The nature of anarchism (Lefty Despair etc.)

[Dennis Perrin]

> I think the anarchists here are a bit too glib in dismissing their
> right-wing counterparts. They argue that modern big business
> capitalism is an authoritarian perversion of the pure free market -
> they really believe all that stuff about liberty, equality, and
> Bentham. (Never mind that such a free market never existed anywhere
> but in their heads.) So small enterprise, rampant competition,
> voluntary exchange, etc., equal freedom. It has fairly wide appeal in
> the U.S. - and has a lot in common with the Green Party's platform,
> in fact.
>
> Doug

Also recall Karl Hess, former Goldwater speechwriter turned radical
libertarian against the war (advocated burning draft cards) turned
Progressive mag writer turned small enterprise libertarian.Wrote a series of
pieces for the end page of the NYT Magazine -- one had to do with the
glories of bartering. He also appeared in one of George Woodcock's anarchist
compilations put out by Black Rose books.

I agree -- left anarchists too easily dismiss their rightist cousins, while
the rightists at least acknowledge some common ground, mostly on social
issues, though, not monetary ones.

DP