I believe we here in the West Australia most perceptibly are undergoing a process
of political, economic societal collapse.... ---- Dear comrades, ---- Today, Iwant to convince you of something else. I think some of my other letters andemails have been well received, and it is my hope that this one will be as well.I am, however, somewhat conscious of the fact that what I am about to say willprobably not be as easy to digest as before: ---- I believe we here in theWest--Australia most perceptibly--are undergoing a process of political,economic--societal--collapse.Some of the most obvious signs that this is so is the social and and individualatomisation that is continuing to accelerate in our communities. To putmyself--for example--to productive use in our city, I have had to engage variousforms of state and non-governmental (read: privatised) organisations in order tonavigate my way through mental health rehabilitation. Each interaction I havewith a person who represents these bodies is more faceless than the next. I haveno idea what relationship each Centrelink officer bears with the others. Thewhole process is as mysterious to me as it is harrowing.Another prominent example I have to evince for my argument that our society iscollapsing is to point to a factor that is even more baldly situated inmaterialist analysis: the cost of living.We--and I mean each of us concretely and locally--are not merely a generationrelatively more impoverished than the last. We are many times more impoverished.Somehow, I think the reality that we, us youngsters, may be just as, if not lesswealthy than our great grandparents may be difficult to accept. But I think it istrue. Whatever social equality that was reached in the late-1970s and early-1980shere in Australia has more than completely been undone.If you need me to provide some numeric data on the issue, I believe I can. Justlook at the graphs recently calculated that illustrate the share of GDP thatreturns to capital as opposed to the people:[Source] https://newmatilda.com/2014/02/06/ambition-comes-first-paul-howes/This is enough for myself alone to remain convinced that we are undergoing asocietal collapse. We, the workers, the people, have not really gotten anywealthier than we were in 1972.What Is To Be Done?The silver lining in these dark clouds I predict--certainly the trend is going tocontinue, and things will degenerate further--is that Anarchy has, perhaps forthe first time in a long while, a chance for a beautiful flourishing. Nobody butthe anarchists has the correct analysis, and most effective remedy to State andCapital. The Bureaucratisation of human social relations, and abject plunderingof our human energies and creative essence by State Capital does not have tocontinue.Many I talk to--either somewhat educated on the topic, or otherwise--on theradical left who do not identify with anarchism seem completely unable to graspthe nuance that Anarchy does not represent "Chaos", and "Hyper-individualism". Itlead me, for a time, to believe that anarchists must be a somewhat fanatical andimpulsive bunch.I suppose I find this instructive. Along with my observation that "Anarchy" is onthe lips of many youngsters these days,* I think we may be able to identify threelessons about the perennial fact that anarchism is a philosophy that ismisunderstood due, in large part, to ignorance.These lessons are that we can:#0 -> Appeal to the natural impulse people exhibit against the all-looming, and,now steadily encroaching power of State Authority.#1 -> Trust in the idea that mutual aid builds communities of anarchists betterthan any other method aids the Authoritarian.#2 -> Celebrate the fact that Anarchy doesn't just not exclude interpersonalrelations and activities as a key component of organising, but actively embracesand includes it.In the interest of brevity, I will only say one thing in support of each of thesepoints.We should, in the case of point #0, never forget that anarchists have theclearest and most solid biological argument for our vision of a new society. Letus hold our comrade Peter Kropotkin in high esteem. Over and over again it hasbeen demonstrated that organisms that become organised into societies ofcooperative and socially interdependent patterns are the ones that best 'succeed'in adapting to their environmental selection pressures.Further, when I turn to address #2, I cannot help but be reminded of the practiceof anarchism we undertake here in Perth. The reason anarchy remains a liveundertaking here, I feel, is the solid cadre of comrades that have coalescedaround our collective practice. It is our interpersonal practice here, ourinterrelated and intersubjective understanding of the tradition that allows us tobe strong. If anarchy didn't begin with the concept of Free Association, we wouldbe no-where near as deep and firmly committed here in Perth as we are. We wouldbe battered leaves in the wind.I feel this naturally leads me to conclude with the second lesson that we will beable to impart on others in the context of our societal collapse here in theWest. The precept of mutual aid unlocks the anarchist secret to the abolition ofCapital and the State. Not only does anarchy demands that consumption beethical--that is, free from power relations; those of domination. It also insiststhat production and distribution become transformed into processes free ofhierarchy as well. Somehow, Marxists believe that while production can be solelyrelied upon to exculpate any immoralities within distribution and consumption.Let this, too, be not forgotten.I hope deeply in my heart that each of you are doing and surviving as happily asyou presently can,~vidak.* Indeed it may be that, if social forces where mechanical ones, the equal andopposite reaction to the massive speeding reach of the State in the wake of theCovid Pandemic is causing an increase in the popularity of Anarchy.https://asf-iwa.org.au/anarchy-and-the-collapse-of-the-west/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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