Biden is pretty obviously using Anarchist in the way it’s understood by basically everyone who isn’t a niche leftist
Words have power. By using Anarchist as a shorthand phrase for someone who wants to cause chaos, he's naming those people. That makes it dangerous not only for people who actually call themselves Anarchists, but for anyone who supports them. If you are criminalizing a name, then you're criminalizing both online and meatspace leftist spaces. If being an "anarchist" is a reason to get arrested, it's also a reason for an ISP to block a website or a site to ban a user with a :anarchy: profile pic. Even if Biden is just blowing smoke, his idea could inspire plenty of problems.
Honestly, I think people are understandably waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Jakarta method style operation to commence, but I think that causes some to read into things a bit too much. Biden is basically just saying what any lib would say, lock up any "criminal" elements in protests, I don't think that one little comment he probably doesn't even remember means he's ready to start persecuting internet anarchists or raid the local co-operative book store/vegan cafe.
Not worried about Biden. He isn't going to do anything. But, plenty of liberals already blame the left for how bad they suck. Do we really need to give them a reason/excuse/authorization to start being bigger assholes? Do we want the far-right to say "See?? Even Biden thinks we should get rid of the leftists!" as their justification to start being even bigger assholes? Nowadays, no one can predict what will go viral. Biden saying to arrest anarchists could easily morph into any number of unfortunate things if the wrong people run with it.
It’s still weird that your giving this neoliberal ghoul any fucking benefit of the doubt at all. It really does just come off as an expression of your antipathy towards anarchists.
I say this as an ML who thinks 95% of anarchists are fucking worthless dweebs.
I believe stuff like this is going to inspire a huge, new wave of anti-government sentiment during Biden's presidency. You're 100% right, that words have power and him just saying this shit is going to invoke some backlash.
That backlash will be from the right wing and the conspiracy side who just cannot wait to start talking about the government again, martial law, and all that stuff. Biden and Harris are going to be the greatest gift to them in terms of propaganda. Obama gave them stuff like the NDAA (and they were the only ones talking about it when it first passed), but overall he had his celebrity image to fall back on. Biden don't have that. He's pretty open about being a piece of shit and will brag about pushing authoritarian measures, and then they chose Harris for his VP who is also very out in the open with authoritarianism. The conspiracy right are going to have a field day with this stuff for the next 4 years.
Words have power. By using Anarchist as a shorthand phrase for someone who wants to cause chaos, he's naming those people. That makes it dangerous not only for people who actually call themselves Anarchists, but for anyone who supports them. If you are criminalizing a name, then you're criminalizing both online and meatspace leftist spaces. If being an "anarchist" is a reason to get arrested, it's also a reason for an ISP to block a website or a site to ban a user with a :anarchy: profile pic. Even if Biden is just blowing smoke, his idea could inspire plenty of problems.
Honestly, I think people are understandably waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Jakarta method style operation to commence, but I think that causes some to read into things a bit too much. Biden is basically just saying what any lib would say, lock up any "criminal" elements in protests, I don't think that one little comment he probably doesn't even remember means he's ready to start persecuting internet anarchists or raid the local co-operative book store/vegan cafe.
Not worried about Biden. He isn't going to do anything. But, plenty of liberals already blame the left for how bad they suck. Do we really need to give them a reason/excuse/authorization to start being bigger assholes? Do we want the far-right to say "See?? Even Biden thinks we should get rid of the leftists!" as their justification to start being even bigger assholes? Nowadays, no one can predict what will go viral. Biden saying to arrest anarchists could easily morph into any number of unfortunate things if the wrong people run with it.
It’s still weird that your giving this neoliberal ghoul any fucking benefit of the doubt at all. It really does just come off as an expression of your antipathy towards anarchists.
I say this as an ML who thinks 95% of anarchists are fucking worthless dweebs.
I believe stuff like this is going to inspire a huge, new wave of anti-government sentiment during Biden's presidency. You're 100% right, that words have power and him just saying this shit is going to invoke some backlash.
That backlash will be from the right wing and the conspiracy side who just cannot wait to start talking about the government again, martial law, and all that stuff. Biden and Harris are going to be the greatest gift to them in terms of propaganda. Obama gave them stuff like the NDAA (and they were the only ones talking about it when it first passed), but overall he had his celebrity image to fall back on. Biden don't have that. He's pretty open about being a piece of shit and will brag about pushing authoritarian measures, and then they chose Harris for his VP who is also very out in the open with authoritarianism. The conspiracy right are going to have a field day with this stuff for the next 4 years.