These behaviors casually mentioned by Graeber in his ethnographic descriptions without dwelling too much on them (except perhaps in one instance where he challenges one particular accusation of racism in their interaction with the Mohawks.) However, these descriptions correspond to my personal experiences and that is why I pick them up.
shag: "I'd have to read the book in a hostile light again"
[WS:] There is a difference between hostile and critical, no? Although for some leftists these two are pretty much the same - "you are critical and therefore hostile, and I will pay you back in kind."
In any case, my reading of Graeber is certainly NOT hostile. I think it is a good ethnography - clearly written and thoughtful. A good source of information. I am critical of some of the views and attitudes of his "subjects" - but again not hostile to them. I view the anarchists as an alternative to boy scouts (a paramilitary organization) - as basically a socialization agent into an alternative value system, an opportunity to learn and practice certain individual skills and virtues that are critical of the mainstream values and institutions. I got this idea mainly by reading Graeber's book.
As I see it, anarchists are often criticized for being either "impractical" and "unrealistic" or "counterproductive" to achieving the goal of social reform. I think this line of criticism misses the point. Criticizing boy scouts for, say, hiking through the woods, camping out, setting bonfires etc. instead of taking a bus, staying in a motel, and buying prepared food - misses the point of what boy scouts are trying to do. They do not want to efficiently travel from point A to point B, but rather to run an obstacle course to learn and prove their survival skills. Likewise, criticizing anarchists for taking a direct action instead of working through formal organizations, mainstream or alternative, also misses the point. Like in case of boy scouts, the main point here seems to be acquisition and proving radical values and forms of behavior. Both forms of behavior are commendable as socialization agents, although it may be odd if one gets stuck in this for life.
Wojtek