'Anarcho-capitalism' and revolutionary defeatism

[Popular Front of Judea]

I was watching this video, which under the slick packaging is an essentially an argument for "anarcho-capitalism". (The video labeled 'The Road To World War 3' that links to this video when you click 'NO' when prompted starts with the US going off the gold standard.)

8Zq4f6WYmHU

The thought struck me that if you think that the US is a hopelessly reactionary imperialist power and that the world would be a better place without its baleful influence -- I am looking at you "third world" maoists -- then you may very well want to support any political current that advocates the dissolution of the central government and the dispersal of the population into dispersed, powerless, squabbling political/ethnic enclaves. Although "anarcho-capitalism" is very much an internet phenomenon there has always been a strong decentralist current on the American right -- and left. Why not go with the grain?

I am not suggesting this as a serious political strategy, merely as a thought experiment. Although if you are willing to keep your cards close to your chest and have a strong stomach you could engage in some amusing political mischief.

Your thoughts?

[tuwix]

I was watching this video, which under the slick packaging is an essentially an argument for "anarcho-capitalism".

And I'd ask why should we care about those unintelligent people who advocted such oxymorones as "anarcho-capitalism"?

[Popular Front of Judea]

We care because of who swims in the an-cap pond. Like the national anarchists (http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2009/summer/national-anarchism).

Oh and you really should use spellcheck -- before you call anyone 'unintelligent'.


And I'd ask why should we care about those unintelligent people who advocted such oxymorones as "anarcho-capitalism"?

[robbo203]

And I'd ask why should we care about those unintelligent people who advocted such oxymorones as "anarcho-capitalism"?


I would be careful not to just dismiss the anarcho-caps as irrelevant - or unintelligent. Many of the footsoldiers of anarcho capitalism may well come across as being akin to a members of a religious sect mindlessly parroting their dogmatic mantras but not all of them. One or two Ive personally encountered are bright minds and, indeed, with more than just a passing knowlege of Marxist theory - even if they seem to be handicapped by some very large blind spots. Dont understimate them.


There are powerful forces implicated in advancing their cause - one thinks of the billionaire Koch brothers - and prepared to spend millions of dollars to shape public opinion to that end. A quick dip into google and I came up at random with this which might be of interest http://jontaplin.com/2012/06/11/charles-koch-anarcho-capitalist/

Of course anarcho capitalism is an utter absurdity - an oxymoron as you say. Unfortunately many statist leftists play footsie footsie with the anarcho caps with their own statist version of socialism (meaning state capitalism) . In that sense they reinforce each other in discrediting socialism by identitying it with the oppressive state - in contrast to the traditional Marxian view which treated the term socialism as interchangeable with communism - a stateless classless marketless society based on the common owneship of the means of production.

The anarcho caps might claim to want to get rid of the state but in fact their vision of capitalism utterly depends on it. There is much talk these days of "neo liberalism" as the reigning paradigm of governance, and along with it the idea of "rolling back the state". Its a complete myth of course. The state has not been rolled back but in some ways is more powerful than ever in its partnership with big business - not just in obvious ways such as the "big brother" surveillance state, bank bailouts and the whole business of warmongering (which keeps the military industrial complex ticking over) but behind the scenes too. So for instance government spending as a percentage of GDP has not shrunk but grown for most developed economies in recent years. Only the pattern of that spending has shifted e.g. away from social welfare programmes

In some ways anarcho capitalism, wittingly or not, is the voice of the big business side of this partnership and of the dictatorship of the boardroom - never mind its hopelessly utopian goal of converting us all into a population of small competing go-getting businessses, all exercising our "individual sovereignty". Its ideological assault on the state helps to carve out greater room for manuovre in Big Business' dealing with the state and in reaching a pragmatic compromise with the state but at the end of the day they both need each other and they both know it - even if the poor hapless footsoldiers of anarcho capitalism may sincerely believe otherwise

[Os Cangaceiros]

The thought struck me that if you think that the US is a hopelessly reactionary imperialist power and that the world would be a better place without its baleful influence -- I am looking at you "third world" maoists -- then you may very well want to support any political current that advocates the dissolution of the central government and the dispersal of the population into dispersed, powerless, squabbling political/ethnic enclaves. Although "anarcho-capitalism" is very much an internet phenomenon there has always been a strong decentralist current on the American right -- and left. Why not go with the grain?

But wouldn't the thought enter their heads at some point that another powerful country could (and likely would) simply step in and fill the void left by the USA, and become the new hegemonic influence?

[Popular Front of Judea]

As long as the new hegemons aren't Europeans it's all good, right? ;)


But wouldn't the thought enter their heads at some point that another powerful country could (and likely would) simply step in and fill the void left by the USA, and become the new hegemonic influence?