Youthful Thursday: The Youth Anarchists
One Sunday, I have seen a bunch of youth dressed in the usual punk style clothing in group at the park here in our town. With them was a large iron pot full of food which they say they will give to the beggars in the vicinity. While preparing they also post up a banner which read's "Food Not Bombs." Upon approaching one of their members, I asked about their advocacy and he answered me that it is their campaign that the Philippine government should provide more food for the people rather than spending for the war in Mindanao. For me that was very relevant. I was very impressed by what they are doing but the though entered me when someone told me that they are also anarchists.What are Anarchists? Anarchism is a political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory government, i.e. the state. It is defined by The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics as "the view that society can and should be organized without a coercive state." Specific anarchists may have additional criteria for what constitutes anarchism, and they often disagree with each other on what these criteria are. According to The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, "there is no single defining position that all anarchists hold, beyond their rejection of compulsory government, and those considered anarchists at best share a certain family resemblance".
There are many types and traditions of anarchism,not all of which are mutually exclusive.[8] Anarchism is usually considered to be a radical left-wing ideology,[9] and as such much of anarchist economics and legal philosophy reflect anti-authoritarian interpretations of communism, collectivism, syndicalism or participatory economics; however, anarchism has always included an individualist strain, including those who support capitalism (e.g. market anarchists: anarcho-capitalism, agorism, etc.) and other market-orientated economic structures, e.g. mutualists. As described by the 21st century anarchist Cindy Milstein, anarchism is a "political tradition that has consistently grappled with the tension between the individual and society." Others, such as panarchists and anarchists without adjectives neither advocate nor object to any particular form of organization. Anarchist schools of thought differ fundamentally, supporting anything from extreme individualism to complete collectivism. Some anarchists fundamentally oppose all types of coercion, while others have supported the use of some coercive measures, including violent revolution, on the path to anarchy.
Getting from that definitions and information provided by the ever free encyclopedia Wikipedia, I might say that the norms of my own organization Brotherhood of Destiny (BROOD) which is collectivism falls in that manner. However, the basic difference is that we believe that there should be a government which is supportive of the good of the people.I believe that there should be a government to prevent utter chaos and panic among people. Since the beginning of time there exist at least some form of organization and order which is done to maintain peace and harmony and I think that will not change in many years to come.
What I am proud of this anarchists from Baliuag which calls themselves the Bulacan Collective is
that they are doing some actions to mitigate in someway to the problems of the people. Although these actions does not solve the problem, the idea they want to convey to the people of society are well presented.Some people do misunderstand youth like this. For me I can see where they are coming from. Most of them have aspirations and the government fails to fulfill their duties and obligations to these youth causing them to be apathetic to the government. However, if we are to dream of a better society then we must be the change we want to see in the world. It is also through us that change can emanate.
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