Think you'll like this:-
http://libcom.org/library/giveupactivism
and from the sounds of things you've come to the right place - welcome to libcom!
critique of "activism" and protest culture
This article is a favourite of mine :
http://libcom.org/library/anti-capitalist-aufheben-10
and there's some other one on my website (check my profile)!
Are you against "leftism", or liberalism? Your initial post makes it sound like you could be experiencing frustration with one of two things. Indymedia and adbusters and that whole "activist culture" is radical liberalism and it definitely sucks. Alternately you could be reacting against the idea that collective problems need collective solutions which we can organize toward (leftism).
in any case someone will point you this way
http://libcom.org/library/militancy-ojtr
but try not to get too obsessed with this stuff (people who do are the political equivalent of people who can't handle their acid and end up trying to spend the rest of their life barefoot).
Quote:
that collective problems need collective solutions which we can organize toward (leftism)
using the word differently to everyone else tho, well that or you're disngeniusly smuggling in an entire ideology under one word ['organize'].
just my opinion, lem.
eta maybe it's not "disingenius" and you're as queer as mikus 
but truth be told that's not helpful mj to define leftism in a way that everyone else doesn't use it. if you are trying to be part of the more general debate, which i assumed you were :-/
MJ wrote:
Are you against "leftism", or liberalism? Your initial post makes it sound like you could be experiencing frustration with one of two things. Indymedia and adbusters and that whole "activist culture" is radical liberalism and it definitely sucks. Alternately you could be reacting against the idea that collective problems need collective solutions which we can organize toward (leftism).in any case someone will point you this way
http://libcom.org/library/militancy-ojtr
but try not to get too obsessed with this stuff (people who do are the political equivalent of people who can't handle their acid and end up trying to spend the rest of their life barefoot).
You're conflating two very different definitions of the word "leftism" here. If you actually read the pamphlet you linked to, they aren't "against the idea that collective problems need collective solutions which we can organize toward".
I didn't say that particular pamphlet said that at all! Some anarchists who complain about leftism in the US are individualists plain and simple, I was just asking for clarification. Then, separately, I decided to suggest the OJTR pamphlet, just to beat whoever else to the punch.
MJ wrote:
I didn't say that particular pamphlet said that at all! Some anarchists who complain about leftism in the US are individualists plain and simple, I was just asking for clarification. Then, separately, I decided to suggest the OJTR pamphlet, just to beat whoever else to the punch.
Ah, sorry, I misread that as "in that case..."
MJ wrote:
Are you against "leftism", or liberalism? Your initial post makes it sound like you could be experiencing frustration with one of two things. Indymedia and adbusters and that whole "activist culture" is radical liberalism and it definitely sucks. Alternately you could be reacting against the idea that collective problems need collective solutions which we can organize toward (leftism).in any case someone will point you this way
http://libcom.org/library/militancy-ojtr
but try not to get too obsessed with this stuff (people who do are the political equivalent of people who can't handle their acid and end up trying to spend the rest of their life barefoot).
I was referring to radical liberalism, although I'm not a big fan of authoritarian socialism either, which I suppose is what I mean by leftism. Does the US even have an organized left?
EDIT: I changed some wording, nothing big.
tastybrain wrote:
MJ wrote:
Are you against "leftism", or liberalism? Your initial post makes it sound like you could be experiencing frustration with one of two things. Indymedia and adbusters and that whole "activist culture" is radical liberalism and it definitely sucks. Alternately you could be reacting against the idea that collective problems need collective solutions which we can organize toward (leftism).in any case someone will point you this way
http://libcom.org/library/militancy-ojtr
but try not to get too obsessed with this stuff (people who do are the political equivalent of people who can't handle their acid and end up trying to spend the rest of their life barefoot).I was referring to radical liberalism, although I'm not a big fan of authoritarian socialism either, which I suppose is what I mean by leftism. Does the US even have an organized left?
It has a shit hot maoist scene.
magnifico wrote:
Think you'll like this:-http://libcom.org/library/giveupactivism
and from the sounds of things you've come to the right place - welcome to libcom!
Don't forget
The Necessity and Impossibility of Anti-Activism
http://www.infoshop.org/rants/antiactivism.html
Give Up Activism: Post Script
http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no9/activism_postscript.htm
see relevant articles in the archive section of our web page for the elitist activism of left subculture denizens www.rebelworker.org
eykanna wrote:
libcom's a bit elitist tho innit?
who do you think you're speaking to? 
Joking aside, I don't think so. I've questioned a few times the language used on this site and whether it is alienating but after hearing the admins and others' thoughts I've got to say that for the most part I have changed my opinion. I have personally found that even the most combative of posters using terms or concepts that I don't get, will reframe them in a way that I can grasp when I approach them about it. For that I am grateful and reassured that any kind of perceived elitism is unfounded.
all the best.
gregg. 
Quote:
yeah but what about lem didn't s[he] get banned for "having nothing interesting to say"? [s]he had been here 2 years too.
I am not an admin, but I completely support the decision by them to ban him. The problem with Lem wasn't mainly that he had nothing interesting to say (then he could just be ignored), but that he would post 5-10 single line posts one after the other, be off topic, troll and tbh I had problems understanding what he was trying to say most of the time (even when I tried really hard). So, in Lem's case it was not elitism at all. He also had several warnings and temporary bans previously...
And folks like Revol has been banned temporarily for being a cunt, and he's one of the more intellectual elitist on this site... As Grrreff said, it might seem elitist, but most posters here are willing to shy specialized language if being asked.
i think the impression of 'elitism' is probably created by the fact there's a core of posters here with shared vocabulary, concepts, political positions, in-jokes etc, which are often used as shorthand but can appear cliquey to more casual readers. I think the same's true of most semi-stable groups, although of course a forum is more public than many of them. certainly i'm guity of using jargon and technical concepts, but i'm always willing to use plain english if someone calls me on it - it's not done to intimidate or exclude, it's just shorthand.
With regard to lem, he's been repeatedly warned for his disruptive posting accross multiple threads which is de facto trolling, whatever his condition (particularly because he seems to be able to post relatively normally here and elsewhere when he makes the effort).
internet-thugs are far better than plastic-thugs. death before chuck D!
...it's like the end of a love affair, and they can't even tell you the real reason why they chucked you out. how can they say "everything" or "just the way you do it" sob.
i stand by the notion that i was a victim of personality elitism... it's not like only intellect can be elitist.
bye again.
Hey people, I'm new to the forum. I got into anarchism relatively recently and I'm still developing my politics. At the moment I'm extremely frustrated with the current leftist milieu here in the US, especially the "activist" culture that is so dominant in the "anti-globalization" movement and it's weak political analysis. (i.e. indymedia, adbusters, etc). Can anyone point me in the direction of a coherent critique of "activism"? I know I'm being frustratingly vague here, but I'm not sure how else to put it. Are their any articles/websites/books that people can refer me to, or just a summary of their own thoughts on the matter?
Again, I'm new, so apologies in advance if this is in the wrong forum or somehow an inappropriate question.