OscailtAgainst Anarcho-Liberalism and the curse of identity politicsIdentity politics is part of the society we want to destroy. Identity politics has infected anarchist spaces.2022-06-01T07:55:00+08:00Anarkismoanarkismoeditors@lists.riseup.nethttp://www.anarkismo.net/atomfullposts?story_id=31266http://www.anarkismo.net/graphics/feedlogo.gifAgainst Anarcho-Liberalism and the curse of identity politicshttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/31266#comment176132022-06-01T07:55:00+08:00Sabo's Litter BoxWhile I agree with this article's enumeration about the ways that identity polit...While I agree with this article's enumeration about the ways that identity politics can be abused by liberal elements, I feel that it overgeneralizes. By titling sections like "Identity politics is a tool of the middle classes" instead of "Identity politics can be a tool of the middle classes", for example, tendencies like Black anarchism, whose primary proponents have been members of the underclass or working class, are dismissed outright.<br />
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It is specifically Black anarcism that I am thinking of here. It may be that the authors of this article did not mean to include Black anarchists in their article. However, I can't fail to be concerned by the lack of historical awareness in statements like "anarchism is...open to any who will look or listen, something anyone can feel, no matter what background they come from". European-based anarchy has not been open to anyone. HIstorically, radical unions barred Black people from joining and white anarchists have consistently excluded Black anarchists. Black anarchy did not form because Black anarchists felt like fragile victims. It formed in part because white anarchists could not recognize their own racism and listen to the unique needs the Black community has because of its historical conditions.<br />
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Again, I am not denying at all that identity politics is misused by middle-class liberal people. I am also not looking to be "stirring the pot". Nevertheless, capitalism developed in large part from the free capital provided by slave labor on land acquired by the displacement of American indians. Not all exploited people are created equal, as it were, and it will behoove white anarchists to listen to their Black and Latinx comrades.<br />
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Anarcists absolutely should "look or listen...no matter [the] background". I invite you all to read the article I have attached, as well as Anarchism in the Black Revolution by Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin, A Nation on No Map by William C. Anderson, Balagoon: A Soldier's Story, and anything by Ashanti Omowali Alston to gain a perspective of how revolutionary anarchism is not necessarily imcompatible with identity politics.Interesting!http://www.anarkismo.net/article/31266#comment208472023-04-27T10:08:49+08:00AinzThe authors may have valid concerns about the negative effects of this identity ...The authors may have valid concerns about the negative effects of this identity politics.Truthhttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/31266#comment216882023-07-24T11:52:55+08:00JoshIt is embarrassing how much of what passes for anarchism in the UK now serves as...It is embarrassing how much of what passes for anarchism in the UK now serves as a justification for individuals who wish to preserve their oppressive faiths or avoid any challenge to their own sexism and patriarchy, all because reactionary conservatives use them as scapegoats. Best choicehttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/31266#comment219232023-08-27T01:26:00+08:00LorieThese dogmas are employed to uphold standards in both subcultures and larger soc...These dogmas are employed to uphold standards in both subcultures and larger society. Any tendency that is founded on unassailable principles should raise suspicion in anarchists, especially if it so blatantly creates hierarchies.