https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/jason-garner-jose-benclowicz-a-…
The article, as I see it, deals with the problem of anarchists being insufficiently organized across a (inter-)national level to be able to counter other socialist movements (MLs, social democrats, etc), not having a clear enough program which could entice non-anarchists to join us and an inability to adequately educate ordinary people on anarchist ideas and why they should hold them in the first place - for example, why should the workers not be content with reformism if it does result in material gains in the here and now, instead opting for revolutionism that has little to no concrete examples of how it would make their lives tangibly better?
Also, it points out that we have a tendency to ascribe revolutionary and anarchist characteristics to revolutions and uprisings even though a sizeable portion of the participants of those movements are not acting out of belief in revolutionary ideas, nor are even aware of anarchist theory and ideas.
Did we learn from our failures? I have the feeling the anarchist movement today is fringe and weak. If you ask the average person what anarchy is, they will most likely think of some apocalyptic vision of every-man-for-himself, banditry and tyranny. We still haven't spread our ideas to the general populace, and we are currently in a world where countries are rearming and right-wing rhetoric is gaining momentum, while those that oppose them are still pushing statism, capitalism, reformism and an appeal to the rule of law as the solution to tyranny. I fear we will once more be left behind, unable to advance toward a free society while the left and right duke it out for popular support, absorbing and tempering revolutionary movements.
Comments
It seems to me that a…
anonymous (not verified) Sat, 02/21/2026 - 13:46
It seems to me that a failure to learn from our failures is a failure in learning from history, and learning from history, recent or distant, often through texts, is often considered the domain of theory, instead of praxis. Which goes to show how annoying the theory/praxis dichotomy is, and how when an activity is devalued, such as reading and studying, in the face of another, such as activism, then latter suffers from lack of the former. As another thread in this forum points to (https://anarchistnews.org/content/advice-preventing-burnout), often urgency gets in the way of a sustained and sustainable practice that is done conscientiously and critically. If one were to take studying anarchist history as a serious practice essential for other day-to-day anarchist activities, then one would make time for it, and if other activities weren't artificially urgent, and done slowly, then one would have time for it.
Then there's the topic of distraction by screens and algorithms, short-form content and feeds, and chatboxes one may query, reducing people's tolerance to read boring history texts, analyzing and reaching for their own conclusions, or even in-person group discussions.
Lol, lmao even
anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/27/2026 - 09:08
It absolutely IS "fringe and weak", tho it used to have some aura, motion and rizz in the early-mid 2010s.
It used to be punx, but got slowly got ideologically captured by turboprivileged college kids. And so at some point it just got cannibalized from within by identity politics, some whitedread type shit, other sordid adjacent issues. While this movement, at its apex, chose to purge and alienate tons of people, dig its heels in on outmoded ways of thinking- and self-destruct in the process- other movements were quietly building and adapting to new conditions.
The ideology is too rigid, too inflexible, too brittle. It shatters on impact with the real world and deep down it knows this so it sequesters itself away into its safe spaces. It lacks vivaciousness. It lacks vitality. It also lacks some fire memes.
The real anarchists are not commenting/posting on anarchistnews.org
The real anarchists are not going to these lame and pretentious boofairs.
The real anarchists don't even call themselves anarchists. They don't really call themselves anything in particular. They're out there rn riding choppers in Sky Valley while wearing animal furs that they scavenged themselves that will last them the rest of their lives. The rest of these grotesque poseurs who can't speak 10 words without at least 3 of them being, "anarchy/anarchism/anarchist" are just doin a LARP as they wait to inherit the keys to the uppermiddleclass.
Fuck em. The Dao that can be named is not the true and eternal Dao.
Against Anarchy! For Anarchy!
White Dreads for everyone!
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