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-= The True Nature of Government =-
by Brian Crabtree
What is the state? The state is a concept. There is no physical person or
object to which we can assign the label "government". Government is an idea.
The physical manifestation of this idea is the network of people and
institutions which enforce this idea upon the people.
The state is a myth. The myth goes something like, "because people are
incapable of making rational decisions, a small group of people must be given
control over the decisions of everyone else." It is self-contradictory, and
yet billions of people the world over have bought into this myth. It is
frighteningly reminiscent of the _doublethink_ of Orwell's 1984. Doublethink
means the holding of two contradictory external opinions with no internal
conflict between the two. A perfect example is, "If left alone, people will
not make rational decisions" [but] "A government can make rational decisions
for everyone". The reason these two thoughts never clash in the minds of
millions is because many people don't make the essential connection: that the
government is made up of people -- people who, if the myth is correct, will
only act in their own self-interest and cannot be trusted. The state,
unfortunately, has achieved godlike status in today's society. Patriotism and
nationalism have become a kind of sick religion -- an idolatry of power. The
idea of the state is a self-propagating idea.
The word radical comes from the latin "radix", meaning "root". Anarchists
and other radicals are concerned with getting to the root of the problem rather
than just patching up holes in a collapsing system. Simply trying to improve
conditions under government, while necessary, is like trying to treat the
symptoms rather than curing the disease. Rather than attacking the physical
manifestations of the state, then, we must attack the very concept of state --
the idea that people are naturally at each others' throats and would sooner
kill each other than help each other. If we can rid ourselves of this
destructive concept, we can rid ourselves of the curse of government.
If the state is a concept, then we must fight it with out hearts, with our
minds, and with our voices as our first priority. First get the state out of
your head. Then get the state out of other's heads. The state utilizes media
control tactics and the public education system for social programming and
behavioral conditioning. They use these methods to strip citizens of their
identities and replace them with an unhealthy respect for government and
authority, to make them better subjects to their oppressors.
Some anarchists speak of "waiting for the revolution", or waiting for the
working class to spontaneously rise up and break their chains. Those who wait
around for it to happen may never see it. The revolution is happening now.
The state is collapsing, not all around us, but within us and within others.
Just as no one could have predicted the opening of the Berlin wall or the
fall of the Soviet Union until they happened, no one can possibly predict
whether the actual, physical transition to anarchy will happen tomorrow, ten
years from now, or a hundred years from now. As the concept of state continues
to crumble, the physical state is forced to rely more and more on police and
military force. As people become increasingly dissatisfied with the
restrictions placed on their lives, the government will have two choices.
The state could merely give up and give people what they want,
self-government, or the government could strengthen itself. The government
could begin to enforce government by military strength alone, having lost the
confidence of the people. If the state pursues this course, silencing all
dissent, eventually everyone will be in prison.
If it does come down to a war against our oppressors, we will be ready. We
far outnumber them, and their only power lies in our complicity.
If the state is a concept, then the most subversive, revolutionary thing we
can do right now is to encourage people to think for themselves. The state
uses violence, hatred, and fear to spread their message. Our message is peace,
love, and liberty. We must succeed.