I will explain my username

Some of us anarchists want radical change now and will not settle for anything less, as in the slogan "if voting changed anything, it would be illegal!"
But I am a patient anarchist.
I vote in elections, because democracy is closer to anarchism than dictatorship is.
My paycheque goes into a credit union, because a credit union, ultimately run by members, is closer to anarchism than a bank is.
I shop at the locally owned grocery store in preference to the big corporate one, and the workers' coop health food store in preference to both, because local is closer to anarchism than corporate, and a workers' coop is anarchism in practice on a small scale.
I dream of a transformed world of free cooperation. I don't expect to see it in my lifetime, but I try to live in that direction.

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Ynotisay · M

OK. But instead of classifying yourself in to a group, for the same reasons others do, why not just do what you do and leave it at that? Why not just walk the walk without the qualifier? Or make it public?
Isn't that the better path towards "free cooperation?" One void of labels?
Not slamming you because you're clearly sharp. But it seems that the tribal component, the "us vs. them," might be getting in the way of what you say that you want.

ThePatientAnarchist · 61-69New

@Ynotisay Thank you for weighing in! I am in sympathy with your overall approach. In general I'm not into group identities or labels -- see my reply over here: https://similarworlds.com/lgbtq/gay-straight-bi/5318999-Sexual-confusion-Im-not-sure-if-Im-bisexual-I-was-married-so But like I also said there, sometimes these labels are useful. "Anarchist" is a good shorthand label for who I am politically, and it lets others with similar views know they are not alone. Also, I don't see it as being against anyone -- though of course it might be understood that way. Words are so tricky!
Also thanks for saying I'm sharp 🥹

Ynotisay · M

@ThePatientAnarchist Fair enough. I personally think it's entirely counter-productive. And definitely not unique to anarchists. Which is why my take is that progress isn't really what it's about.
That said, I'm always in support of action when it's motivated by something 'good' instead of 'bad.' 👍