There always seems to be lots of half-baked and amateur pathologizing of the social/political radical, and this has re-emerged in another shape as mainstream Americans attempt to understand social phenomena such as radical antifascism, etc. Almost none of such “analysis” has much of a relationship to reality, I’d suppose, but we who may be lumped together in this category of radicals are certainly a type. I’ve never felt at home in this world; it has always seemed deeply alien to me, bound so deeply to social practices that just don’t make sense to me. Ever since I was a kid, it seemed clear to me that so many of the social pretenses to which we carefully tend are hiding monstrous practices. My friends in low places have been typically more thoughtful and insightful about this than my friends in high places, for reasons that will probably be obvious to anyone reading this. Anyway, apologies for the random though. #anarchism #anarchistmastodon #anarchistsofmastodon #anarchist #radical #radicalhistory #leftwinghistory #counterculture

“When we look at the powerlessness of the individual and the small face-to-face group in the world today, and ask ourselves why they are powerless we answer, not merely that they are weak because of the vast central agglomerations of power (which is obvious), but that they are weak because they have surrendered their power to the state.” - Colin Ward #anarchistmastodon #radicalmastodon #anarchism #colinward

#georgewoodcock #anarchism #anarchistmastodon #radicalmastodon https://youtu.be/tu3xw3y_itU #canada #anarchisthistory

“Given the technological sophistication of its tools and its infrastructures, the global biomedicine complex is well-positioned to aid the world’s most powerful states in keeping track of everything about you. Rest assured their reasons are good.” #surveillance #empire #imperialism #anarchistmastodon #radicalmastodon

https://dsdamato.substack.com/p/science-as-a-social-practice

#kropotkin #anarchism #radicalmastodon #anarchistmastodon

This is just a quick reminder that the U.S. government is a privately-owned corporation run for the benefit of powerful private interests. It’s not even just that it’s not democratic—it’s not remotely close to any arrangement that could plausibly be called democratic. It doesn’t represent us, our interests, or our well-being. The modern state exists precisely to serve capital by creating the legal preconditions for its rule over our lives and bodies. The state reduces the many to a condition of helpless want by stealing things of value and closing off natural opportunities. As we move into 2023, keep this front and center: historically, the state and capital as we know them grew up together and reinforce each other. They very literally invent each other as a way to recreate widespread want and ignorance, so that we stay good little drones who don’t ask too many impertinent questions. #anarchism #capitalism #radicalmastodon #anarchistmastodon

“How would you feel…?” - Colin Ward
#anarchism #radicalmastodon #anarchistmastodon #colinward #anarchists #freedom #anticapitalism

#kropotkin #radicalmastodon #anarchistmastodon