(written by Terry MacNeil, on March 30, 2024)
There are a zillion different branches of anarchism – and I view some of those branches as despicable, even though I am a “social anarchist” (more specifically, an “anarcho-communist”). Would anarcho-communism “work” in practice? I consider it quite possible it wouldn’t – BUT I am convinced we must ATTEMPT TO TRY TO MAKE IT WORK, regardless. And THAT is why I wholeheartedly embrace the anarcho-communist label.
I have a former friend, who knows me very well – but (incorrectly) assumed I am more easily influenced than I actually am. Put simply, he worried that since I devote a lot of my time to monitoring the far-right, that I might EMBRACE the far-right someday. But the thing is – I am a social anarchist. And most of us social anarchists make it a priority to monitor the far-right. All you have to do, is look at the history of the World – for a long list of socialist movements that got squashed by reactionary (and bloody) counterrevolutions.
“Propaganda” is an interesting word – when I hear it used nowadays, most people use that word interchangeably with “lies”. But when I use the word, I use it the way it was used in the 19th century. So in the 19th century sense of the word, I consider myself a “propagandist” – because I have a pro-anarchist bias when I analyze politics, and I always try to paint anarcho-communism in a favourable light. When I promote anarcho-communism, I don’t lie – but I am biased. And so, that makes me a propagandist.
There aren’t many anarchists in the World – and most of them seem to be young people (teenagers and people in their twenties). By anarchist standards, I am old. And most anarchists have a bad habit of becoming enraged whenever they encounter anyone with whom they are not in complete agreement (politically). When I interact with a human, I prefer to focus on points where we politically agree. So if I am dealing with a supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada, we can agree that Justin Trudeau is scum (even though I can tell Pierre Poilievre would be an even worse Prime Minister than Trudeau). And if I am dealing with a supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada, I can mention CERTAIN policies of Trudeau that I approve of (even though I hate Trudeau, overall). So while I prefer to focus on points of agreement with other people, if they bring up something with which I disagree – I consider it important to express my own stance.
For instance, there is much talk of immigration these days. Most Canadians think Canada needs to cut back on the level of immigrants currently being admitted – mostly because of the housing crisis that afflicts the ENTIRE country. My stance? We need to bring in WAY more immigrants – AND set them up with affordable housing. Why? Because if we redirect our resources, it is possible to accommodate these immigrants – and we must also focus more on accommodating “the poor” in general. Global warming is increasingly turning the Earth into uninhabitable desert wasteland. Are we supposed to just IGNORE the suffering of humans in the rest of the planet – with all the land, resources, and wealth that Canada has?
In closing, even though I’m not politically incorrect – there is a lot of politically incorrect humour out there that is hilarious. That said, it is humour in the worst possible taste – and politically incorrect humour can be used to seduce certain people into embracing the far-right (especially Nazism). As an internet troll, I love to be offensive – but I have limits. Nazis don’t. Ⓐ
This is the website of TERRY MACNEIL: the (unpublished) Anarchist Novelist and Paranoid Schizophrenic! 