ROSTOCK AND THE (HOPEFUL) FUTURE OF ANARCHISM:

This item has been inspired by an item on Shagya's Blog that mentions the protests against the G8 in Rostock, Germany. The item mentions the actions of the "rent-a-riot brigade", a minority sect within anarchism that goes to every protest with the intent of pretending that their actions in provoking the cops are "direct action". Nobody, outside of an ideologically convinced supporter of the state doubts that the police will attack innocent protesters. However, nobody outside of a subset of anarchism, doubts that certain anarchists travel to these protests with the intention of provoking fights with the police and that they don't give a flying fuck if their actions result in police violence towards others who don't share their views. The whole world view of those who want to prove how much balls they have by facing off over and over and losing the street fight over and over has to be called into question, particularly as they are attempting to gain the "ideological high ground" with an ideological appeal to a "diversity of tactics" that says that nobody can criticise their actions "after the fact". The next stage in this new Stalinism is that nobody can say their tactics are wrong "before the fact". These people will campaign for this, and real anarchists, rather than those entranced by a Maoist version of anarchism will oppose this idea. Some will be more truthful than others.

Molly has little doubt that the "followers" of this trend in modern anarchism are getting more than a little "twitchy" about the ineffectiveness of their tactics, no matter how much egoboo they may gather in the mass media about their illuisionary "effectiveness". The leaders who make both money and status,however, from promoting such nonsense will continue on and on until they are totally ignored and the dollars stop rolling in. Anarchism has to demonstrate its practical everyday application or it will be judged by the silliness of a very,very,very, very tiny minority willing to riot for no good purpose at a German port. If this is all that anarchism means this ideology deserves an early burial. Molly has another view of anarchism that she feels is more realistic, a gradualist view that doesn't depend upon myth and obvious lies.

Molly wishes to "struggle for the soul of modern anarchism". She can see things there that support her view and others that don't. Molly is merely one tiny little person in a movement to make anarchism relevant for the modern world without making it a cult , which has more than enough "market opportunities" in developed industrial societies. Molly would feel very sad if the meaning of "anarchism" became nothing more than an excuse for juvenile set piece battles with the cops, under the illusion that these riots accomplish something and that the sad and pathetic "left" won't eventually evolve methods to deal with what are essentially "provocateurs" in a swift and effective manner- no matter how much guilt the "anarchists" lay on them. The sooner the better in Molly's mind because she sees little difference between the anarchist provocateurs of today and the same Maoist thugs who drew violence on people in her youth.

The summary of this is- go and play act at international gatherings and PRETEND that this is something connected to the traditional anarchist idea of "direct action", even if it is the furthest thing from it.How do your silly riots accomplish anything at all beyond proving how much "balls" you have ? Do they ever have any real effect- the true definition of "direct action" ? All that I ask is that you consider the real ideas of anarchism. No apology required.Apologies don't belong in politics. Recognize that you have been misled. Recognize that you are led period, and act in your own self interest. Maybe then you will join the rest of anarchism that actually tries to build something rather than to show off.