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Makhno
Let's talk about coronavirus

I don't mind seeing negative responses to my post, but I wish they were a little more coherent. The problem I have theorizing this pandemic as an anarchist is similar to what happens when I think about a subject like global warming: once I conceive of it as a global issue, then it seems logical to think in terms of global solutions - or, at least, coordinated efforts over a very large region or geographical area. This type of intricate, widespread and long-term coordination almost seems to demand some overall type of organizational structure that looks an awful lot like a government of some kind.

I can't accept that that is the only way forward, however. Should an anarchist response start at the local level, the community level? Can that be effective over the long term? What might that local response look like? I find the idea of lockdowns or other State-imposed restrictions on people's daily lives abhorrent, and I agree with the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration that it is a disastrous policy to be following for dealing with COVID-19. Anarchists can certainly pay attention to the scientific data available, but clearly, the information that the public is getting has changed over the past few months, and is still changing, so we all have a responsibility not just to be concerned about these issues, but to think critically about what we are being told, and about what we are being urged to do.

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