Social or Lifestyle anarchism? Wed @ 7.30pm (1 Viewer)

[redflaremist]

Bad Books presents Bad Thoughts

The first in what will hopefully be a regular discussion group.

This week the discussion will centre around the recent anti bin tax demonstrations. Many anarchists in Dublin have not become involved in the blockading of trucks in residential areas; why is this? Is it because that such an issue is not seen as "sexy", whereas other issues such as anti war direct actions and reclaim the streets are? Or is it because it is tax is something some anarchists see as an extension of the state, so trying to reform it is taking their eyes off the prize?

Hopefully the discussion will also branch into the "lifestyle anarchism vs. social anarchism" debate. Are lifestyle anarchists ghettoising themselves? Are social anarchists too work-oriented?

Chekov Feeney from the Workers Solidarity Movement will be discussing why he thinks its important for anarchists of all stripes to get involved with the anti bin tax demonstrations.

Suggested background reading material: http://www.spunk.org/library/writers/bookchin/sp001512/

The discussion takes place this Wednesday October 15th at 7.30pm.

Please ring Keith on 086 3363743 or Bad Books on 087 6497340 for more information.

 

[bohs punks]

just read that article and while it is interesting reading it is clearly from one side of what you call the lifestylist /social anarchist arguement and makes very rigid assertions about people of views other than his / her own.

so maybe it would be a good idea to give articles from different points of view when discussing an issue as otherwise the arguement is being biased towards the view of the recommended reading.

this might seem a small point but for direct democracy to work within groups people need accesss to the same information etc, otherwise unoffical leaderships emerge, be they information, intellectual or personality based. this is a huge issue for anarchists so a level playing field may be constructive to democratic discussion.

by the way could you also give soem exampels of what you take to be lifestylists / social anarchists in ireland as it could make things clearer.


hope your meeting goes well.

 

[bohs punks]

a quick scan on the net shows that bookchin has been critiqued as being crude in his labellign of people as individualists - again showing i think the importance of giving more than one point of view as background reading, not that i am dismissing his work as i dont know enough on this subject but good to read around subjects.



( from a review of "the platform, not really that relevant on it own to the discussion as far as i can see as there are many other forms of anarchist organsiaional theories between lifestylism and platformism but does mention bookchin)

Anticipating criticism, the Platformists sought to discount it in advance by attributing it to rabid individualists. "We foresee that several representatives of self-styled individualism and chaotic anarchism will attack us, foaming at the mouth, and accuse us of breaking anarchist principles" (13). Instead, they were attacked by the most prominent collectivist anarchists: Voline, Malatesta, Fabbri, Nettlau and Berkman. (With a similar if even cruder ploy, a recent convert to organizationalism, Bookchin, denounces his self-appointed enemies as individualists, although David Watson, John Zerzan, L. Susan Brown and the rest are, without exception, collectivists).
http://www.geocities.com/kk_abacus/ioaa/bblack.html

 

[redflaremist]

a quick scan on the net shows that bookchin has been critiqued as being crude in his labellign of people as individualists - again showing i think the importance of giving more than one point of view as background reading, not that i am dismissing his work as i dont know enough on this subject but good to read around subjects.

Yep you are right apologies for making just one source as a possible background reading material but dont have much time on the interweb these days!

If you have any other sources I would be really glad to read them.

Lifestyle anarchism (IMO) relates to individual choices such as veg(etari)anism, punk, riding a bike, rejection of certain values, etc. Social anarchism is more... worker-oriented and relates to stuff like organising in factories, unions, mass social movements, collectivisation, syndicalism etc.

That's not to say that the two arent related or that you cant have A without B but there are a fair number of anarchists in Dublin who have no real interest in creating a broad social anarchism movement.

Anyway hopefully all this will be explored at the talk.

Thanks