A few questions addressed to everyone here

Submitted by malatesla on December 27, 2021

Hi everyone, I'd like to introduce myself first:
I'm an anarchist activist based in Germany, 25 male, member of a workers union.
I've been asking myself (and a few other comrades) these questions and thought it could fit here.

A.
1. Is there a will or intention to collaborate with other platforms to make a bigger unified/centralized one? If not, why not?
2. Why are there so many Internationales? Why are there so many fractions?
3. Why are so many international networks not including movements based in africa or asia? There are exceptions obviously but most networks are connecting european and north american movements.
4. Would there be a will to unify international networks?
5. How important and/or effective is internet activism to you?

B.
1. (addressed to gen Z and/or anyone younger than 30)
Do you feel any contradiction between you and people older than 30 in your sphere?
2. If there was a movement focused (exclusively or not) on younger people, would you join it?

C.
1. (addressed to english speakers as a second language)
a. Is there enough material in your spoken language?
b. Are there movements focused on your language area?

D.
1. What other (online) resources/platforms/websites/apps to you use?
a. Social media?
b. Instant messaging?
c. With your comrades in your organizations? (no need to mention if it would have a risk on your opsec)
2. Which platforms do you think are the most suitable to network with other leftists/anarchists online?

I am not making any publicity to a specific movement, I just want your opinion on this.
You don't have to answer any of these questions, but if so, you don't have to answer all of them.
Thanks in advance.

Steven.

2 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on December 28, 2021

A.
1. Is there a will or intention to collaborate with other platforms to make a bigger unified/centralized one? If not, why not?

Not sure what you mean by platforms

2. Why are there so many Internationales? Why are there so many fractions?

Lots of people have major political disagreements on certain issues which make it impossible to organise together in a unified political organisation.

3. Why are so many international networks not including movements based in africa or asia? There are exceptions obviously but most networks are connecting european and north american movements.

Language barriers are a big issue in terms of working together and then finding out about each other. Anarchist texts are not as widely available in most places in Asia/Africa compared with Europe and the Americas, and I think the main thing is that there is just not the same recent, relatively strong tradition of anarchism in those areas (places in Asia which had strong anarchist movements in the past like Japan, Korea and China pretty much entirely lost them getting on for 100 years ago, which is much longer ago than in Europe/Americas)

4. Would there be a will to unify international networks?

Not sure what you mean here. There are international networks. But I think many people find their utility to be relatively limited, due to how different different issues are in different nations/regions. And each national/local organisation generally has their work cut out for them with everything they have to do day-to-day, let alone adding international coordination/translations to that work.

5. How important and/or effective is internet activism to you?

The Internet is important from a media/propaganda point of view, and in terms of coordinating between people and arranging things, but it cannot replace physical organising in the real world, which is the only way social change can occur.

B.
1. (addressed to gen Z and/or anyone younger than 30)
Do you feel any contradiction between you and people older than 30 in your sphere?
2. If there was a movement focused (exclusively or not) on younger people, would you join it?

I'm now older than that, so I will generally leave them. But I was involved in an organisation of younger people in the past, and wrote this up about my experiences and thoughts: https://libcom.org/library/the-anarchist-youth-network-ayn-personal-recollections-2002-2004

D.
1. What other (online) resources/platforms/websites/apps to you use?
a. Social media?
b. Instant messaging?
c. With your comrades in your organizations? (no need to mention if it would have a risk on your opsec)
2. Which platforms do you think are the most suitable to network with other leftists/anarchists online?

Libcom uses Twitter. We do have a Facebook page but hardly use it any more because its reach shrank so much.
Platforms for networking… Not sure really. A dwindling group of people still use Facebook, which at least has the advantage of having a mass audience. Most lefties seem to use Twitter, although it is a much smaller platform with a smaller audience, and there is definitely the incentive on the platform to engage in abuse and petty point scoring rather than productive discussion and organisation…

malatesla

2 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by malatesla on December 31, 2021

First of all, thanks for answering.
I would like to comment on your answer to A. 4. Would there be a will to unify international networks? :
I do understand what you mean, but I'd like to point out that on one hand, some international networks have members in many countries, and some organizations based in the same country are members of different international networks... This bugs me out.
To say it in another way: the anarchist way(s) of organization are effective on an individual and/or small basis but somehow not on bigger levels (which was almost never a goal on its own, but since international networks solely exist for this purpose I see that it's a shame that this wasn't done in a better way).
What I mean here is that there could have been tons of efforts, time, energy, money and visibility saved if only anarchist (international or not) networks were better organized and less exclusive if not sectarian.

TechLeft

2 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by TechLeft on January 7, 2022

Regarding A3, there simply aren't very many (self-described) anarchists in Africa and Asia. I have heard of recent efforts in Indonesia, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Maybe things will change in the near future.

What I mean here is that there could have been tons of efforts, time, energy, money and visibility saved if only anarchist (international or not) networks were better organized and less exclusive if not sectarian.

What is wrong with the IAF/IFA? They do not seem overly sectarian or exclusive from my perspective.