I'm an Anarchist but I Don't Want It to Be Applied (At Least For Now)

Being an anarchist is often misunderstood. Many people think it's about breaking all rules and creating chaos. Additionally in my country, even mainstream media are mistakenly saying vandalism is equal to anarchism. This make me shake my head as they don't understand what anarchism really is. I've been practically doing anarchism value in my immediate social circles. I contribute to education, I reject about structural group in college especially for making decisions and I educate people about abstaining from political participation because no politicians can truly be trusted. I often share my thoughts on social issues from an anarchist point of view. Like most anarchists, I believe in building a society aligned with anarchist values. But still, I don't want anarchism to be applied in our society yet, in any state. Why?

Too Extreme for People to Accept

Anarchism is seen as “too far left” ideology, unlike socialism or communism, we reject hierarchical rulers. Everyone should be treated equally and all opinions should matter (as long as they're logically sound). But most countries today are run by conservatives who uphold capitalism, which is the complete opposite anarchism. These governments are elected by the conservative citizens, so the system and the people share the same ideology. Which makes it harder to spread anarchist values. By definition, conservatism is a commitment to traditional values and ideas with opposition to change or innovation. Capitalism has been dominant for over a century. That's why people fear radical change. Which leads to the next point.

Historical Failures of Leftist Ideas

The Soviet Union was once the biggest leftist state in the world and it collapsed. Many people now see that as proof that leftist ideologies don’t work. They say systems like socialism or anarchism are too utopian to survive in the real world. Because of that fear, anarchism is seen as unrealistic, even dangerous.

Anarchism Is Misunderstood

This ties into ignorance and media literacy. Many people think anarchism means “no rules” e.g. total chaos, violence, people killing each other. That’s NOT what anarchism is. As I mentioned earlier, the media here even label May Day protests as “anarchic” just because of vandalism or people spray-painting walls. That’s not anarchism, that’s just destruction. These false narratives shape public misunderstanding.

Bad People Still Exist

This is the main reason I don't think anarchism can work right now. There are still people who will take advantage of others if laws don’t exist. Legal systems, even if flawed, can still restrain some bad behavior. But in a world without written laws? Those people would feel free to exploit, harm, or abuse others. It’s like saying morals come from religion. If religion disappears, would some people suddenly start robbing, raping, or killing? That’s the scary part.

People today still need to learn how to be decent human beings and open themselves to new perspectives. Only then can we start introducing anarchist values in a real, meaningful way.

All thoughts are my own. Feedback is welcome. Contact: Email: rvyhvn@tuta.io

Unless stated otherwise, content licensed under CC BY 4.0.