How far will you run? a critique of the anarchist fairy tale
Hier kun je discussieren over How far will you run? a critique of the anarchist fairy tale .
How easy it is to be an anti-militarist, writing your texts from the position of a privileged, warm and safe couch, from your squat where the state police or the landowner allowed you to stay, from a social apartment. While taking advantage of all the privileges of capitalism, pointing the finger at those who have taken up the fight for the lives of themselves and their loved ones, remember that three fingers are always pointing towards you.
Antimilitarism would make sense if we lived in a global peaceful village where no one seeks war. Unfortunately, such a world is wishful thinking. Christian turning the other cheek and sacrificing those who are weaker and unprepared to defend themselves, living in the shadow of great imperialisms, has nothing to do with anarchism. He supports the perpetrators.
It's passivity.
Cowardice.
How far will you run?
Would Rojava have the right to exist without the weapons that the Kurds hold in their hands to defend their autonomy? before ISIS?
Would the Spanish revolution, romantically praised by anarchists, have had the right to exist if it had not been for the weapons in the hands of revolutionary antifascists?
Who and how would stop the hordes of Franco's fascists?
Do anti-militarists feel proud watching the defenseless and disarmed people of Palestine die with no way to defend themselves against Zionism?
When international solidarity turns out to be just an empty slogan "that improves the mood of peaceful activists" from privileged, prosperous countries, helpless in the face of armed aggression. Screaming for freedom.
Times are changing, and insisting on old, fossilized patterns from the past only brings a sarcastic smile of pity to those who repeat them.
Victims and their loved ones are overwhelmed with anger and helplessness.
Antimilitarists - tell the Kurds they are wrong.
Antimilitarists, tell the Ukrainian population that it is worth dying and fleeing, leaving everything to the fervor of Russian imperialism.
Antimilitarists, tell the people of Palestine that you are proud of them dying en masse, helpless, unprepared to defend themselves.
The privileged inhabitants of Western capitalism live in an "anacho-fairy tale" according to the idea "the worse things are around, the closer to revolution."
If Russia sent half a thousand deadly drones and missiles to the territory of the Netherlands every day, you would blame the government for not defending you, or you would run away wherever you could. Or maybe you would stay and throw rocks at tanks and drones?
It was force, not passive resistance, that defeated Hitler's hordes of fascists.
Passivity always supports the perpetrators, never the victim.
The victim has the right to defend himself with all available means.
Anti-militarists, do you want to be passive and allow terrible and cruel things to happen in Ukraine?
It's your choice. But do not disturb or discourage those who decided to fight for freedom.
For your freedom and ours.
100% this. Fuck the
100% this. Fuck the priviliged theorists. When shit goes down, they're the first ones to run away. No, not everybody has to fight, or is able to fight. But do not betray your comrades* who choose to defend themselves and stab them in the back from the safety of your warm home.
* If we can even speak of this. When shit goes down people show their true face. It turns out these people read our books and wear our clothes, but were never in for the real action. I don't have a catchy alternative name yet. Squat visiting liberal elites with tattoos and a master degree (SVLETMD). Please leave your alternative proposals in the comments.
No war but class war -
No war but class war - support deserters from every national army.
Whose orders are the so-called anarchists in the UA army following?
So let's turn it around. What
So let's turn it around. What is still anarchist about militarism? You are confused indeed and are miximing up two crucial and distinguished things.
The first one is what a population can do once it is attacked by an imperialist neighbour. The answer might not be anarchist, and very much militarist. As is the case in Ukraine. There might be good reasons for anarchists to join the state army and fight the invading forces with all kind of weapons. Probably they have ceased to fit into any anarchist tradition at that point, and if so they should also stop applying to have acces to all kinds of anarchist structures like bookfairs abroad.
The second issue is antimilitairist theories and traditions, that apply to a broad spectrum of events, even to war. But mainly they are aimed at preventing war and build up to wars, including the productions of weapons. This is an important element of anarchist history, and would indeed have prevented this disaster in Ukraine, and please stop attempting to make that ridiculous with your examples of suffering in Ukraine. Many movements had the same experiences (historically, like during occupation in WW2, or during liberation struggles in the global South, still happening).
There is a broad collection of literature and knowledge of dealing with armed conflicts, even at the scale the Russia/Ukraine war is now. If you were really interested, you would study and discuss that, but you only want everybody to be loyal to war against Russia with all means possible, and without criticising institutions like NATO. That is your choice, but do not try to frame that as ' anarchist'.