Anarchist Vs. Communist Names

[Fawkes]

What do you think carries a worse stereotype and predisposition (sp?) with it's name, Anarchy or Communism. Communism has a terrible name becuase of the Cold War while Anarchy has a terrible name because of people like the Sex Pistols and those "Anarcho-" Punx who think Anarchy is just chaotic violence. Also, things like McKinnleys assassination degrade Anarchists name also. I personally think Anarchy has a worse name. But what about you?

[Dooga Aetrus Blackrazor]

Communism, in my opinion, has a worse reputation (or name). It has been disgraced around the world by various movements. If you tried to discuss communism with someone, they would have presupposed ideas about what it is. If you bring up anarchism, they associate it with no government and chaos, yes. However, I doubt many people realize that anarchism is a political philosophy. If you said, "I am an anarchist," they would probably question you or assume you are joking. From there, a new way of thinking would emerge.

Communism has to destroy more presupposed ideas before discussing what it actually is. Anarchism just has to say - anarchism doesn't mean chaos - and move on to explain the philosophy.

[barista.marxista]

Autonomist Harry Cleaver wrote a really good article on the topic of predisposition of the word "socialism." It can be found here, for free, on his site (http://www.eco.utexas.edu/facstaff/Cleaver/socialismessay.html).

[FinnMacCool]

Communism I think. Because, although being an anarchist is misrepresented, anarchism really isnt' and can be explained.

I prefer to just call myself a lbiertarian socialist though.

[Burrito]

Millions and millions of people in the world admire Communism and strive for it as an ideal. I really question if even a small fraction of that even know what Anarchism is, let alone admire it.

[Zero]

I look at the "shock values" of both words.

Anarchism: Your thought to be a kid who just wants to destroy stuff.

Communism: Your a raging commie pinko who wants to enslave the world, destroy freedom, and Democracy. You admire Stalin, and are in bed with Mao. And in the end, you will go mad and chop everyone up in a frenzy.

I'm going to guess number two. Stupid stereotypes :rolleyes: .

[OneBrickOneVoice]

communism. People will always say 'communism is dead' and 'look at the USSR'. That's a pain in the ass to debunk.

[kaaos_af]

There has never been a dictator like Stalin, Pol Pot or Mugabe who has called himself an anarchist. I think communism has a worse name.

Also, when I was a communist and carried red flags to demos, people told me to get a job, go back to china rah rah rah. Now I carry black flag and many people raise solidarity firsts, beep their horns, cheer me on, etc. etc.

[RaiseYourVoice]

In my town in northern germany its differnt. if i talk about communism its like
"oh that poor kid doesnt realize communism will never work"
if i talk about anarchy its more like
"damn what an idiot, everybody will kill each other"

i guess since we used to have a strong workers movement here, communism is not liked but just seen as not working. Also communism is part of school education (and not the american way =P), anarchy however is only tought by privat media
"if the U.S. troop left iraq anarchy might brake out"

[Che06]

hmm, well anarcy brings with it the baggage of being the 'angry teen' ideology of choice, and the somewhat lame music that goes along with it (the sex pistols were a slave to a damn clothing store) and communism, as other people have stated, seems to be all about 'killing the individualist' and bringin in 'big brother' a'la 1984 (which was horribly dry) so id say its a toss up

VIVA LA CCCP (except when it comes to hockey, go canada :D )

[kaaos_af]

The Pistols were slaves to a clothing store?

But no, I think anarchism has a better name as it is, especially among youth.

What has communism got to offer youth? The USSR, Che Guevara, Pol Pot, patriotic music, Fidel, North Korea, Stalin, the Viet Cong, dialectical materialism... kind of boring mixed in with interesting, but very old (as in, belonging to a different age) stuff and the downright genocidal.

Anarchism offers youth not just punk rock, but an ideology based on total and unrestrained freedom. Anarch'ism' also, I think, can't be described as a conventional 'ism', as there are dozens of forms of anarchy, some based on old, traditional sort of thinking, like Bakunin Proudhon etc., some based on the new, like Zerzan Chomsky etc. an others just in it for the fun of it, like some forms of punx, which again, are a diverse group of different kinds of mindsets and beliefs. You can't pin anything on anarchism apart from the fact that it stands for unconditional freedom and the total destruction of hierarchical society, be it left or right.

[Che06]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21 2006, 01:41 AM
The Pistols were slaves to a clothing store?

But no, I think anarchism has a better name as it is, especially among youth.

What has communism got to offer youth? The USSR, Che Guevara, Pol Pot, patriotic music, Fidel, North Korea, Stalin, the Viet Cong, dialectical materialism... kind of boring mixed in with interesting, but very old (as in, belonging to a different age) stuff and the downright genocidal.

Anarchism offers youth not just punk rock, but an ideology based on total and unrestrained freedom. Anarch'ism' also, I think, can't be described as a conventional 'ism', as there are dozens of forms of anarchy, some based on old, traditional sort of thinking, like Bakunin Proudhon etc., some based on the new, like Zerzan Chomsky etc. an others just in it for the fun of it, like some forms of punx, which again, are a diverse group of different kinds of mindsets and beliefs. You can't pin anything on anarchism apart from the fact that it stands for unconditional freedom and the total destruction of hierarchical society, be it left or right.
the pistols were assembled to sell clothing for the store 'Sex'

and you bring up some valid points comrade. though che has become the mecca of capitalism with a bunch of people not knowing what the fuck he stood for.

[RaiseYourVoice]

che has for most people no relation to communism, he is positive while communism is negative.... weird society. still somehow it was managed to divide figures like lenin, marx, fidel from che, he is always the idealistic freedom fighter worn on tshirts.

But i gotta say there is a difference between europe and the U.$. in europe you see waaaay more che tshirts and you cant be a wanna-be punk/alternative without a che tshirt in your clothed. even the most styled up girls wear them (worst thing i ever saw was a che tshirt were che was made out of little fake diaments)

By this division communism is just old, old men, old ideology, old struggle. nothing for today it seems

[bcbm]

Also, things like McKinnleys assassination degrade Anarchists name also.

I doubt anybody remembers that, and those of us who do are proud of it. ;)

[Fawkes]

I sure as hell am proud of it, but the History Channel just did that "10 days that unexpectedly changed america" thing and the McKinnley assassination was one of those things.

[Rawthentic]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20 2006, 11:41 PM
The Pistols were slaves to a clothing store?

But no, I think anarchism has a better name as it is, especially among youth.

What has communism got to offer youth? The USSR, Che Guevara, Pol Pot, patriotic music, Fidel, North Korea, Stalin, the Viet Cong, dialectical materialism... kind of boring mixed in with interesting, but very old (as in, belonging to a different age) stuff and the downright genocidal.

Anarchism offers youth not just punk rock, but an ideology based on total and unrestrained freedom. Anarch'ism' also, I think, can't be described as a conventional 'ism', as there are dozens of forms of anarchy, some based on old, traditional sort of thinking, like Bakunin Proudhon etc., some based on the new, like Zerzan Chomsky etc. an others just in it for the fun of it, like some forms of punx, which again, are a diverse group of different kinds of mindsets and beliefs. You can't pin anything on anarchism apart from the fact that it stands for unconditional freedom and the total destruction of hierarchical society, be it left or right.
Your response is a product of bourgeois thought. As long as there is capitalism, there will always exist and be strong the communist ideology, and always stronger than anarchism as well. It might sound "old" to you but those things that you named are part of what is named as "communism" but is not it; it is Leninism, which has given the name of communism the name of the Great Satan. It is because of Leninist hierarchy, despotism, and dictatorship that has caused genocide, murder, secret police, etc.

[TC]

What do you think carries a worse stereotype and predisposition (sp?) with it's name, Anarchy or Communism.

Communism without a doubt, the imperialists have spent a century trying to demonize Communism, specifically Marxist-Leninist Communism (a distinction that, to almost everyone in the world is redundent), because Communism was and is a legitimate threat to imperialism, Anarchy never was. No wonder nihilists who want to reject the mainstream but refuse to identify with a tendecy representing a viable alternative pick the less offensive name of anarchism...and those who want to appeal to the power behind the word 'Communism' first disassociate themselves from all of the negative sterotypes the west has created.

[TC]

What do you think carries a worse stereotype and predisposition (sp?) with it's name, Anarchy or Communism.

Communism without a doubt, the imperialists have spent a century trying to demonize Communism, specifically Marxist-Leninist Communism (a distinction that, to almost everyone in the world is redundent), because Communism was and is a legitimate threat to imperialism, Anarchy never was. No wonder nihilists who want to reject the mainstream but refuse to identify with a tendecy representing a viable alternative pick the less offensive name of anarchism...and those who want to appeal to the power behind the word 'Communism' first disassociate themselves from all of the negative sterotypes the west has created.

[TC]

What do you think carries a worse stereotype and predisposition (sp?) with it's name, Anarchy or Communism.

Communism without a doubt, the imperialists have spent a century trying to demonize Communism, specifically Marxist-Leninist Communism (a distinction that, to almost everyone in the world is redundent), because Communism was and is a legitimate threat to imperialism, Anarchy never was. No wonder nihilists who want to reject the mainstream but refuse to identify with a tendecy representing a viable alternative pick the less offensive name of anarchism...and those who want to appeal to the power behind the word 'Communism' first disassociate themselves from all of the negative sterotypes the west has created.

[BurnTheOliveTree]

Communism. I frequently get called something like "idiot commie fag!!!!11!!" when debating on various forums. Introduce yourself as an anarchist, however, and while there is a degree of wariness, there is also respect. Because true Anarchism cannot in principle be wrong, it merely strives to compel (Sp?) governments to do what they ought to be doing in the first place.

-Alex

[BurnTheOliveTree]

Communism. I frequently get called something like "idiot commie fag!!!!11!!" when debating on various forums. Introduce yourself as an anarchist, however, and while there is a degree of wariness, there is also respect. Because true Anarchism cannot in principle be wrong, it merely strives to compel (Sp?) governments to do what they ought to be doing in the first place.

-Alex

[BurnTheOliveTree]

Communism. I frequently get called something like "idiot commie fag!!!!11!!" when debating on various forums. Introduce yourself as an anarchist, however, and while there is a degree of wariness, there is also respect. Because true Anarchism cannot in principle be wrong, it merely strives to compel (Sp?) governments to do what they ought to be doing in the first place.

-Alex

[rebelworker]

At work the other day one of the truckers that was delivering tables to the site I was working at got talking politics with me, he went off about the basterd Harper, the Bush ass kisser, "him and guys like Mulrooney and Regan destroy the country, that Harper is a real communist Basterd".

This is not the first time someone i have been talking to has called a right wing politician a communist bastard. for may it is senonomus with authoritarian or bastard poltician.

at the turn of the llast century anarchism was much more vilified by the media/govt, in the end of the last century it was communism. This has a dual relation to the relative popularity of those ideologies at the time (anarhcism more wide spread, then marxist-lenninism), and the steriotypes relate to their failures(the individualist and terrorist tendancies in the revolutionary movement, the totalitarian dictatorships).

[rebelworker]

At work the other day one of the truckers that was delivering tables to the site I was working at got talking politics with me, he went off about the basterd Harper, the Bush ass kisser, "him and guys like Mulrooney and Regan destroy the country, that Harper is a real communist Basterd".

This is not the first time someone i have been talking to has called a right wing politician a communist bastard. for may it is senonomus with authoritarian or bastard poltician.

at the turn of the llast century anarchism was much more vilified by the media/govt, in the end of the last century it was communism. This has a dual relation to the relative popularity of those ideologies at the time (anarhcism more wide spread, then marxist-lenninism), and the steriotypes relate to their failures(the individualist and terrorist tendancies in the revolutionary movement, the totalitarian dictatorships).

[rebelworker]

At work the other day one of the truckers that was delivering tables to the site I was working at got talking politics with me, he went off about the basterd Harper, the Bush ass kisser, "him and guys like Mulrooney and Regan destroy the country, that Harper is a real communist Basterd".

This is not the first time someone i have been talking to has called a right wing politician a communist bastard. for may it is senonomus with authoritarian or bastard poltician.

at the turn of the llast century anarchism was much more vilified by the media/govt, in the end of the last century it was communism. This has a dual relation to the relative popularity of those ideologies at the time (anarhcism more wide spread, then marxist-lenninism), and the steriotypes relate to their failures(the individualist and terrorist tendancies in the revolutionary movement, the totalitarian dictatorships).

[Jazzratt]

What I've learned from this thread is that one should, under no circumstances call themseelves anarcho-communist.

In all seriousness though it is easily communism that has the worse name as it has an appaling history in terms of the people it's been attached to (Pol Pot anyone?) and as was illustrated in rebelworker's post it's become a synonym for 'bad politics'.

Compare this to anarchy which is and has been widley ignored (just ask the bloke on the street if he knows much about the Paris Commune or the Spanish Civil War. Chances are that unless he has some interest in anarchy or histroy he will know little to nothing.). Sure it's attached to people like the Sex *spit* Pistols and other anarcho-punx but I'd rather be associated with Punk Rock than the crimes of Stalinist Russia, in the same way I would rather be 'some rowdy teen with too much anger' ect than faced with 'OMGZ STLIAN KLLED, LIKE, EVY1 IN RUSSZIA!!!!!1!!!ONE!!!@1' (or similar) every time I say 'I am a communist'.

Just my tuppenceworth.

[Jazzratt]

What I've learned from this thread is that one should, under no circumstances call themseelves anarcho-communist.

In all seriousness though it is easily communism that has the worse name as it has an appaling history in terms of the people it's been attached to (Pol Pot anyone?) and as was illustrated in rebelworker's post it's become a synonym for 'bad politics'.

Compare this to anarchy which is and has been widley ignored (just ask the bloke on the street if he knows much about the Paris Commune or the Spanish Civil War. Chances are that unless he has some interest in anarchy or histroy he will know little to nothing.). Sure it's attached to people like the Sex *spit* Pistols and other anarcho-punx but I'd rather be associated with Punk Rock than the crimes of Stalinist Russia, in the same way I would rather be 'some rowdy teen with too much anger' ect than faced with 'OMGZ STLIAN KLLED, LIKE, EVY1 IN RUSSZIA!!!!!1!!!ONE!!!@1' (or similar) every time I say 'I am a communist'.

Just my tuppenceworth.

[Jazzratt]

What I've learned from this thread is that one should, under no circumstances call themseelves anarcho-communist.

In all seriousness though it is easily communism that has the worse name as it has an appaling history in terms of the people it's been attached to (Pol Pot anyone?) and as was illustrated in rebelworker's post it's become a synonym for 'bad politics'.

Compare this to anarchy which is and has been widley ignored (just ask the bloke on the street if he knows much about the Paris Commune or the Spanish Civil War. Chances are that unless he has some interest in anarchy or histroy he will know little to nothing.). Sure it's attached to people like the Sex *spit* Pistols and other anarcho-punx but I'd rather be associated with Punk Rock than the crimes of Stalinist Russia, in the same way I would rather be 'some rowdy teen with too much anger' ect than faced with 'OMGZ STLIAN KLLED, LIKE, EVY1 IN RUSSZIA!!!!!1!!!ONE!!!@1' (or similar) every time I say 'I am a communist'.

Just my tuppenceworth.