I went to Vermont last week and I loved it. We picked up a crusty punk hitchhiker on the way. Some girl named Sara from Seattle and Portland. She seemed pretty cool.
As you may or may not know, I used to be pretty active in the anarchist scene. I went to protests all dressed in black and did black bloc stuff, I used to get into fist fights with neo-nazis, I used to belong to 3 or 4 different anarchist organizations at any given time, and I was on top of all the redundant theory and issues, and then it slowly started to wear thin on me. I expressed my disappointment in an essay, but it only sort of touched the things I really ended up dropping out for.
All in all, I just got tired of it. All the social games that kept me from being my true self, the trust fund revolutionaries, waiting for a collective of people to collectively stop dragging their asses and come to a consensus, having to argue politics with everyone all the time, constantly stressing myself out while trying to champion a million causes at once
I quit. No more anarchy for me. Besides, I had to get a job. Im in such a financial hole its not even funny. I cant spend all my time doing activism and going to protest trade summits every few months. The squat I lived in might get evicted someday. If Im a carpenter, I can buy my own damn plot of land and save money by building the house myself. I still believe in what Ive always believed in, I just dont want anymore to do with the anarchist scene.
So for the first time in over 2 years, I went to some small anarchist event up in Vermont with my friends Mark and Pat. I just figured it would be fun because VT is a beautiful place, and we could at least hang out and get drunk while I had the time off.
I get there, and I run into some people I know from Green Mountain Anarchist Collective. Sean, who used to live in Philly saw me and told me that he and Kristin were doing a presentation about anarchism and being working class. I was telling him about what went on with my accident and how I couldnt afford to see a doctor because I had no health insurance, and the guys at work raised a collection so I could get that done. I told him that being a carpenter has shown me more about mutual aid and solidarity than anarchism ever has. He asked me to tell that story during his presentation, and I did and said a few other things about standing up for your rights at a job. People clapped and cheered, and were coming up to me later and telling me they really liked what I had to say. I guess they thought I'm smart or something.
God, I love thatit all goes right to my head.
The rest of the night, the Norwich punks and the Vermont activists sat and drank beers, and talked about work, and unions, and dumb rich kids. We made jokes about anything and everything. This guy Hambone told us about how he used to sell nitrous at Phish shows and a bunch of people from CT ruined the shows.
Connecticut ruined Phish shows? Score one for CT! Mark and I chimed in.
Sean made a joke about me taking steroids because Im bigger than I was back in the day. Hambone kept saying, Its not roids, its a smoothie. Mark shared his running jokes about traveling on the West coast and how everyone there says right on all the time, even when its completely inappropriate. Pat was charming and goofy as always, him and kept us all saying Wematonye like in King of the Hill.
I finished off a 4 pack of Murphys stout, and the damp and humid night in late May just drifted away into all of us laughing hysterically at a bunch of nonsense and stupid jokes. It didnt matter what we were laughing at. All that mattered is that we were laughing. Why couldnt anarchism have been more like this?
*****
guess who's birthday's coming up?
As you may or may not know, I used to be pretty active in the anarchist scene. I went to protests all dressed in black and did black bloc stuff, I used to get into fist fights with neo-nazis, I used to belong to 3 or 4 different anarchist organizations at any given time, and I was on top of all the redundant theory and issues, and then it slowly started to wear thin on me. I expressed my disappointment in an essay, but it only sort of touched the things I really ended up dropping out for.
All in all, I just got tired of it. All the social games that kept me from being my true self, the trust fund revolutionaries, waiting for a collective of people to collectively stop dragging their asses and come to a consensus, having to argue politics with everyone all the time, constantly stressing myself out while trying to champion a million causes at once
I quit. No more anarchy for me. Besides, I had to get a job. Im in such a financial hole its not even funny. I cant spend all my time doing activism and going to protest trade summits every few months. The squat I lived in might get evicted someday. If Im a carpenter, I can buy my own damn plot of land and save money by building the house myself. I still believe in what Ive always believed in, I just dont want anymore to do with the anarchist scene.
So for the first time in over 2 years, I went to some small anarchist event up in Vermont with my friends Mark and Pat. I just figured it would be fun because VT is a beautiful place, and we could at least hang out and get drunk while I had the time off.
I get there, and I run into some people I know from Green Mountain Anarchist Collective. Sean, who used to live in Philly saw me and told me that he and Kristin were doing a presentation about anarchism and being working class. I was telling him about what went on with my accident and how I couldnt afford to see a doctor because I had no health insurance, and the guys at work raised a collection so I could get that done. I told him that being a carpenter has shown me more about mutual aid and solidarity than anarchism ever has. He asked me to tell that story during his presentation, and I did and said a few other things about standing up for your rights at a job. People clapped and cheered, and were coming up to me later and telling me they really liked what I had to say. I guess they thought I'm smart or something.
God, I love thatit all goes right to my head.
The rest of the night, the Norwich punks and the Vermont activists sat and drank beers, and talked about work, and unions, and dumb rich kids. We made jokes about anything and everything. This guy Hambone told us about how he used to sell nitrous at Phish shows and a bunch of people from CT ruined the shows.
Connecticut ruined Phish shows? Score one for CT! Mark and I chimed in.
Sean made a joke about me taking steroids because Im bigger than I was back in the day. Hambone kept saying, Its not roids, its a smoothie. Mark shared his running jokes about traveling on the West coast and how everyone there says right on all the time, even when its completely inappropriate. Pat was charming and goofy as always, him and kept us all saying Wematonye like in King of the Hill.
I finished off a 4 pack of Murphys stout, and the damp and humid night in late May just drifted away into all of us laughing hysterically at a bunch of nonsense and stupid jokes. It didnt matter what we were laughing at. All that mattered is that we were laughing. Why couldnt anarchism have been more like this?
*****
guess who's birthday's coming up?
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
Who do you think you are? Being all rational and shit???
What's up man. I love that fucking entry, it's my favorite political entry you've made yet. I missed reading your posts, I've been out of the SG loop for a long fucking time now.
Anyway what you said is great. It hits so right on the head with me right now. I've been talking with my dad a lot lately (long story short, I am from a history of activists, great grandfather was in the underground army against Mussolini, Grandfather was a black listed communist, and my Dad and Mom were anti-nuke/MX activists and anti war now). But he touches on a lot of the shit you said, about the reality of "life", or "frienship", and how the left get's it confused through theory and dogma. It's lost touch with what the real concept of solidarity is. It's not a button, it's not a lecture, a patch, a fundraiser, it's living. It's living alongside your peers, and gathering information about YOUR struggle, then fighting alongside not FOR the rest of the world.
Your doing that. Your struggle is not living in a squat, it's working alongside your peers, and taking that passion you have and working together.
I'd love to write more about it later if you want. Fuck man maybe when I get time I'll write you a little essay on my thoughts. It's been a long hard fight for me to figure this shit out.
peace and love
oh yea, and by the way that sand dollar shit is cool isn't it???