It was suggested by one anarchist that one shouldn’t criticize without having the answers. I wouldn’t say this is an intelligent statement in general, nor is it one that is particularly anarchistic in any way, but I found it odd that someone frequenting a website full of bitching and devoid of substantial answers to anything would make such a claim.
Maybe I’ll make this a regular post, because there’s no shortage of problems, but I thought I’d toss out a problem and let the anarchists try to solve it. I hesitate to do it this way, but I think I will sit this one out in the comments. What I fear happening is one or two people coming to some form of “consensus” which is a negative solution, not a positive one.
I’ll give you guys an example of what I mean in the hopes we can avoid it. Say I ask, “What is the anarchist monetary system?” Don’t say, “ending the fed.” Well no fucking shit, Sherlock. That seems like a given. I mean, how would money be handled? Would there be standardized money within a nation of anarchists? I’m asking in that questions precisely how would it work, not for a list of things it wouldn’t be or would not have.
And just saying, “we would use the dollar” isn’t enough, like saying “there would be private security” is not an answer to law enforcement. Who decides the laws? Do security forces enforce the same laws or different ones? Are the poor even considered?
I’m doing this because… frankly… I’m sick of the bitching. Sometimes SE reminds me of my mother’s knitting circle. I feel like there should be more to blogging than complaining about every little thing that happens. I mean come on: look at how much energy was spent arguing over one city’s decision to fuck with fast food kids’ meals. Is that really worth more than a, “Well, that’s a dumb way of doing it” and a quick segue to the next topic?
I don’t even know what I’ll be asking at the end of this, as I write this sentence. I still have so many questions unanswered, and when I ask them… all I get are insults to my intelligence and claims that I am a dictator. I could ask a dozen questions about anarchy, and maybe that should be it’s own series. How would it form? How would it be maintained? How do all the little externalities covered by government get covered by an anarchistic society?
There’s a lot there to cover, and I hope by mentioning it now I can get the wheels turning in people’s heads so they have time to come up with a decent response. I tried to say this before, but I got hostile replies, so I’ll say it again and maybe you might take me at my word: I just have questions. I wouldn’t be here if I thought anarchists were completely wrong about everything.
So here’s your chance: how would you solve the problem of fast food providing no healthy alternatives? I don’t care how you do it, and I won’t be replying to any of the comments, no matter how much I may want to. You guys sit through me rambling for a long time, the least I can do is give everyone a forum to rant back at me without my dumb responses. To really make this work, I hope you guys come up with multiple solutions and maybe show a little skepticism for your fellow anarchist’s ideas.
Go for it, leave a comment, especially if you never left one before. This is your chance to say something without me calling you a retard. And… go.
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ReplyDeletehow would you solve the problem of fast food providing no healthy alternatives?
ReplyDelete???
What? Even McDonalds has some fairly healthy items on its fucked-up menu, like in the salad category. I used to sometimes get their apple and walnut salad or whatever it was, that was pretty good.
But you've gotta come up with something better than that question. Healthy alternatives? Just walk into any supermarket.
you don't have to exactly how cars will be built in the future to know that the best way to achieve the most efficient cars is to allow people to design and build them freely, and to compete with one another.
ReplyDeleteyou're saying that a person who makes this claim is wrong because they don't know how the car will be built and function.
i don't know how this point could be made much more clearly: if one person was capable, or at least claimed to be capable, of knowing how to optimally run each aspect of society, that would be an argument for a dictatorship.