week.
Editorial: The Trouble with Anews (or-Context!)
TOTW – Principles and Outcomes
A101 question: Can anarchists who join others’ actions separate themselves from the event’s planners?
this podcast
This podcast is the effort of many people. This week this podcast was
* sound edited by Linn O’Mable
* editorial by chisel
* written by jackie
* narrated by chisel and a friend
* Thanks to Aragorn! and Ariel for their help with the topic of the week
* Contact us at podcast@anarchistnews.org
To learn more
Introduction to anarchism: http://anarchy101.org
Books and other anarchist material: http://littleblackcart.com
News and up to the minute commentary: https://anarchistnews.org
“The idea that theres a right and a wrong way to be and who better to enforce that…. call out culture and all that.”
saying ‘hey lets sit down and talk about it or I don’t want to be in a room with you anymore’ or ‘fuck that guy he talks shit about women’ is “saying there s a wrong way to be … and enforce that”
but trying to choke some dumb kid a a book fair because is different? If anything its even more of an example of what yall are talking against.
Maybe Aragorn! was right when he said on Episode #53 of The Brilliant that “the era of the book fair is coming to an end.” Anarchist book fairs have become the pinnacle of subcultural stagnation and sectarian infighting within the anarchist milieu. The folks at LBC could save themselves the frustration of getting into pointless confrontations with leftist idiots by just severing ties with the book fair circuit and letting that be the end of it.
it’s easy (it’s my tendency) to just say fuck the people we disagree with. but tabling at events is not only occasionally fun (talking to people about the books we love is part of the reason we’re doing this project), but it means that newbies get the opportunity to see that there is more breadth to anarchy-land than the reds/sindicalists/whatever want to acknowledge.
sure, there are probably other ways to reach people who don’t know about us already, but until we have found them and/or the energy, bookfairs are still the best option.
also, as some people have pointed out elsewhere, there have always been fights at bookfairs. one could say it’s the sign of a living practice… it would be better if people know how to fight, and if lethal practices weren’t introduced, but fighting as fighting seems perfectly appropriate to me.
If you feel that attending book fairs is where your energy is best spent, then far be it for me to tell you not to. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t admire your resolve. I just know that, if I was in your position, I would be actively exploring ways to break out of the anarchist subcultural bubble in stead of resigning myself to what I see as the lowest common denominator. I’m at the point now where I’d rather just let the lefties do their own thing and continue re-enforcing each other’s delusions than bother debating with any of them.
What I find so refreshing about LBC is that its participants both recognize the inherent limitations of the anarchist subculture and have the resources at their disposal to reach beyond its narrow confines. However, when I hear about them getting caught up in petty squabbles with people who aren’t worth their time or attention, it just sounds like they’re squandering some of their potential. I’m sure that, with a little creative thinking and the courage to just walk away, greener pastures would abound outside of book fair mediocrity.