Being an anarchist is depressing as fuck...

I think a lot of people here could relate. It's not as if people who go against the status quo or adopt the unpopular opinions have it easy. I would inquire of your friend what 'democracy' he/she is talking about; it's definitely not in the workplace, and the politicians are likewise in the pockets of the private sector (as evidenced here in the States by costs of election campaigns). Pushing some button every couple years and selecting which candidate to inevitably turn back on all their promises - it's a really sad conception of democracy, with very little participation on the actual decisions being made. My advice would be to do what you enjoy (trite) and find like-minded friends, though I'm really not one to be giving others advice. That's my two cents at least.

There were some discussions on similar, bleak themes before: (https://libcom.org/forums/general/capitalism-makes-me-feel-ill-24012011, and https://libcom.org/forums/libcommunity/why-i-hate-capitalism-and-why-i-cant-fight-it).

I recommend everyone read this short article by Mark Fisher: https://libcom.org/library/good-nothing-mark-fisher

Dealing with depression while holding an anti-capitalist worldview can be a pretty difficult balancing act. A lot of accepted therapy methods involve cognitively reframing situations in a positive light, which works to alleviate negative thoughts on a personal level, but it can be difficult to square it with a more general worldview which is critical of society as a whole.

One solution is just not to focus 100% of your mental energy on anti-capitalist politics. Watch TV, films, listen to music, go for a bike ride, hang out with your friends.

Another solution is to frame your beliefs in a way which, while still critical, are positive from a personal-psychological perspective. In the process of social reproduction, capital produces a mass of enormous wealth one side and a mass of dispossessed wage-labourers on the other, who are confronted by the results of their own activity as an objective, alien power which opposes them. But in reproducing this relationship, capital also produces the forces which lead to it's own destruction, it is a transient, historically specific social formation, the possibility always exists to replace it with something different.

One solution is just not to focus 100% of your mental energy on anti-capitalist politics. Watch TV, films, listen to music, go for a bike ride, hang out with your friends.

This is really good advice, especially to people who are new and/or young to anti-capitalist organizing; they tend to devote their entire life to it. I did that for what seemed a few years and I even studied this shit in school. I became miserable after awhile, but when I started to be less one-note, life improved.

One solution is just not to focus 100% of your mental energy on anti-capitalist politics. Watch TV, films, listen to music, go for a bike ride, hang out with your friends.

That's one of the core points made in this pamphlet:

https://libcom.org/library/class-struggle-mental-health-live-fight-another-day

Which might be of interest to the OP more generally, as well.

This is really good advice, especially to people who are new and/or young to anti-capitalist organizing; they tend to devote their entire life to it. I did that for what seemed a few years and I even studied this shit in school. I became miserable after awhile, but when I started to be less one-note, life improved.

Yeah I was the same. After I discovered radical politics more and more of my free time got sucked up reading and writing about communism. Inevitably it just lead to me burning out. Pacing myself makes it easier to balance my politics with everything else in the long term.

Yeah I was the same. After I discovered radical politics more and more of my free time got sucked up reading and writing about communism. Inevitably it just lead to me burning out. Pacing myself makes it easier to balance my politics with everything else in the long term.

Yes, and it also helps you become a better organizer. There are very few people who like a full on activist that can never relax and cannot talk about anything else than working class/anarchist/communist minutiae. Indeed, being able to small talk about music, sports and whatnot makes it easier to approach people in general.

Khawaga

Yeah I was the same. After I discovered radical politics more and more of my free time got sucked up reading and writing about communism. Inevitably it just lead to me burning out. Pacing myself makes it easier to balance my politics with everything else in the long term.

Yes, and it also helps you become a better organizer. There are very few people who like a full on activist that can never relax and cannot talk about anything else than working class/anarchist/communist minutiae. Indeed, being able to small talk about music, sports and whatnot makes it easier to approach people in general.

For some people it's the opposite problem. I for one would not mind being more politically active, but there are no opportunities for that (as far as my situation is concerned): no organizations, no radical scene, no Capital reading groups... etc.

no radical scene

That's not necessarily a bad thing. While a radical scene can offer support and like-minds, it can also be a ghetto.

So talk to people who you work with or your neighbours (as long as you're not completely surrounded by cops, bosses or fash wankers), not about anarchism, communism and other political labels or ideologies but talk about any shit that's happening in your and their lives - at work, with the landlord, on the street, putting the world to rights, etc. Make connections that way, see if you can find just one potential comrade.

Then when you've done that, find one more comrade to make a group!

Serge Forward

So talk to people who you work with or your neighbours (as long as you're not completely surrounded by cops, bosses or fash wankers ...

And what if my neighbors happen to be cops, bosses and other bourgies (as they unfortunately are...)? I'm from the south east and I can attest that there's absolutely nothing going on here; Antarctica would be more interesting, and probably more class conscious as well. I've searched too, but there's really nothing.

Ah... that is depressing.

Don't worry about is beyond your control.

Also I'll have to admit that I am somewhat put off by social action - I know that's terrible for an anarchist to say, but it is out of my comfort zone because shouting and chanting in the street, making a scene and trying to get people to listen to my views just does not come naturally to my personality. I also find that kind of behaviour just makes anarchist and leftist groups look like a bunch of nutters to most people.

Well, fortunately, then you have a limited view of what social action is. Sure, going out on the street, shouting slogans and whatnot appears to be what the "left" does, but this is a spectacularization of the activity of the left (sadly perpetuated both by the media and the left itself who tend to take to the street as an automatic action rather than taking a moment to think through whether taking the street will actually solve anything).

Most effective organizing is deceptively simple, but for that reason also quite tough. It is about talking to people, often one-on-one, and often over a long period of time. It is about planning what is effective in terms of direct action, which doesn't need to be about the street or anything that is "typical" of left activity.

In general, people won't listed if "shout and make a scene" to get people to listen to your views. In my experience, the less shouty you are, the more people will listen to you. Rather than pushing your politics on people, you first of all need to get to know them, and get their trust (and I mean this in a genuine way, not just some instrumental thing), and then they will be more willing to listen to you. Another way of stating this is simply that you need to pick your time for when you start to "agitate" (which is not just shouty, but may be as simple as commisserating with a colleague after they've been chewed out by their boss with a "that's what bosses do, innit? they always fuck us over") or present your politics. In my experience, if you do this, people will even approach you and ask you for your opinion on shit that happens in the world.

If you study or work somewhere, heck if you just socialize, there is an opportunity to form political relationships. It just takes time.

Having said that, I do get your frustration, but

Scallywag

Maybe I do, but its the only form of social action I've seen from groups around my part (Scotland), I am sure they do other things as well, but most visibly its being on the street with signs, shouting, making speeches that sort of thing - I admire there willingness to do that, but I think its probably mostly ineffective and as I said makes them look like nutters to most people. If anyone wants to recommend any groups to check out though feel free.

That's kind of like a sweeping statement there, S. Sure some actions may be misguided, but to say that those methods of taking to the streets, giving speeches, holding signs, etc., are all ineffective and characteristic of 'nutters' is hard to believe. Those things might make you personally feel uncomfortable, but I don't think those are just ineffective methods. K. is right though about the media portrayals of these kind of activities (especially when it comes to organizing against Milo, and so on, where you have the liberal left defending him).

Also, unrelated to you S., finding 'comrades' at work can be a bit difficult when the workers and management are close to one another, and one should really be careful about being exposed as some radical.

"Hang in there, baby!" You said it, kitty.
"Copryright 1968." Hmm, determined or
not, that cat must be long dead. That's kind of a downer.

Capitalism is depressing, You fall somewhere on a spectrum of exploiter/exploited and and entire system is set up to make you feel you can't do anything about it.

Cats are cute though :)

Cats are very cute. Dogs are awesome though, true comrades :)

Jeff, I was hoping someone would quote Marge. ;)

Take some interest in whats still thankfully around of our natural wildlife - even in overdeveloped parts of the UK there are still birds and insects to watch and study and rediscover some of that curiosity you had as a child growing up - but then domestic cats are not welcome in that area and I have serious doubts about the relationship of my fellow humans (and more so the anarchists amongst us) to their pets!

Hi Khawaja,

The question for this thread is one of those really interesting ones.

You have laid out a brief programme of how to deal with doubt to a degree (see your quote below).

But there is so much not said in what you have said. How exactly, in terms of anecdotes and evidence, is what you propose, based, as you say, on your experience, contributing to effective 'social action'?

This is what you write:

Most effective organizing is deceptively simple, but for that reason also quite tough. It is about talking to people, often one-on-one, and often over a long period of time. It is about planning what is effective in terms of direct action, which doesn't need to be about the street or anything that is "typical" of left activity.

In general, people won't listed if "shout and make a scene" to get people to listen to your views. In my experience, the less shouty you are, the more people will listen to you. Rather than pushing your politics on people, you first of all need to get to know them, and get their trust (and I mean this in a genuine way, not just some instrumental thing), and then they will be more willing to listen to you. Another way of stating this is simply that you need to pick your time for when you start to "agitate" (which is not just shouty, but may be as simple as commisserating with a colleague after they've been chewed out by their boss with a "that's what bosses do, innit? they always fuck us over") or present your politics. In my experience, if you do this, people will even approach you and ask you for your opinion on shit that happens in the world.

If you study or work somewhere, heck if you just socialize, there is an opportunity to form political relationships. It just takes time.