anarkismo.net: Anarchists lubricate the axes of the wheels
of history that revolve too slowly by Ilan S. (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
The main means of all ruling elites throughout history to force the people to submit to
their rule was to recruit metaphysical powers - magic, deities and other kinds of lies to
frighten people into submission and accepting authority. People who challenge these lies
were the main enemy of the rulers all along history. ---- Marxists claim that the
development of the means of production is the locomotive pulling forward the development
of history... but the development of the means of production is only the most eye-catching
aspect of the accumulation of human knowledge. Curiosity, creativity and challenges in
"production" and other aspects of life promote human knowledge that enhances the means of
production. ---- The Marxists' simplistic claim that the slow development of social
relations that lags and hinders the development of the means of production is the cause of
the eruptions (revolutions) that close that lag from time to time and bring about new
social relations. However, it is not the "natural slowness" of the development of "social
relations" which is to blame, but the ruling elite, that invests efforts in preventing or
at least slowing the changes that threaten their power and benefits.
The main means of all ruling elites throughout history to force the people to submit to
their rule was to recruit metaphysical powers - magic, deities and other kinds of lies to
frighten people into submission and accepting authority. People who challenge these lies
were the main enemy of the rulers all along history.
Anarchists are the main challenge to the social order that keeps the ruling elite in power
but not all of them (and others who challenge authoritarian relations) understand clearly
how the acceptance of authoritarian relations still holds the overwhelming majority of the
people, and what are the best ways to dissolve it.
In an article "Anarchism could help to save the world" posted in the British paper "The
Guardian"
(http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/03/anarchism-could-help-save-the-world?CMP=share_btn_fb),
David Priestland summed up the erroneous conception about the role anarchists will play in
the overthrow of the capitalist system:
"Anarchism's challenges remain much the same as they were in Kropotkin's day. How can a
group so suspicious of established institutions build an effective movement for the long
term? How can it win over a majority addicted to endless growth and ever higher living
standards? And how can its ideal social order, founded on local participatory democracy,
control the enormous concentrations of power in states and international markets?"
The main means that the ruling elite of neo-liberal globalized capitalism uses these days
is its hold on people's minds. However, this hold on people's mind is a very complicated
"system of opinions" with many contradicting ideas/opinions in them. This system was
harnessed by the advanced capitalist system using fear of change, bribes, acceptance of
hierarchy, individualism, etc. In regular times a subsystem of this "system of opinions"
dominates and organizes people's daily lives and their submission, a little more or a
little less, to the social order.
But, underneath this dominant subsystem of the "system of opinions" there are a lot of
other ideas/opinions which sometimes are expressed in daily life, and more obviously in
times of crisis, when people behave in a way that surprises others and even themselves.
Among these non-dominant ideas/opinions there is a subsystem of opinions of revolt. This
subsystem of revolt become dominant and appears even in daily life in small doses...
(jay-walking, disobeying traffic rules, tax evasion, expressing opposing opinions etc.).
In times of social crisis this subsystem of revolt became dominant in mass revolts,
uprisings and revolutions.
Many things can contribute to the strengthening of the dominant subsystem of submission
(fear, helplessness, bribes, hatred, etc.) Many more things contribute to the weakening of
its dominance. Information, contradictions in the present system, ideas about an
alternative way of life, and a lot of other things that erode the foundation of the
acceptance of authority.
In order to contribute to the eroding of the dominant subsystem of ideas/opinions
"effective movement for the long term" can help a lot. But, less effective but still
effective is every anarchist (and other antiauthoritarian) who expresses his revolt. More
effective are organized anarchists who can challenge it in many ways. (Promoting the dream
of a new social order can be essential.) Long before most of the people will be freed
entirely from the dominant subsystem of submission will occur one of the sporadic crises
of the capitalist system and as if from nowhere, mass anger will develop into a revolt.
Then to uprising and full-blown revolution.
Ilan Shalif
Related Link: http://ilan.shalif.com/anarchy/glimpses/glimpses.html
http://www.anarkismo.net/article/28378
