It’s everyone’s favorite column, where I talk about things I love and hate, and always seem to focus on that slippery slope of hypocrisy that is talking shit on infighting!
First, things I love, two things today:
HIV infections and AIDS deaths are on the wane, worldwide. Not much more needs to be said about that. HIV prevention campaigns (education and condom dispersal, mostly, I believe) are working. So are modern AIDS drugs. Well, both are working better than before, anyhow.
Kate Kibby was found not guilty. Kate Kibby was being threatened by the State with 20 years in jail for writing an angry email to police provocateur Brandon Darby (who tricked two young activists into making molotovs before a protest, pressuring them into it). [more on bullying later!]. Anyhow, the infoshop.org article on the matter is an excellent, first-hand account of the trial, and focuses on how anarchists, when it comes down to it, are not so different than the rest of society. And how the jury of regular people was able to not be tricked into fear by the prosecution, and realized that Kate was acting in a reasonable fashion.
Things I Hate: Horizontal Hostility. So there’s this guy named Urban Scout in Portland. He’s a primitive skills guy who is young and hip and blogs about all of his foraging and rewilding and stuff like that. He’s not really an anarchist, but he doesn’t really claim to be. And few days ago or something, he got a big ole rock in the mail, anonymously (but almost certainly from a green anarchist), in a clearly threatening tone. He’s upset about it, because it’s scary when tons of people hate you. He’s not some snitch, with FBI support. He’s just a person, who spends more time focused on ecological issues and spreading useful ideas than most of the anarchists I know. Anyhow, all of the comments on the anarchist news post about it are all, well, laughing at him and telling him he’s a “pussy” and shit like that. It’s an embarrassing day to be an anarchist.
One comment points out that the commenters (or the rock-sender) are basically just a bunch of bullies, and I agree. They’re trying to intimidate him. Save this shit for our enemies. Urban Scout is not our enemy, for christ’s sake. Police infiltrators who set up anarchists to go to jail for a long time are. The state is. Corporations are.
This is like people who steal from independent stores (or worker-run ones, even), because it’s easier than stealing from the real enemy. I’m sick of this shit. I’m ready for some anarchy-for-grownups.
i just read those comments and you’re right, totally depressing… i couldn’t believe how many people used the “man up” argument, I felt like I was reading some nazi forum or something. call me old fashion, but in my day, being a feminist was a prerequisite to being an anarchist… man-children these days, what is the world coming to!
Hear hear. I’m sick of this weird “everyone has to be super-tough all the time” stuff.
Thanks for your support! It means a lot.
Urban Scout: it’s no problem. Now, I can’t really say I approve of you having gone to the police about the matter, but that’s a different issue.
Well, yeah… that *was* silly of me to do… i don’t regret it (cause it helped me remember they don’t give a fuck anyway), and so i do think it was a mistake. if that makes sense.
Wow. As someone who is relatively new to anarchism/anarchist thought, I seriously need to second the first commenter about all of the linked comments being extremely offensive and depressing. It makes me happy that, early on, my good friend turned recommended this blog as a level-headed example of how to go about approaching topics like a decent and thoughtful person. Thanks Magpie, and stay safe Urban Scout.