Artemis
Someday I really want to sell my parents on anarchism. A few years ago I would have said "impossible", but at this point, anything is possible.
Why do I care? Because they too are trying to understand where the hell all this fascist, authoritarian bullshit is coming from and why people willingly join in. The best answer to that I've ever gotten is that some people are really sold on social ranking and knowing "where you belong" and who is "above" or "below" you.
Artemis
"I don't know how to do this" is not the same thing as "this thing can't be done".
"How would decisions get made? How would we deal with unsafe people? How do we avoid 'mob justice'?" All valid questions. But think about how we tend to do things now...are you really convinced that it is functional, equitable, and sustainable?
We all know it is not. Look at where we are and tell me this way of organizing society makes sense and is the best possible thing. Say it with a straight face.
Artemis
We can learn how to structure our social interactions in ways that favor collaboration and mutual aid. We can move away from centralized authorities. We can do better than "authority", hierarchy, and concentrated power.
It isn't easy. You can't turn on a dime to shift paradigms. You can't unlearn things overnight. You won't immediately know how to problem solve and work together.
But that doesn't mean it isn't worth it.
Artemis
Fedi itself is not an anarchist project, but it is a possible step in the right direction. Decentralization pushes us towards having to do community problem-solving. There's no single person or organization who can lay claim to or control it.
*As we know* this involves its own issues, but I believe humans are good at cooperation, when they learn *how* to do it, so I believe growth is possible—things that are problems now do not have to be forever problems.
Artemis
If you're curious about anarchism and how it can really work among real people, let me recommend "Emergent Strategy" by adrienne maree brown. It will help you get the picture.
Artemis
That's my pitch: the cycle has to end, and for the cycle to end, hierarchy has to end.
Human beings cooperate all the time without having a leader or a person "in charge". Communities in crisis can sometimes almost effortlessly come together to distribute aid and keep people safe. So the possibilities exist. Couldn't we find a way to do that even when not in crisis?
The answers must be found together. We have to learn another way of living. I believe we *can* do it. The seed is there already.
Artemis
There are different ways of living. We can find examples from the past & present, and we can be imaginative and innovative. We will not build a perfect society, but we could build a better one.
It's scary—it goes beyond anything many of us have ever known. The thought of no masters & no kings feels like an impossible dream, but who says so? Shouldn't we experiment and find out for ourselves? Isn't it possible that there are other ways to be that aren't structured around status & control?
Artemis
The only way to really outrun fascism—to leave it in the past—then is to develop a culture that does not create and encourage these social hierarchies. If we can't get past that as a species, we'll be constantly fighting fascism until we go extinct.
So we *must* think outside the box. We *must* challenge authoritarianism not only in government, but everywhere in our lives. As long as people continue to create rankings & hierarchies it will be possible to exploit them for evil purposes.
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