> The assumption here seems to be that anarchism is on the rise
> because "leftism" is dying. But, actually, anarchist thought--
> however distorted from its original form-- is on the rise due to the
> fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union, i.e. the collapse of the
> "deformed workers' states".
Maybe it's just another face of American self-absorption.
> But, the author seems to be conflating
> "Leftism" in general with "leftist sects," the latter apparently
> referring to Stalinists and all the rest.
Here <http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=02/02/23/4431947> all organizations and institutions with elected representatives are marked as "authoritarian." Anything less than "direct democracy," which may mean consensus, is "authoritarian." There is no shortage of anarchists or sympathizers who say that only consensus is truly democratic, while all else is authoritarian.
When dealing with these ideological contortion acts, like those of the RCP and Living Marxism in the Nick Cohen piece fwd'd yesterday, Slavoj Zizek has a bit of advice:
"More then ever, one should bear in mind Walter Benjamin's reminder that it is not enough to ask how a certain theory (or art) declares itself to stay with regard to social struggles - one should also ask how it effectively functions IN these very struggles."
-- Shane
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