A nice analogy for LibCom
Anarcho-communism is a bit like p2p data transfers. When everyone has a file and a proper system to check the integrity of their files (md5), one bad seeder doesn’t ruin the file for everyone.
I like 🙂
Tag: Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: Red Terror VS Stalinist Totalitarianism
A quote from Slavoj Zizek about the difference between the terror of Leninism to Stalinism.
Even in the most violent phases of the Leninist dictatorship, when those who opposed the revolution were brutally deprived of their right to (public free) speech, they were not deprived of their right to silence: they were allowed to withdraw into inner exile. […]For Stalinism, however, even such silence resonated too much. Not only were masses of people required to show their support by attending big public rallies, artists and scientists also had to compromise themselves by participating in active measures such as signing official proclamations, or paying lip-service to Stalin and the official Marxism. If, in the Leninist dictatorship, one could be shot for what one said, in Stalinism one could be shot for what one did not say. This was followed through to the very end: suicide itself, the ultimate desperate withdrawal into silence, was condemned by Stalin as the last and highest act of treason against the Party. This distinction between Leninism and Stalinism reflects their general attitude towards society: for the former, society is a field of merciless struggle for power, a struggle which is openly admitted; for the latter, the conflict is, sometimes almost imperceptibly, redefined as that of a healthy society against what is excluded from it—vermin, insects, traitors who are less than human.
Amirably shows the brutal increase of mind control required to maintain control of the system. It admirably shows that Lenin was no saint either.
(h/t Plagal)
Quote of the Day: Anarchist Trams
A quote about the Spanish Revolution
- Image via Wikipedia
I just found a very nice and inspiring quote about the Spanish Revolution
Within workplaces wages were equalised and conditions greatly improved. Let us see how collectivisation actually made things better. Take for example the tramways. Out of the 7,000 workers, 6,500 were members of the CNT. Because of the street battles all transport had been brought to a halt. The transport syndicate (as unions of the CNT were known) appointed a commission of seven to occupy the administrative offices while others inspected the tracks and drew up a plan of repair work that needed to be done. Five days after the fighting stopped 700 tramcars, instead of the usual 600, all painted in the black and red colours of the CNT, were operating on the streets of Barcelona.
With the profit motive gone, safety became more important and the number of accidents was reduced. Fares were lowered and services improved. In I 936, 183,543, 516 passengers were carried. In 1937 this had gone up by 50 million. The trams were running so efficiently that the workers were able to give money to other sections of urban transport. Wages were equalised for all workers and increased over the previous rates. For the first time free medical care was provided for the work force.
I suggest all of you not already familiar with it, take the time to learn about the closest attempt to Anarchism that has happened, what it achieved during its small existence (a lot) and why it was defeated.
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Quote of the Day: Pattern of revolution
A quote about the fate of previous revolutions
What tends to happen in their [Non-anarchist] revolutions[…]? A certain pattern tends to recur: lots and lots of people are active, from a variety of classes and perspectives, then once the main blow has been struck, there’s an internal power-struggle and some bunch of motherfuckers shoot all the radicals and inform everyone else that the most revolutionary thing in the world is Discipline
I like the sentiment in it 🙂
Quote of the Day: Anarcho-Capitalist "Freedom"
Ludvig von Mises defends Freedom the best way he knows. By backing Fascism.
Quoth Ludwig von Mises (H/t to An Anarchist FAQ)
It cannot be denied that Fascism and similar movements aiming at the establishment of dictatorships are full of the best intentions and that their intervention has, for the moment, saved European civilisation. The merit that Fascism has thereby won for itself will live eternally in history.” [Liberalism, p. 51]
Yes, Fascism has really saved civilization. Why? Because it didn’t let Capitalism go down of course. Thus we see the classic example of “Anarcho”-Capitalist where Anarchism is meant to imply Anti-Statism but only when it’s in the interests of the Plutocracy.
And yet, many people still promote these ruling-class apologetics as the only true “Freedom”.
Quote of the Day: Obama the Corporatist
[Obama] is not a socialist, as conservatives may be arguing, but he is a corporatist. Using future tax dollars to fund government job programs is one thing. Using future tax dollars to give banks more money to lend out at interest is robbing from the poor to pay the rich to rob from the poor.
[Obama] is not a socialist, as conservatives may be arguing, but he is a corporatist. Using future tax dollars to fund government job programs is one thing. Using future tax dollars to give banks more money to lend out at interest is robbing from the poor to pay the rich to rob from the poor.
Quote of the Day: Obsolete class struggle ideas
A quote about the constant resurgence of class struggle.
Perhaps – for once – they [the conservative columnists] have learnt at least one lesson from history. That is that time and time again, just when the ruling classes relaxed, working class struggle has suddenly appeared to declare, in the manner of Mark Twain, that rumours of its death have been greatly exaggerated.
Quote of the day: Tyranny of structurelessness
A quote about how an unstructured movement might be tyrannical.
Often anarchist movements are much more undemocratic than socialist parties, because they lack the democratic procedures to make majority decisions. Instead you get the ‘tyranny of structurelessness’ – where the best speakers (or the loudest!), those with the best informal clique links, are able to manipulate and dominate the movement.
Leadership has a way of always enterring into the equation wether you want it or not. The trick is of course to recognise that it will be there and find ways to make it accountable.
Quote of the Day: AnCap Movement
An anonymous quote about “Anarcho”-Capitalism.
Quoth Anonymous
I would love to see an “anarcho” capitalist rally, a bunch of rich white teenagers and a few rich, white, bourgeois economists.
Btw, charge up your lazers irony capacitors and check out the rest of the quotes in the article this comment quote was taken from.
Quote of the Day: Windows bits
An Anonymous quote about bits and Microsoft.
Quoth Anonymous (USEnet post)
“Windows [n.] – A thirty-two bit extension and GUI shell to a sixteen bit patch to an eight bit operating system originally coded for a four bit microprocessor and sold by a two-bit company that can’t stand one bit of competition.”
PS: Here’s something to read to understand why far too many people dislike Microsoft. No, it’s not because we’re jealous.