Myths About Anarchism, Democracy, and Decision-Making

From Radical Theory and History by Zoe Baker

In 2022 I wrote an essay called Anarchism and Democracy which summarised what members of the historical anarchist movement thought about democracy and how they made collective decisions (Baker 2022). This essay was subsequently completely misunderstood by both pro-democracy and anti-democracy anarchists as saying things it does not say and which I have never said. Over the subsequent years these distortions and misinterpretations have taken on a life of their own and altered how people read and remember my essay. In parallel to these developments both old and new myths about historical anarchist views on democracy and collective decision-making have continued to spread. In this essay I shall go through these myths one by one and debunk them. Through doing so I shall expand on topics that my previous essay only briefly touched on.

The Breadtube to Conformity Pipeline: Algorithms and the Erosion of Anarchy

by ziq

Journalist Maria Ressa recently explained how the rise of the authoritarian right has been directly caused by social media algorithms which hack our biology and change the way we see the world

William Gillis on Radical vs Liberal Abolitionism

From YouTube via Seeds of Revolution Podcast

William Gillis is a second generation anarchist activist who studies high energy theoretical physics and has written extensively on the politics of abolition and transformative justice.

Why I Identify As A Black Anarchist...

From YouTube

Why do I identify as an anarchist—specifically, a Black anarchist? I share my journey from early organizing and labor work to international protest. From the Black Panther Party’s survival programs to my time at Standing Rock, in France during Nuit Debout, and traveling through the Philippines, I’ve seen how mutual aid, decolonization, and direct action can transform our understanding of freedom.

May actions thin the veil that separates life from death

From Dark Nights - Chile

Original title: "Chile: May actions thin the veil that separates life from death. Words from La Zarzamora in the context of Black August"

August has a black memory. One that is indispensable for those who stand their ground and decide to act against domination. In memory, something from the past merges with the present, even more so when memory ceases to be words and manifests itself accurately in insurrectionary action or in a concrete gesture of solidarity. Thus, black memory manages to transcend the censorship of power and advances without temporal or generational boundaries.

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