bandito said:
I am NO leftist, SJW type
You say that like it's a bad thing
And you clearly seem to care about inequality and
people - so don't let "conservative" propaganda get the better of you.
Caring about stuff - the world, society and peoples' wellbeing - and challenging systemic, hierarchical inequality is a
good thing!
Personally i'm
proud to "give a shit", and think that a lot of the hostility towards "the left" is extremely misguided, especially at the moment with fools like paul whateverhisnameis watson prattling on and spreading ridiculous nonsense about what people like me believe and value.
"Social justice" is worth fighting for.
Anarchism is incredibly misunderstood.
A simple way to understand it is that
monarchy means that power is concentrated into a singular entity or institution, whereas
anarchy is more of a shared power between people.
Power in the hands of the few (monarchy) versus power held by many (anarchy)
To me, a more egalitarian world is something worth fighting for.
What we have at the moment (in the way our economic and legal systems operate) are institutions that reinforce and compund social hierarchy and inequality.
The wealthy elite who own and control the majority of mass media have a huge amount of influence are able to project ideologies and values which consolidate and reinforce their power.
Unlike many of the conspiracy theories people get themselves caught up in, this is not some secret, shadowy fantasy - it's the reality of modern capitalism.
I find anarchist philosophy to be a lot deeper than the vast majority of "libertarian" perspectives that i come across.
Obviously they are both complicated terms, but ibertarians these days seem often fixated on their own needs, without giving much consideration to society around them or solidarity for their fellow citizens.
We are all individuals, but none of us lives in isolation; what we do affects others, just as the actions of others affect us as individual people.
Solidarity is a vital part of human social order, but the way this functions at the moment is through (occasionally violent) coercion; failing to participate in social norms can cost your liberty, your basic human needs (ie food, shelter) - even your life (agents of the state can detain, beat, even kill us).
I, for the most part, totally agree with you, that a lot of humanity's biggest problems and existential challenges are systemic in nature, and that we - as relarively affluent westerners - have a certain guilt in our complicity in a system and global hierarchy that is nothing short of barbaric.
A better and more sustainable world is possible, but it will take some radical changes.
Sadly, a lot of us in the west are too attached to
convenience to put much effort or consideration into the cost (ecologically, socially, and everything else) of our plastic packaged world of cheap consumer goods and other modern conveniences.
I think you're definitely right in suggesting that people in the developed, western world don't give a second thought to the fact that the standard of living we enjoy is
directly detrimental of a lot of people in other parts of the world.
Maybe not as indiciduals - but certainly collectively.
"Leftist" might be a dirty word to some people who ridicule and misrepresent a lot socially and economic 'progressive' ideas - but the gist of your post sounds pretty "left wing" to me
(That's a compliment, by the way)
On the other hand, anarachism often transcends the left/right dualism.
But if you're saying that the way we live for is needlessly destroying our planet and exploiting our fellow humans - you're speaking my language.
I honestly don't care about left or right wing categorisations - but i strongly dislike the selfish nihilism i see in a lot of "right wing" ideologies. And - for the most part - i largely disgree with right wing values, so i guess that makes me left... right?
Y'know - i don't agree with the belief that it's somehow 'the natural order of things' to put the interests of your tribe (whether it's people within your nation state, ethnicity, gender, region etc etc etc) over everybody else's needs.
Humanity is such an incredible thing, and to me it's heartbreaking to see us poisoning our planet (the air, the oceans, the landscape) for the sake of having plastic, disposal convenience.
Our materialism - and our laziness - is eating away at the future of our species, and there is a direct correlation between the increasing wealth of the minority and the hardships of the majority - despite the claims of neo-liberal ideologues.
The systems we are a part of, and contribute to, are extremely damaging to humanity and to the ecological balance that sustains our existence.
Is a better world possible? Yes, of course it is.
The question is how to make it so.
Ss individuals there is only so much difference we can make - but that's no reason not to try.
Personally i try to live simply and support industries and companies that have ethical business models.
Whether that is paying more for products that aren't made in sweat shops, or avoiding single-use plastic and other environmentally destructive things.
But I don't have any illusions about how much positive influence i have in doing that - it's largely negligible - but i still endeavour to be as ethical a consumer as possible.
The more people support businesses that are socially and environmentally responsible, the better - but it would be naive to think that we can affect
real change on our own, because the problems you mention are systemic in nature.
I'm not a huge fan of idealism in politics, and i think it is important to be as pragmatic as possible, which is part of the reason i have a problem with political labels and categorisations (ie left/right, socialist/communist/anarchist
etc).
I think it is likely that the most hardline idealists are probably those that achieve the least in terms of political outcomes in the real world, which is why "anarchism" is a framework for me, rather than a utopian vision for a perfect world.
There is no such thing as a perfect world - but there is
always room for improvement - to strive for a better world.
Putting labels aside, i think you are absolutely on the right path
