OscailtIn Defense of Revolutionary Class-Struggle AnarchismResponse to Laurence Davis’s Defense of Uri Gordon’s and David Graeber’s Views from My Criticisms2016-04-30T01:39:39+08:00Anarkismoanarkismoeditors@lists.riseup.nethttp://www.anarkismo.net/atomfullposts?story_id=29243http://www.anarkismo.net/graphics/feedlogo.gifkeep citing black flamehttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/29243#comment162782016-04-30T01:39:39+08:00waaaayneyou lost all ccredibility in the Schmidt affair when you defended his fascist na...you lost all ccredibility in the Schmidt affair when you defended his fascist nazi ass, and now you continue citing the book he half wrote, filled with pseudo-anarchists with Leninist, nationalist leanings. keep it up and move yourself even further into the obscure and ridiculous with the rest of the so-ccalled anarchists who truly harbor of fascistsResponsehttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/29243#comment162802016-04-30T04:18:25+08:00Wayne Pricedrwdprice at aol dot comFirst, note that it was not I but the author of the original review who raised B...First, note that it was not I but the author of the original review who raised Black Flame. I could then hardly ignore it.<br />
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Second, there is nothing whatever in the book Black Flame which reflects the vile, racist, content of Schmidt's remarks published on fascist sites. Whether this was due to Lucien writing almost all of it, or to Schmidt hiding his "real" views, or to the fascist comments being not his "real" views, can be speculated. But as it is, the book is still a fine review overall of the "broad anarchist tradition" of revolutionary class-struggle anarchist-communism. I hope that AK Press reprints it, whatever they think of Schmidt.<br />
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Among many other topics, it goes over the various opinions which anarchists have held about national liberation. It is a rejection of white supremacy that they come down in favor of the national self-determination of oppressed nations. On the contrary, it is opposition to the national rights of oppressed People of Color which is consistent with white supremacy and imperialist consciousness!<br />
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All of which is a distraction from the topic of my essay. I do not care if my personal reputation should suffer. What counts are the ideas and the struggle. Correctionshttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/29243#comment162812016-04-30T04:56:59+08:00Wayne Pricedrwdprice at aol dot comBenjamin Franks, who is cited in the essay, has a last name spelled with a final...Benjamin Franks, who is cited in the essay, has a last name spelled with a final S. He is the author of Rebel Alliances (2006) AK Press & Dark Star, an important study of revolutionary class struggle anarchism in Britain. Apologies to David Graeberhttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/29243#comment162842016-05-04T04:42:49+08:00WayneMy spell checker keeps on changing his last name to Grabber. Most of the time I ...My spell checker keeps on changing his last name to Grabber. Most of the time I thought I caught this and corrected it, but apparently not all the times. Sorry, no offense meant.<br />
Black Flamehttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/29243#comment162952016-05-27T15:08:26+08:00AntifaWayne, it's not true that there is "nothing whatever in the book Black Flame whi...Wayne, it's not true that there is "nothing whatever in the book Black Flame which reflects the vile, racist, content of Schmidt's remarks published on fascist sites." The historically inept comments on "white privilege" being a Maoist line (pp. 303-5) are definitely reproduced on the Stormfront posts: <br />
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<a href="https://medium.com/" title="https://medium.com/">https://medium.com/</a>@rossstephens/about-schmidt-how-a-white-nationalist-seduced-anarchists-around-the-world-chapter-1-1a6fa255b528#.u1tx5yeyh<br />
<a href="https://medium.com/" title="https://medium.com/">https://medium.com/</a>@rossstephens/about-schmidt-how-a-white-nationalist-seduced-anarchists-around-the-world-chapter-2-1849e232b943#.f1akr8m09<br />
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Of the three explanations you offer for Schmidt's national-anarchism/anarcho-fascism, it seems clear that you think #3 is the most reasonable. I strongly disagree. For one thing, you completely ignored Schmidt's tattoos in your piece on here assessing the arguments for and against the case (these include a neo-Nazi rune and Scythian chieftains). Neither did you engage with the 2008 internal document produced for the ZACF, which is atrociously racist. If you believe Schmidt was writing under an "assumed persona" on Stormfront, how can you explain his posting of his picture on the profile?More on Black Flamehttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/29243#comment162992016-05-30T13:39:05+08:00WayneNot to get drawn too far away from the topic of my essay: Antifa disagrees with ...Not to get drawn too far away from the topic of my essay: Antifa disagrees with my assertion that there is “nothing whatever in the book Black Flame which reflects the vile, racist, content of Schmidt’s remarks published on fascist sites.” I might add, “or in his 2008 internal document produced for the ZACF,” which was, as Antifa correctly writes, “atrociously racist.” <br />
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Waaayne (?) argued that Black Flame had “Leninist, nationalist leanings.” This was a lie. BF specifically rejected nationalism (the nationalism of oppressed nations), although defending the right of oppressed peoples to self-determination—the exact opposite of white supremacy. <br />
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Antifa refers to the book’s “historically inept comments on ‘white privilege’ being a Maoist line.” I do not find the comments to be inept. They are in response to the “white skin privilege” theory which focuses on the (minor and mostly psychological) benefits which white workers get from white supremacy, and calls on them to give up these (real but limited) benefits—instead of focusing on the major benefits which white workers can gain from opposing racism. I agree completely with this argument and have raised it in the past. However, even if Antifa disagrees with it, it is not a fascist argument.<br />
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In fact, Antifa does not actually denounce the anti-white-privilege theory as racist as such. Rather he or she claims that the argument is “definitely reproduced on the Storefront posts.” I cannot find the references he or she cites, but it is not important. Whether or not Nazis can use something like this argument for their purposes, it is not inherently a racist argument.<br />
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Contrary to Antifa, I did not “offer [three explanations] for Schmidt’s national-anarchism/anarcho-fascism.” I offered three possible explanations for the LACK of “Schmidt's national-anarchism/anarcho-fascism” in Black Flame. And he or she makes an incorrect assumption, that I favor # 3. Actually, I really don’t know. Perhaps all three are operating? (I am quite serious.) But I don’t want to get into this now. <br />
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And what do you think about reformist anarchism vs. revolutionary anarchism? <br />
No more comments on Schmidt and Black Flamehttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/29243#comment163032016-06-01T22:13:27+08:00JohnnyThe editorial group will block any further discussion of Schmidt and Black FlameThe editorial group will block any further discussion of Schmidt and Black Flame