Giving Anarchy a Bad Name

Shot through the heart and you’re to blame …

Even though I am often mistaken for one, I am not an anarchist.

People routinely assume that my disillusionment with government means that I hate all government, but nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t hate government, I hate bad government. I would give my left ball for a good, ethical, non-corrupt government which existed to serve the people instead of itself.

The problem is, it is becoming increasingly evident that such a thing is not possible in the USA. All doubt of this was removed with the passage of the Patriot Act which, with the stroke of a pen, eradicated nearly every civil right granted to us by the Constitution.

Now, the TSA wants to check my prostate before I get on a plane, and have heavy-set women in Toby Keith t-shirts scrutinizing my every move in Walmart as they decide whether or not to “Say Something”.

Because of my own life experiences, even though I am not an anarchist, I understand the group, and I sympathize with them. For the most part, modern Anarchism is merely a political philosophy which leans toward the notion that all governments are inherently corrupt, and therefore ‘no government’ is superior to ‘bad government’.

In my opinion, this is a position which every thinking person should appreciate. It has merit. Abusive regimes can do just as much damage as the absence of authority. Especially if these regimes are armed to the teeth and shoot to kill at the slightest sign of disobedience.

Anarchism is far more steeped in logic than it is superstition, and in my opinion, it enjoys greater legitimacy than other more mainstream schools of thought. It’s more cerebral than voting for a candidate because he has the same invisible friend that you do.

This is why stories like the following just make me shake my head with disappointment:

A roving gang of rioters smashed property and attacked Seattle police with fireworks, flares and fire extinguishers Saturday night near the site where an officer shot a woodcarver to death last August.

The incident began at about 9 p.m. as an officer drove through the intersection at Boren Avenue and Howell Street and came upon a group of what appeared to be anarchists gathering there.

As the officer passed through, the group discharged a fire extinguisher at his vehicle.
Other officers responded and found a group of 25 to 30 gathered in the intersection, setting up fencing and putting up caution tape. They painted “F— The Pigs” on the street and on a nearby building.

Source: Fox News

Oy.

Contrary to popular belief, Anarchy is not about destruction and violence. It’s not about doing harmful things and causing trouble just to cause trouble. The vast majority of anarchists (90%+ of those I know) are good, peaceful, highly intelligent people. They support altruism. They support social justice. They are completely non-violent. They are the first people that would stop if they saw you with a flat tire on the side of the road. They would cease being anarchists in a heartbeat if government began looking after the needs of the people instead of the needs of its wealthy bribers.

Like every other political ideology, however, the group has its extremists. The one fringe group that gives the rest a bad name. The “godhatesfags” contingent of every Tea Party gathering. The minority that makes the majority look like a bunch of wingnuts.

The people who launched bottle rockets at cops may be self-described anarchists, but they do not represent all anarchists. Not even close.

As such, I wish the police and the media would stop painting a wide swath of people with a broad brush, and start calling these random vandals what they really are.

Idiots.