What are anarchist thoughts on domination?

Question

The etymology of "anarchy" means: without rule, but does this mean that anarchists are "against domination"? Arguably, people use domination in their everyday lives, anarchists not being exempt from this fact.

Answer 1

Anarchists are against *institutions* of domination and hierarchy.

You can argue all day and all night that people use domination or power or coercion or other words that anarchists are supposed to find objectionable, but it really says more about you than about others.

Sure anarchists are just like other people, and are therefore capable of exerting all kinds of pressure on other people. What differentiates conscious anarchists from others is that most of us understand that our ability to exert various levels of force upon others is not necessarily the best way to operate. We can make a choice about the appropriateness of domination or other forms of undue influence because most of us understand that it is conditional and not backed up by any legal authority. Anarchists have to accept the full consequences of exerting that sort of domination, while others can always rely on the state to back them up if somebody objects.

If you try to throw around whatever weight you might have in any given situation, then you can't complain when others ignore you or resist. In short, if you're an anarchist who's an ass, then other anarchists and non-anarchists are correct to treat you accordingly.

Answer 2

Domination happens when there is the desire to control instead of communicating.  Maybe the power to control is initiated by the word "No".  There may be no easier word said that means and does so much.

Domination in practice is all about, no; which basically says what you want and think doesn't matter.  

Power struggles are two entities saying no to each other.  Not to say no does not mean to say yes, just that it considers the choices and uses reason to make the choice and communicates to some degree so that the other understands.