Three episodes into HBO’s The Anarchists, and everybody’s freaking out.
The entertainment consumers on Twitter are predictably scandalized by the idea that people motivated by a desire for human freedom might also be possessed of flaws and shortcomings. The “real” anarchists (those who proclaim that their very narrow definition of the term precludes people with different interpretations from participating) are scandalized by the fact that HBO is giving a platform to these “not real” anarchists, who believe in things like (gasp!) property ownership and (horrors!) the profit motive. And even anarchists in the same ideological camp as those featured in the docu-series are freaking out because “they’re making us look bad.”
I, too, was disheartened by the somewhat lackluster explanation of the ideology given in the first episode. But I reminded myself that the producers set out to tell a story, not to educate the masses about our ideology, and so I settled in to be told a story.
It was a story I already knew. I knew the characters, the setting, the narrators, and the basic series of events. I had a good handle on the main conflicts going in. But I am a sucker for story, and I love to be told a good one even if I’ve already heard it a hundred times. Especially if there are extra details, new angles to consider.
Three episodes in, and even though I already know the story, I’m hooked. That’s a mark of good storytelling. Props to the producers.
Now, to address the complaints by some anarchists in my circle of friends, that the show is making us look bad to “normies”:
It would be impossible to make a series that made the average HBO viewer like us. Their convictions are too strongly held. They reject the core tenet of our philosophy—that it is immoral to use force against peaceful persons—and that is that. Even if the show only highlighted our most wonderful personality traits and showed us feeding the homeless and planting trees, once they found out about the philosophy they’d immediately be turned off.
The series doesn’t just highlight our most wonderful personality traits. It shows us for what we are: human. Each of the real-life characters are honestly portrayed as complex personalities. People with strengths and flaws, dreams and passions and shortcomings that threaten to derail them. This is not a story about superhuman anarchists about to take over the world without force. It’s a story about human anarchists grappling with conflict, difficulty, and trauma. Just like real humans do, every day, regardless of their beliefs or ideology.
Is it really unfair that some of those characters appear to be broken people or people with confused motives, or is it an accurate reflection of reality? It’s probably true that the community attracts broken people in higher numbers than the average common interest. Because what we are “against” is often the thing that broke them in the first place.
Apparently, what some folks in the anarchist community wanted was a pretty picture of the ideology. What we got is not a nice but fake family photo, what we got was a real story, honest and raw, about who we are. Even though each one of us is not sitting in the interview chair, I’m sure each one of us can relate to one or more of the characters, their struggles and faults.
And even with a less than spotless portrayal, I still think it’s possible that some folks outside of our circles might be able to relate to the characters, as well. It’s not as if status-quo folks are all paragons of virtue and mental health. Is there anyone among us—and I’m referring here to the entire human race—who has never caused drama or felt drawn into it? Never dealt with mental health issues, either our own or a friend’s? Never tried to do something big and wonderful, only to come face to face with our own shadow?
Plus, we’re only halfway through the series. There is still plenty of opportunity for some of these characters to overcome their faults and conquer their struggles, which, after all, is the whole point of story.
Whether the series is “good for anarchism” depends on what you, the anarchist, want out of it.
If you want it to be a glossy advertisement for the movement, then you’re going to be disappointed. But if you’re willing to see it from a different perspective—as a mirror, a learning tool—then it’s full of potential for rich insight, self-assessment, and improvement.
There is brokenness in the community, as there is in all communities. I think if we want to grow and progress, we have to be honest about our flaws and mistakes. We learn how to deal with the brokenness in the community—and by extension, the brokenness of the world—by conquering the brokenness in ourselves. That is the only way.
In summation, I liked episode 3. It was honest. Here we are, warts and all. It’s easy for visionaries to think they’ve got it all figured out, that just because our ideas are good and our core principles are sound, we’ve got what it takes to bring the vision to reality. As a community, we can get a little too big for our britches. We can forget that each of us are flawed individuals just trying to figure out this crazy, sometimes painful adventure called life.
Maybe we should not look at the series as a biopic on the movement that will make or break outsiders’ opinions of us and our ideas. Maybe we should use it instead as a foundation for self-honesty and improvement. For that purpose, I think it’s excellent. Couldn’t ask for better.
By the way, I’m still writing the piece on voluntary conflict resolution. After watching the third episode, I realized the series was going to provide a lot more fodder to tackle that subject from lots of different angles. So I’ll probably keep working on it until the series ends, to make sure I don’t miss anything important.
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Also, everyone should by your Dystopia book. It’s fucking fire! So amazing! I want Voluntaryist on my team in the unfolding Dystopia. Because we are not the one sided negative aspects portrayed by this cockamamie TV show!
Obviously the "authorities" with their monopoly on the justified use of initiatory force do dole out the most trauma on any individual, thusly leading them to a path of anti-authority.
In regard to your conflict resolution thoughts, I had an idea that I could never get off the ground for various reasons. Maybe one day we can chit chat and I can tell you the story of ARMAS.