Toxic Anarchists
Have you ever known a person, let's call her "Vicky", so terrible, so absolutely awful that she soured you to the name "Vicky" for the rest of your life? Now whenever you hear that name, you associate it with lies, gossip and bullying. You won't ever consider naming a child Vicky. It's even difficult for you to befriend a Vicky without some reservations.
Negative association is powerful. People can be turned off of ideas in the same way that they can be turned off of names.
This brings me to the problem of Toxic Anarchists.
What's a Toxic Anarchist?
The Toxic Anarchist isn't interested in listening to you. Frankly, he isn't even interested in communicating with you. He's only interested in being right and belittling you for your foolish beliefs.
There's no conversation to be had here, no understanding, only insults.
Let me clear something up straight away; this problem isn't exclusive to anarchists. It's a human problem. But nevertheless, it's a problem that plagues our community so I believe it needs to be addressed.
Where Does the Toxic Anarchist Come From?
The Toxic Anarchist wasn't always an anarchist. I believe this is a safe thing to assume. Nearly every anarchist was once a statist. That's symptomatic of the global culture we're raised into. It's possible that the Toxic Anarchist wasn't always toxic either, but that's neither here nor there.
One day the Toxic Anarchist stumbled upon the ideas of liberty and anarchy. Perhaps he resisted these ideas at first, but eventually he was won over by their sound logic. He came to accept the truth that every single person owns him or herself.
This truth that he once resisted now seems so obvious and self-evident that it's hard to imagine that he ever believed anything different. Here lies the source of his toxic behaviour.
Because this truth is so obvious to the Toxic Anarchist, he starts to believe that anybody who disagrees with him is, at best, an idiot or at worst, evil.
The Toxic Anarchist begins to treat everyone who disagrees with him as a villain or a fool. He's not interested in making converts or reaching hearts and minds. His only aim is to seek and destroy his enemies.
He's forgotten that he was once exactly like the people he now insults and abuses. If it weren't for other level-headed and reasonable anarchists, the Toxic Anarchist would likely have never found the truth. But he sees no need to check his own behaviour and act the part of reasonable and level-headed. He doesn't believe he owes the movement his best. He doesn't believe he owes anything to anyone.
How Does the Toxic Anarchist Harm the Liberty Movement?
This brings me back to the problem of negative association. I'm part of a lot of anarchist communities on social media and I see this toxic behaviour constantly. I see people scared away from the message of liberty by Toxic Anarchists who do nothing other than bully and insult. Would-be disciples have no interest in a "belief system" whose faithful behave in this manner.
Not only does the Toxic Anarchist scare people aware from liberty, he causes division within the existing community. He beats down his brothers over small points of disagreement, declaring his own opinion the obvious truth and his opponent's the belief of a "moron".
Let me restate what I said before; this is a human problem. It's not exclusive to anarchist. But I find this behaviour so pervasive in our community. Anarchists should be better. We're a minority that's discovered a beautiful and irrefutable truth. It's a truth that could make the world so much better.
If you are a Toxic Anarchist, my question to you is, why? Why don't you want to help usher in an anarchist world? Why are you only interested in making enemies? Why won't you extend the same reason, understanding and kindness to others that was extended to you?
We should be part of building a better world.
Why are you so focused on tearing it down?
Why are you only concerned about self-aggrandizing behaviour?
Why do you want nothing more than to be proven right?
The world is so broken, but we can all play a part in fixing it.
Be better than the Toxic Anarchist.
Be part of the solution.
Reesteemed But only because it makes me sound right. Its feeding into my toxicity. tee hee hee
OMG I love this post! And you are absolutely right... it's not only an anarchy problem... this is mankind: wanting something so badly and being convinced of it... leading to not checking the own behaviour not fitting to the own attitude. Upvote and follow
Thanks for your comment. It's a big problem with many people in many communities. And it's so counter-productive. It satisfies a dark part of our minds to crush and belittle others. It's easier to do that than it is to strive for real communication, but we'll never make the world a better place unless we start to actually communicate.
I expect a lot better of the anarchist community. They should know better.
And I'm following you back now! I like the look of your blog.
Thankyou! I totally share your opinion. Honestly it makes me feel like: "Oh I am not alone in here?" ^^ That's a big one!
EXCELLENT post! There is one "famous anarchist" who is becoming toxic and it is sad to watch. Where there was once humor and wit used to teach the principles of NAP, now there is just anger and arrogance... no one is pure enough... I used to point all budding anarchists toward that person but now I don't mention their name as I do not want them to think "anarchist" means "angry asshole."
I believe that those people you are referring to are not anarchists. They are really statist or socialist, that as you well describe were at some point pro-statist, these subjects now take the path of anarchy, or so they say, but they would be the first destroyers of that same anarchy. I have seen many people who defend anarchy, but then when they see that a person does not behave as they expect, they decide to attack it and force it by force, then, in reality these people are not anarchists, they only use this disguise. Some time ago I raised a hypothesis in which I established that people who were socialists, were socialists because of their personality and not because they have learned to be so through reading, likewise, I for example, was a minarchist before knowing that was, I thought like a minarchist, but I had not studied the liberal theory, once I studied it, I identified myself as such, but I was already one of them, only ignorant of the theory. In the same way these toxic subjects that you describe, they claim to be anarchists, but their personality is that of a socialist or statist, I would dare to say, that of a dictator.
I think you're at least partially right. Underneath it all, many of these people are really tyrants.
However, I wouldn't say this applies as a rule. No matter what the belief system, some people are just mean.
Right, it's not a rule or something absolute. But people who behave like tyrants and claim to be anarchists, is it really? It's something contradictory, right? A person must be congruent with what he thinks and what he does.
Good point. They talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.
This very much needed saying, i have seen this many times and have maybe set myself up as an adversary to statists at points in my own life too.
This is a humbling and sobering message, it's also rare to find content within the liberty movement that makes a connection i hadn't already made myself.
You have yourself a new follower.
Mind if i resteem this?
Resteem away! Thanks for commenting.
Hi...i love the fact you bring to light this real issue..to be honest in past, sometimes, i used to be like this..i mean the not listening to the other person and just wanting to impose myself and that
s all...i managed to learn that im harming the others and tries to become more of a compasionate person and emphatic..thats best way for us, humans, to be. I will follow you, if you like what i write you can do the same if you feel like( i will write more, im new in our comunity:) ). Thank you and i can`t wait to read your next articles:)Thanks for commenting!
This is an issue that's been on my mind for a while. I think it's easy for a lot of us to fall into the trap of toxicity. I know my belief is right and I think the opposite of my belief is so insane haha. It's easy to forget that I was once in the same position as the people I argue against. It's hard to remember that they're just lost and need help finding the truth.
I know these kinds of people! We had a blossoming in person friendship happening until BAM my husband got hit square in the face with it...I think it was more Toxic Socialist, but it is a human problem. Thanks for the great post, I'll follow you!
This unfortunately is part of humanity. There will always be toxic people in all walks of life. It is best to steer clear of the toxicity and make your own path to what you feel is right.
Mate, this post is absolutely spot on and highlights an issue i think we have all become aware of once spending time in liberty/freedom/anarchist movements. Some of the people you meet are essentially totalitarian about their beliefs, this can be seen most imho in todays current AntiFA movement. Toxic mentality begins to manifest itself as a form of fascism in itself.