Joe Biden’s new anti-terrorism initiative classifies “anarchist violent extremists” that “oppose all forms of capitalism, corporate globalization, and governing institutions, which are perceived as harmful to society” as “domestic violent extremists.” pic.twitter.com/GKmsQsGBaA— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) June 18, 2021
Might depend really on where you live. Most leftist types I've met in real life either announce their tendency all over themselves (clothes/tattooes/etc) or they just don't fall into one particular camp or another. The "none/all of the above" category is the most common I've encountered. Probably because there are hardly any leftist types where I live. I also met a whole lot of self-identified anarchists through Food not Bombs, and theyre super nice people, but often incoherent in their ideology or actually just liberals. The ML types I've met are rarer than self-identified anarchists, but yeah the anarchists were often all over the place in terms of ideology, theory, organizing, etc. I mean even talking about quantity is weird because to me it's comparing like 6 people to 14 people.
I've heard that thing about millenials although I'm not convinced they could give a meaningful description of what socialism is if asked. I mean there's probably some promise that the words are no longer scary, but maybe I'm cynical about this. Just about everyone I know around my age is either completely checked out of politics or they are a complete chud with maga flags on their trucks.
I think the communism support numbers are more substantial than socialism support numbers. Not too many non-right wingers calling Canada communist, for example. Even if most of them don't have a clear idea of what communism is, it does show that communism isn't, like, inconsequential compared to anarchism. I mean I haven't seen any poll numbers for support of anarchism but I doubt it's like a majority or something.
Meaning I think there's reason to assume the Biden admin's use of the term is just messaging and not an objective reflection of how much of a threat they are to the state.
I'm guessing the Biden admin's usage of anarchist is to lump together just about any of their political opponents into the same camp. So anyone from Boogaloo Boys or Qanon weirdos to antifa or really committed labor union leaders could be described as an anarchist by them.
And it's all probably just an excuse to throw more money at alphabet agencies and police.
Like what, self-identifying? And if we're talking about coherent, organized, doctrinaire anarchists of the leftist type then I'm not convinced the number would be that high to even bother comparing to other leftist tendencies, because there are hardly leftists at all in the US and there's no standard, structured leftist movement in popular consciousness. My gut says there are maybe something like ten to thirty thousand anarchists like that in the US (without looking at data) and I don't know, maybe the same number of ML types but really who knows. Hardly anyone announces this type of thing.
There’s at least one replying to you right now. But depends if you mean anarchists who just hate the government or ones who actually believe in anarchy. If that makes sense?
They only specify anarchists because saying that communists are a threat sounds too ridiculous post-red scare.
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I'm not convinced there are all that many, tbh. The lion's share of anticapitalists in the US are radlibs.
Also something like a third of millennials self-identify as supporting communism (almost certainly higher with zoomers), so 🤷
I think "anarchists" is being used as a more scary-sounding word for anti-capitalists in general.
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Might depend really on where you live. Most leftist types I've met in real life either announce their tendency all over themselves (clothes/tattooes/etc) or they just don't fall into one particular camp or another. The "none/all of the above" category is the most common I've encountered. Probably because there are hardly any leftist types where I live. I also met a whole lot of self-identified anarchists through Food not Bombs, and theyre super nice people, but often incoherent in their ideology or actually just liberals. The ML types I've met are rarer than self-identified anarchists, but yeah the anarchists were often all over the place in terms of ideology, theory, organizing, etc. I mean even talking about quantity is weird because to me it's comparing like 6 people to 14 people.
I think the sentiment leans anarchist but, like most Americans, there isn't a ton of cohesive ideology behind it
:I-was-saying:
Oh, definitely more, but not "all that many" in the sense that it's not like they're a major presence as opposed to MLs. Both are still very fringe.
I've never met an anarchist IRL and my buddy in the SRA says that they're more of a solid minority than anything. But also it might be regional.
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I think this might be why this thread seems confused about numbers, becuase it's so regional and concentrated
It can also be confusing because a lot of MLs are abolitionists in the US, so they seem like anarchists at first glance
I've heard that thing about millenials although I'm not convinced they could give a meaningful description of what socialism is if asked. I mean there's probably some promise that the words are no longer scary, but maybe I'm cynical about this. Just about everyone I know around my age is either completely checked out of politics or they are a complete chud with maga flags on their trucks.
I think the communism support numbers are more substantial than socialism support numbers. Not too many non-right wingers calling Canada communist, for example. Even if most of them don't have a clear idea of what communism is, it does show that communism isn't, like, inconsequential compared to anarchism. I mean I haven't seen any poll numbers for support of anarchism but I doubt it's like a majority or something.
Meaning I think there's reason to assume the Biden admin's use of the term is just messaging and not an objective reflection of how much of a threat they are to the state.
I'm guessing the Biden admin's usage of anarchist is to lump together just about any of their political opponents into the same camp. So anyone from Boogaloo Boys or Qanon weirdos to antifa or really committed labor union leaders could be described as an anarchist by them.
And it's all probably just an excuse to throw more money at alphabet agencies and police.
Also true.
What's the difference, functionally?
propensity to throw a brick when it counts?
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Like what, self-identifying? And if we're talking about coherent, organized, doctrinaire anarchists of the leftist type then I'm not convinced the number would be that high to even bother comparing to other leftist tendencies, because there are hardly leftists at all in the US and there's no standard, structured leftist movement in popular consciousness. My gut says there are maybe something like ten to thirty thousand anarchists like that in the US (without looking at data) and I don't know, maybe the same number of ML types but really who knows. Hardly anyone announces this type of thing.
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There’s at least one replying to you right now. But depends if you mean anarchists who just hate the government or ones who actually believe in anarchy. If that makes sense?
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Still evokes too much McCarthy for most non-Republicans to take it seriously, I think.
Edit: unless you're talking about AES, of course.