Introducing...

Hey there. I am the Croydonian Anarchist. This blog will be focusing around any political goings on at my sixth form that I attend (I'm in the second year, and just about to turn 18) which I will be reporting on as they happen from a critical anarchist and/or anarchist communist perspective. I may also post about education issues in general. But before I start I thought I would include an article I did for Freedom newspaper a couple of months ago that talks about how I got into anarchism to give you a bit of background info about myself personally

I don’t know when I first came across anarchism to be honest. Many sources spring to mind; the lyrics of Immortal Technique, the Zeitgeist films and my results on the political compass test which made me Google ‘anarcho syndicalism’. I also remember writing ‘fuck the system’ on my hand and wearing a Che Guevara (Stalinist turned pop art icon) tee shirt I still guiltily have to this day. But I, like everyone, had to start somewhere.

I will not pretend I have progressed far in my journey since, well, I don’t know when. However, I am content with my current location in this long tunnel, which seems to have a light at the end. This light, emanating from red and black stars, that flickers at times, but shines very brightly at others.
My political life currently revolves around the forums at libcom.org and my A level politics class at school. As of yet, I have only been to one demonstration, the June 30th marches and protests. I am yet to read all the classics; Bakunin, Rocker, Kropotkin, the founder of this publication, and know all of the Marxist jargon. I like to think I have some understanding so far of the nature of capitalism and the nature of the alternative we propose to it, which is apparently enough to make me now consider calling someone a Trotskyite or a Leninist, a feared insult. The journey has had its ups and downs, both emotionally and intellectually.

Intellectually, anarchism can liberate you and change your whole world view. Anarchism has been a fascinating epiphany, a revelation. I hope others have experienced the same thing, because it feels really good.

Emotionally, it’s a double edged sword. Casual passing comments made by friends can become a depressing reminder of the effectiveness of the brainwashing coming from the state. The media, perhaps the state’s favorite puppet, is everywhere, so it can be a constant and relentless source of torment. It becomes difficult to separate people from their politics, beliefs that they often don’t know they even have. Having such a fundamental disagreement in principal with what is now the norm of the whole world can give the impression that I am always depressed and hate everything. But at the best of times, I can be so passionate about how good things could be I can’t begin to explain it. So over all, my experiences coming from the outside in haven’t been perfect, but what is?

Comments

Look forward to reading your

Look forward to reading your blog. When I was in 6th form I was into animal rights and a Greenpeace member - you're off to a much better start ;)

Choccy wrote: Look forward to

Choccy

Look forward to reading your blog. When I was in 6th form I was into animal rights and a Greenpeace member - you're off to a much better start ;)

ditto! Well, not the animal rights but I was a Greenpeace member, and pretty reactionary in some ways.

What's 6th form? Is that 12th

What's 6th form? Is that 12th grade?

EDIT: Also, looking forward to your writings!

In the UK, high school is

In the UK, high school is 11-16, 6th form colleges are 16-18 for academic qualifications. there's also art and technical colleges for 16-18 year olds.

Steven. wrote: Choccy

Steven.

Choccy

Look forward to reading your blog. When I was in 6th form I was into animal rights and a Greenpeace member - you're off to a much better start ;)

ditto! Well, not the animal rights but I was a Greenpeace member, and pretty reactionary in some ways.

I was mad reactionary in a tonne of ways - vaguely pro-life (in an individual moral way not a legalistic way), and sometimes quite misanthropic (humans destroy everything blah blah).
And I bought my granny fairtrade vegan organic truffles. I will never forgive myself, my cross to bear :(

.

Hi Good luck with your blog,

Good luck with your blog, looking forward to reading it. Carrying on in a similar way to other posters, 'when I was your age' (14 years ago) I did not have a clue about anarchism, had a picture of chairman Mao above my bed, and went to college dressed as a ridiculous Che Guevara / Citizen Smith hybrid. Chairman Mao picture ruined what should have been the greatest night of my life, with the Chinese girl I met at College (but that's a different story).

I then really hit rock bottom, and spent ten years in the SWP.

Never mind, some people take longer on their journey than others

Matthew

Caiman del Barrio

.

that was a quickly retracted boast!

working class self

working class self organisation

I then really hit rock bottom, and spent ten years in the SWP.

Flippin' heck man. Tough times.

Sixth form college was a strange one for me politically. Went in with my Che shirt listening to BoySetsFire, came out reading Nietzsche and Marx.

Its ok, I am in remission

Its ok, I am in remission now, and the prognosis is very good!

Harrison wrote: Caiman del

Harrison

Caiman del Barrio

.

that was a quickly retracted boast!

;)

I dunno, seemed kinda patronising in retrospect...

Lol, dw Ive been there with

Lol, dw Ive been there with the Che T shirt, there's also a che poster currently hiding away wrapped up in shame after you guys said he was a stalinist :P

Chairman Mao picture ruined what should have been the greatest night of my life, with the Chinese girl I met at College (but that's a different story).

That sounds hilarious, you must message me and tell me that story haha

I still listen to

I still listen to boysetsfire! But yeah, at 17 I was campaigning for the Green Party, had a Che poster, and was doing Food Not Bombs :oops:

I'm really looking to reading this blog Croydonian. Have you done any writing about how J30 and N30 went at your school and how your classmates responded?

No, I did a talk about n30 on

No, I did a talk about n30 on the day before. Good response I guess, but no one said anything except for the teacher that said it was well prepared and done. Nothing else to mention except that I took a day off for j30 to go up to london and that one girl in my politics class broke the strike of my politics teacher because she ran the taster lesson for the prospective year 12's who had induction day that day that my teacher would of done obviously.

So your school stayed open

So your school stayed open for the day?

Your presentation, that was the one you were discussing on libcom, is that right? I'd be curious to see the final product, if you'd be so inclined.

It was more a talk. And yes

It was more a talk. And yes it was open for j30, closed for n30. I went to n30 in london as well, was going to meet up with some one, but they didnt come, so I just marched on my own, did not see any comrades apart from some guys handing out Alarm Freesheets. So I got to the end, it started pissing down raining, and I went home. It was shit for me really.