Is your anarchism positively constructed?

Question

Is there anything you are for?

Are they abstract principles or concrete structures?

Are the things you are for connected to your idea of anarchism or something separate?

Do you think anarchism entails being for something (even if that something looks different to different people)?

Comments

let's see:

i am FOR my own individual (and, when desired, collective) autonomy. i am FOR life without authoritarian institutions. i am FOR authentic, individual relations based entirely (or close as possible) on voluntary association and mutual aid.

obviously, i could frame/phrase that in a way you would perhaps see as negative (not positive?).

i don't see any reason to frame my ideas and actions in terms of positive or negative. aside from a real debbie downer or chuckie cheesy cheery, everything can be seen as either or both, depending on one's perspective. if you acknowledge that (pretty much) all this stuff is subjective, and every situation and interaction is unique with its own context, then what purpose is there in labeling things as positive or negative?

---

chuckie cheesy cheery... ha! also ew. ;)

---

I feel like anarchism and postivity aren't compatible.

---

By positively I only meant to imply the notion of being for, as opposed to against something. You do bring up a good point of how that line can be blurry though.

Answer 1

I am positive about nothing being sacred.

I am positive about the usefulness of words to provide descriptive meaning, but aware that meaning is determined by the receiver of words not the transmitter.

The common "divide" in Anarchism is more often the divide of Negative or Positive theory.

Egoism and descended theories perform anarchy via negation (removing ideology)

Collective theories such as syndicates perform anarchism via positive actions (building things).

Comments

i like the answer. it highlights the binary perspective that i find so limiting.

i don't like the use of the word "perform", unless you were using that word specifically to point out the way so many folks' anarchy (and anarchism) is somehow separate from living their everyday life.