Anarchist pimping?

Submitted by Craftwork on February 19, 2019

According to individualist anarchist 'Mauricius', quoted from Skirda's 'Facing the Enemy', the illegalists in early 20th century France carried out:

"housebreaking, counterfeiting money, swindles, even pimping (for even that was practiced in certain anarchist circles at the time)"

I have never heard of anarchist pimping. Is there any evidence for this?

jef costello

5 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jef costello on February 19, 2019

« faire du cambriolage, du faux-monnayage, de l’escroquerie et même du maquereautage (car on alla jusque-là à cette époque dans certains milieux anarchistes) un moyen de se libérer économiquement était une utopie puérile et dangereuse. Comme je l’ai écrit dans Confessions : l’illégalisme ne libérait pas l’individu, il l’amenait en cour d’assises. »

That's the quote from the original which defintely says pimping.

He does cite the author, under his real name, and give a page reference, I can(t find the book online though.

E. Armand, Sa vie, sa pensée, son œuvre ... p. 104-124

Wikimonde also mentions that he thought that anarchists could steal, counterfeit and pimp. The list is similar, so could be sourced from the same book. It does say that he felt those acts were justifiable and that although he did not participate in them he felt they could not be condemned. He also wrote on sexual freedom very frequently.

Craftwork

5 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Craftwork on February 20, 2019

Yeah, I'm familiar with Armand and have read some of his stuff.

There are several examples of the other three, but I was trying to see whether there are any known cases of the latter.

Battlescarred

5 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Battlescarred on February 21, 2019

Bear in mind that this was the individualists, NOT anarchist communists and anarchosyndicalists. Mauricius was an arsehole and to their credit the Federation Communiste Anarchiste booted him out when he tried to attend their founding congress in 1913.

BigFluffyTail

5 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by BigFluffyTail on February 21, 2019

Mind you individualists at the time could still be critical of prostitution, although in the case of Armand I hear his sex colonies could be very questionable, having way more men than women and the women being obligated to please the men under a certain time period

LauraMarx

5 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by LauraMarx on March 27, 2019

"Pimping" can mean a lot of things and gets used in a lot of different ways. A friend of mine's pimp would, for example, do the bookkeeping - receiving the responses to the ad, scheduling appointments, etc. - as well as drive her to each appointment (since she didn't have a car), in exchange for a certain comission. Another friend, however, had a directly exploitative and coercive relationship with a pimp. Legal definitions are so broad as to encompass anyone who drove you to your appointment one time: at the very least, one of them probably did do something that would get them in trouble for pimping!

Noah Fence

5 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noah Fence on March 28, 2019

Oh right, I always thought anarchist pimping was when you gave your car a snazzy red and black paint job and put a circled A on the rims. You live and learn, eh?

Juan Conatz

5 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Juan Conatz on March 28, 2019

Noah Fence

Oh right, I always thought anarchist pimping was when you gave your car a snazzy red and black paint job and put a circled A on the rims. You live and learn, eh?

adri

5 years 8 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by adri on March 28, 2019

Noah Fence

Oh right, I always thought anarchist pimping was when you gave your car a snazzy red and black paint job and put a circled A on the rims. You live and learn, eh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqwL0ew6aZY

Lol, never knew they did a UK adaptation of Pimp My Ride