Anarchy in the USA

[swimstud600]

So I was eating dinner tonight with my mom and brother and we got talking about the Obama speech tonight, and about the elections in general.

Mom - So you don't know who you're going to vote for?

Swim - It really depends... On what the Democrats decide.

Mom - If they choose Hillary?

Swim - Then I'm voting for McCain.

Mom - And what if they choose Obama.

Swim - Then I'll do a little research on them both, listen to a few of their speeches and make an educated decision.

Mom - Yeah, that's about how I feel too.

Grant - (sudden outburst) Are you kidding me??

Swim - What?

Mom - Yeah, who'd you vote for?

Grant - I can't vote.

Swim - ... We know that. But if you could, who would you vote for?

Grant - I wouldn't vote. I don't care about politics.

Swim - Ah. So you're one of those people who likes to bitch but not do anything to fix it?

Grant - No, I don't care about politics. They're all stupid. We should have anarchy.

Swim - Good idea. Go start a club, you can be president.

Grant - Do you even KNOW what anarchy is??

Swim - Better than you do, that was called a joke.



Hours later, I find myself coming back to that conversation. I guess I just never thought my brother felt that way.
Now those of you who have met my brother have some sense of what he's like. Long dirty orange hair that he's forever shaking out of his face so he can see, kind of makes him look like he's having a seizure or something. And stubborn to the point of stupid. The kind of guy who, if he joined ZV, would be instantly Ass Pirated. I question if he even knows what anarchy would mean, and maybe he's just trying to sound tuff and cool and cool and tuff. I dunno, its just kind of bothering me more than it should.
Any thoughts from anyone?

[Captain SpExtacular]

Well he sounds like a douche. If he wanted anarchy he'd pay attention to politics, otherwise you never know when to strike. Anarchy is great and all, but only under good conditions. Such as a Zombie apocalypse where government will ultimately fail (as seen in all movies).

As for voting, I will say this. Out of each democrat I would much rather have Hilary than Obama. For those of you who like Obama I have this to say. He is the WORST public speaker I have ever heard. If he doesn't have a teleprompter he studders and makes up words to a point that makes Bush seem like Steven Hawking. Not only that, If Hilary was the winning democratic candidate then McCain would easily beat her, cause nobody really likes her.

Just for a look at why I'm Voting McCain. I will not vote for somebody who is going to take my hard earned money and waste it on bullshit government programs. I'd also rather have a Vietnam Vet with a gun than a girl thingy with a flower.

[Professor Fann]

Anarchy is defined as a society without a general person to lead them into a certain direction. In theory, society is expected to move for itself, by itself. In practice, it is an extremely difficult aim to achieve, becuase people expected to be leaded by someone.

Several attempts of anarchism occured during the Russian Civil War in the Ukraine and even in the main Russian land. Even if the villages attempted to elect their own leaders independent from that of Lenin, eventually such an experiment always fails ... simply because it is very difficult for society to maintain itself without a visionary ruler. Plus, the fact that the villages want to elect their own leaders itself is not called anarchism - merely secessionism.

My opinion is that anarchy is not a healthy element to be absorbed and used by society. Without someone to posts the rules and limits on the people, there'd be mass chaos everywhere. How you any of you like it when mad mobs rage the streets and there is a constant worry for safety? No, it's not good. I doubt we'd even survive something like that.

Anarchism in practice in my view - the hippie phenomena of the 1960s is pretty close, because hippies weren't lead by anyone that time, it was a trend, and it was a mass movement. Due to lack of guidance, one wrong move and the whole thing collapsed. One kind of anarchism that is really occurring in real life now is currently in Somalia. The transitional government there is hopeless and close to dead, the people are fleeing their homes, lifes are not normal and generally mass chaos, although this is caused by the civil war and not a direct attempt of anarchism - though this is a good example. Imagine the exact same repeating to the USA's mass 300 million people.

So, overall, no, anarchism should never ever be practiced. Don't try it even if it sounds cool and radical and all that - it's silly and a waste of time for you and anyone in general.

[Captain SpExtacular]

I agree. Anarchy is good in all. And as pointed out by Vin Diesel in xXx Anarchy is fun and all, but once you break all the rules, what are you going to rebel against?

[Professor Fann]

So, Swim, what were your first thoughts about anarchism after the onversation with your brotehr and before you asked us of the same issue? I'd like to know.

[Nightmare]

My thoughts is that your brother is a classic example of a whiney bitch.

He's one of them people who would rather just whine, instead of doing anything about it. In my opinion, people like that are even dumber than idiots. Because even idiots at least TRY. Look at the Democrats. (oburn)

It's easy to say "lol polotics r stoopidz" but it's important stuff. What alot of people don't realize is that people making these tough decisions like this is what gives people like them the right to be lazy idiots.

I'm sure your brother is an alright guy, and I don't mean to talk crap about him. I think he's more naive than stupid, but people that think like that really get on my nerves. If you're gonna say something to get out of a political conversation, it'd be better to say you don't understand, or don't follow it closely, than to say it's stupid and dismiss politics altogether. I'd rather someone be oblivious than just plain ignorant.

[swimstud600]

I'm not really dwelling on it any more. It kind of bugged me that night but I've kind of just chalked that conversation as something an idiot said. He's at that kind of age where its cool to be a rebel, even if he doesn't know what he's talking about because as long as he's against everybody else its alright. So its probably just normal teen behavior, although I can't ever remember being as stupid as he is...

What kind of bugged me at the time was just wondering if he was the only idiot who thought like him or if there's more stupid people who think that turning to anarchy would be a fun time. I was just curious how common this attitude is in teens because I'm sure he's not the only one who is too stupid to understand politics and decides to support anarchy.

[Nightmare]

Well I'll tell ya if we do turn to anarchy, people like your brother will be the first ones we eat. XD

[viruszero]

I don't follow american politics very closely at all... (Seeing as how I am ineligible to vote because I'm not an american.)

But like Dr. Fann said... without some form of government chaos would result. And admittdly it might be fun for a while but very quickly issues would arrive. Particularly with goods and services, such as food and the delivery thereof. In an anarchist society the only ones who could possibly survive are the farmers who do things the old way... (That means they plant their own fields with several types of crops, work the land by hand and basically shun all mechanical devices which are prone to breakdowns and needing fuel.) Anyone in a city is screwed faster than your unfaithful girlfriend (who doesn't expect you home til 6 but here it is 3:30 and your home early.)

And Nightmare... it's not the politics themselves that are stupid, it's the politicians. Dragging things out longer than necessary, their reluctance to answer questions that oft borders on avoidance, all the broken promises and flat out lies. Sure sometimes they might use clever tactics, but you know if they got to work on the issues instead of avoiding them, they wouldn't have to come up with excuses.


As far as prevalency of teens favouring anarchy... I don't think it's all that high among the more intelligent members of the teenage population. The only ones who might really favour it are the ones who cannot fully understand the ramifications it would have on their lives. They may not be entirely stupid, but they just cannot see enough to understand why it would be bad.

[Sonic]

How old is your brother?? Cause no offense, but he sounds like a real jackass for saying that dude...

And...I'd vote Obama any day over McCain. I don't care if he's a war hero or not, what does that have to do with his policies?? I swear, if he milks the whole "I used to be in the war" angle, then he's basically like a Republican version of Kerry. I'm not gonna go into some drawn out debate over why I don't want him in office...I'll keep it short and to the point. He wants to continue this pointless war. He wants to keep our troops in Iraq until 2013, or so I've heard. Regardless of whether thats true or not, I don't care. He's a warmongering douche who's practically like Bush in every way. Obama? He wants them OUT of there. That's what I care about. Just stop the f*cking bloodshed already. And that's why I want Obama. There's a million other things to be said about the matter, but for me right now, it just comes down to war. I want it ended already. So there.

[Nightmare]

McCain wants us out too. He wants to set up a plan to finish things there quickly ant efficiently so we can get out of there and never have to go back. Obama just wants to pull us out early so we'll look like pansies and get attacked again. And I'm at least 70% sure Obama himself is a terrorist too, so yeah. >.>;

But you're getting off topic. We're talking about anarchy. You wanna talk about the election, go to the election thread.

[Captain SpExtacular]

Thats why I made it =D

Inside of anarchy is a hierarchy, which is why it never works. You start a revolution, you get people under you to help. Once you overthrow the man, it becomes a power struggle between you and your men. They're more than likely going to try and overthrow you next. Simply put, anarchy doesn't work because...well its anarchy! The best you can get to is running off into the woods, building a cabin, and living off the land with out any government or people around you.

[Ztrl]

I doubt the US would go into an anarchy... =\

[Professor Fann]

Judging with its 200-year-plus tradition of democracy and the fact that the President is the most powerful office in the world now, even in this economically-challenging times, it's VERY hard for anarchy to appear in the US.

They still don't do anything about Somalia though.

[Nicktendonick]

Unforunatly, Somalia is just another example of many. (While I didn't even know that was happening)

Anyway, on subject, I don't think it could ever work for the reasons that VirusZero said. Once we start needing things, that great joy of freedom will be sunk with the realitization of what the people need to surivive.
And ontop of that, the world in getting lazy in the dawn of the internet, sedatitive lifestyles would have to abruptly change, which is another major blocker to getting something done then.

Jun 5, 2008 10:38:45 GMT -5 viruszero said:

... it's not the politics themselves that are stupid, it's the politicians. Dragging things out longer than necessary, their reluctance to answer questions that oft borders on avoidance, all the broken promises and flat out lies. Sure sometimes they might use clever tactics, but you know if they got to work on the issues instead of avoiding them, they wouldn't have to come up with excuses.

*Quoted*

So perfectly well said V on why many goverments fail their people.