I've never identified as an Anarchist, though I admire the goal. I have never identified as a violent person, though I realize I am capable. And I've never found myself smashing a bank window, butI salute those who do. So I've been doing some thinking on violent opposition to capitalist oppression, and where I stand on said issue. I've come to the conclusion that may have me identify as a hypocrite.

In a Capitalist society that prioritizes individual advancement over the advancement of the group, you are left with two splintered groups, those that value the advancement of all, and those who value the advancement of themselves. These now seem represented by two parties, though in truth both answer not to our voices, but to the dollar. Now, when the group that wishes the advancement of all people finds themselves threatened, you have a further splintering of the group, those that oppose violent action, and those that do not.

I have found myself conflicted as to my opinions on rioters vs. peaceful protesters. However, going to the March on Saturday made something clear to me, that when we are peaceful, they don't listen. Peaceful protests are a way to placate the masses, without interfering with business as usual. We live in a society that values money more than the popular vote, and when we live in such a place, it is clear our voices are silent when we do not affect the people in power. They have one thing on their mind, a bottom line. Consumption and profit are bigger than your voice. If you truly want to smash the Patriarchy, you must learn to put down your sign and pick up your hammer.

Creation is a form of destruction. When a painting is created, and canvas is destroyed. Cells destroy nutrients to make more cells. Nothing is destroyed or created out of nothing. To create a new tomorrow, we must be willing to destroy today, or it will not change. 1,000,000 dollars in damage will be louder and sting more than one million people marching peacefully. All of the splintering, and fragmentation of the working class, all of the "Peaceful protesters vs rioters" It is a way for those in power to keep us splintered and dispersed. It keeps us from galvanizing as a whole. Just as racism is a tool for those in power to split up the working class, the system will splinter protesters and rioters, though they fight for the same thing. Rioters are demonized because "They smashed a window" "They harassed police" "They blocked the highway" while peaceful protesters are hailed as "Nice people" "No one was arrested" These are ways for peaceful protesters to feel good about themselves "See, the news likes us" Of course they like you, you didn't disturb the peace. You marched upon your planned route, and didn't break formation. You stayed in the barrier, you didn't break it.

If the one million people marching Saturday had been rioters, and had destroyed banks, retail corporations, fast food chains, and gas stations, I bet your ass the people in power would have changed something over the next few days. But for now it is simply a way for us to be placated. Many of us who marched on Saturday will return to our jobs, perfectly happy to not be punched in the face by the police, or tear gassed, or pepper sprayed. We will happily abandon rioters and revolutionaries because the news demonizes them for ruining our commute. We will abandon those who are willing to be shot at and beaten in defense of the change we so nicely asked for.

Some Buddhist monks practice martial arts because they understand that self defense is sometimes unavoidable. When we live in a society ruled by a ruling class that actively kills it's citizens by making healthcare economically inviable. When it leaves a large majority of it's citizens weighing the options of eating or going to the doctor, of whether or not that police officer is going to help or hurt you, then violence is already happening. If you stand up to a violent system in self-defense, then you must be ready to enact violence upon that system. While personally, I don't believe violence is necessary, it is at times unavoidable, specifically when violence is brought upon you.

And yet, here I stand, unwilling to enact violence. Unwilling to go to war, or shoot a gun at a living person. I do not want to risk going to jail, because I cannot afford to go to jail. I cannot miss work, because I will be fired. I cannot miss a paycheck because I won't be able to afford medication. They've done a very good job of making peaceably assembling as squeeky clean as possible, and opposition economically inviable. That also makes me realize why so many people are all about peaceful marching. Maybe it makes me a hypocrite, to advocate the throwing of a molotov while not having one in my hand, if that's the case, I accept.

Thanks for reading.

The revolution needs more than brick-throwers, Richard-Spencer-punchers, and ELF saboteurs. We need thousands of people behind the scenes doing the less glamorous but absolutely necessary grunt work. We need people to lick envelopes and make phone calls and pick up the food being donated to the Food Not Bombs chapter. We need people to shake cans in people's faces and solicit donations for our imprisoned comrades who need legal help. Even when it comes to black bloc action, there's a lot of perfectly legal ways to help, as a street medic, as a lookout, as someone who tells random bystanders to stop filming/photographing for fuck sake. Hell, even just being in one is helping. One more body to intimidate the police, to potentially obscure someone's illicit activities, to help make a collection of identifiable individuals dissolve into an undifferentiated black mass.

We're stickyless right now, so I'm gonna sticky this up. Our traffic has been much higher these last few days and I think it's good if new subscribers or lurkers get a chance to read this before seeing recent content.

this is the most remarkably self aware post I've seen here in quite a while. I really hope you continue to observe and participate in the tumultuous events that will shape the future of anarchism, and share them when you have formed insights as well thought out as this one.

It's a collective-action problem. Material resistance could conceivably reach a tipping point where more or more of us participate because it looks like we can get it away with it without suffering intolerable consequences.

I agree and sympathize with the dilemma you've put out. And here's my take.

Do what you can, when you can, for as long as you can and damn the self doubt. If you don't want to bust heads, don't. Don't feel like a hypocrite if you dont. This body has organs. Hands for hammers, feet for flighting a kettle, and mouths for getting the word out, ect ect. Not one is more important than any other. Write a blog, help prepare others, support legal defense, hell troll fashy on twitter. It's all a means to an end.

My family comes first (hell it's tattooed on my chest) so spending time in county isn't what being a "good dad" looks like to me. But I know the things I can do. I can teach guys how to defend themselves. I know a SHIT TON about guns, gun safety and gun laws (which in my state consists of are you a felon? Are you brown skinned? If you answered no, ENJOY YOUR NEW GUN). I'm analytical, I've constantly got my head on a swivel, and I know the ugly shit cops get up to. So maybe I'm not out busting windows, but I can help.

So, even if you're not article A, it doesn't mean being Article B,C or D means you can't be important to a cause.

Head up comrade, we'll need you on the line when the real day comes.

You're really good at writing.

I'm with you in a lot of ways, in that I can't imagine myself personally destroying property or committing an act that would land me in jail. But if you are concerned that this makes you useless, that's not true. You can help those who are willing to take such actions, such as being a trained observer, organizing bail, or acting as a street medic.

Can we make a distinction between violence to other humans and violence as a property damage? I feel that often this debate gets posted in such a way where people are talking over each other without understanding what each other means.

I'm 100% in support of riots, smashing, civil disobedience. agit-prop, illegalism.

When it comes to violence against other humans, I'm in support of taking that action in cases of self defense, or de-arresting too. But I will never support the idea of simply attacking other people for no other reason than their opinions no matter how bad they are.

There is unavoidable violence yes. But we also need to be careful and not indiscriminate. Violence against other humans should be seen as a last resort, and if it's possible to de-escalate, then that should be tried first.

If you support violence as a tactic, do not take it lightly, do not make jokes about killing people no matter who they are. remember that even humans who are tools of the state, are victims too and have been unfortunately raised by a society into these roles. Not everyone has the benefit or education or networks or wealth or friends or time to learn about anarchism and anti-capitalist. Remember that.

We can disrupt and break stuff without having to take it to the level of human violence.

If you absolutely have to use violence. Then take it incredibly seriously. If you truly believe you have the authority to take anothers life or use your physical power against them, then all power to you, but I don't believe that is the anarchist way.

I must say that you write very well, and your points are very good. In a way it is hypocritical, but that's why the system does this to you. In an attempt to make violence impossible.

You are not wrong, or a bad person for your points, they are very valid and I think all of us sometimes need to reflect on our actions.

We can't move forward as a movement if we can't learn to criticise our own behaviour.

You articulated what's been in my mind since the protests and March this past weekend. I feel very similarly and wish i was more comfortable doing drastic and violent actions against corporations etc. I was awed watching the bloc in Washington and the mass arrests but at the same time the idea of it being me was petrifying due to the same reasons you listed. Maybe until I ever get to that point I can support the ones who will go out and do it.

Personally I think it is more important to show collective peaceful action and pressure. Our society of soft oppression is veery sensitive to hurting it's own citizens in demonstration because of history. SO police violence happen on the back of things. Today with all the cameras and press there does not necessary need to be destruction ect for a successful uprising. One can also use moral and reasonable demands, but only together in masses united. Remember the enemy is a minority that have been lied to, faced with a multitude that have come to far to go back in time. That said, others will have to destroy corporations property because that is a symbol of the economic power. But to organize and share economy in new ways, so that Work will be less a problem, is as radical as destroying an ATM.

Though I personally find it almost certain that at some point a revolutionary movement will need to use violence in self defense, we're nowhere near that at this point and violence (and property destruction, which I don't view as violence - though similar moral problems arise for many of us) isn't something you should feel obligated to engage in in the slightest.

There's plenty you can do in the way of educating others and yourself, forming connections and bonds between people and groups of similar values, engaging in peaceful civil disobedience, organizing others to become directly involved in these activities, organizing your workplace or in your union, organizing your community around local issues - always looking to associate or federate at higher levels for bigger issues and out of solidarity.

As far as a requirement for views on violence, personally I feel anarchists must be prepared to use it when no other options will suffice in protecting people and movements. The question of when that moment arrives is different for all of us, and ultimately will be one you have to come to yourself. If you really believe in the principals of Liberty, equality and solidarity I'm sure you'll know when the time is right. I think when it comes to others deciding at different times than us we can disagree respectfully, and understand the proportionate place and political character of that violence in the grand scheme of things, and judge it accordingly as - if not a justifiable libertarian act - at least an understandable response to something much greater.

The fire of insurrection begins with people who have lost everything. and revolution truly begins with those who have nothing left to lose. these people are usually lumpenproletariat, lowest of the working class or minority who being constantly tramped on by the system. i am one of those people. hitting rock bottom meaning you will have to fight your way up. when the system fuck up your people, over your lands that were stolen, take away what you owned and murder more people that could relate to you, you really have nothing left to lose. when you reach that point, it's the explosion time.

when people said fuck the system, they must mean it by direct action, not pacified protest. there is no peace in revolution until it end, there is only bloodshed. liberals and brocialists don't see it, that us POCs have been fighting bloody revolution since the inception of colonialism.

Thank for writing this. This is wonderful, and it is very cool to see someone use their brain power to reason and think these things through rather than going with the shallow propagandistic slogans as substitute for thought.

Thank you, truly.

Seriously, I love this post. Very well-written, and I feel like it will help a lot of people who have had their eyes opened by recent events come to terms with their own feelings regarding property destruction as direct action. May I borrow your quote, "To create a new tomorrow, we must be willing to destroy today"? Fuck, that's golden!

Great post. I've been having similar thoughts, though not about violence, just activism and organizing. Like, I asked myself why I didn't head into the city this weekend and I had plenty of excuses. I have enough on my plate just taking care of my own family, I can't afford to spend time at a protest, etc. But I'm sure almost everyone who was there could have made the same excuses.

What you said about the marchers becoming rioters made me think of this song by Joe Hill:

It's kinda paraphrasing you, but also has cool images

No one is asking you for much, i contributed to this subreddit and practice less risky forms of anarchism because i am in the same issues as you. I also met people that are in more shitty positions.

Best thing we need from you is to stay awake. How you choose to contribute is entirely up to you. Every bit help, brother.

Kind of in this vein but reversed: I'm not an anarchist, social-democrat I guess, but as things stand and as I see them going I want to be involved in direct action. But I don't even know where to start.