A. I am afraid not. An anarchist society is not made up of perfect human beings. An anarchist society is not made up of people who never think of themselves. An anarchist society is not made up of people who sacrifice themselves for the good of the community. An anarchist society is about Me!! Me!! Me!! What anarchists recognise is that individual security and success is intrinsically linked to the well being of the group. What is good for the community as a whote is normally good for the individual.
An anarchist society recognises individual weakness and puts measures in place that do not allow the individual to dominate others. The Hitlers, Pol Pots, Stalins, Bushs, and Howards of the world would be figures of derision and scorn in an anarchist society. Power in an anarchist society is decentralised, it is not held in the hands of an elite or a minority. Why would anybody, whose future is intertwined with the health of the community they live in and who has the power to determine their own destiny, put their fate in the hands of a ruler? Anarchism is not a state of mind, an ideology, a belief system or a way of life. It is a mechanism by which decisions are made by the people who are affected by those decisions. An anarchist society is a society that is based on the practical task of making decisions that are made by the community a reality. Community decisions normally can only become a reality when assets are held in common and are used for the common good. Anarchism is a much simpler proposition than it at first seems. You do not have to change human nature: all you have to do is put in process the train of events that takes power and wealth away from the State, corporations and self appointed rulers and puts it back in the hands of the government
Q. WHAT ROLE DOES INDIVIDUAL CHOICE PLAY IN THE CREATION OF A FASCIST SOCIETY?
A. A community does not turn to fascism overnight; individual choice plays a pivotal rale in the type of society we live in. Individuals are able to exercise choice all along the way. To turn a blind eye to what is happening -is a choice. To shrug our shoulders and say you cannot do anything about what is happening around you - is a choice. To let thugs dominate debate-is a choice. To do nothing - is a choice.
Collective morality is a product of individual choice. The fear of freedom and the fear of fear is an individual choice. The fascist military coup in Spain on the 19th of July 1936 was actively resisted by many Spaniards. Hitler's ride to power was not the smooth journey that is normally portrayed in the history books. The ascendancy of a religious based dictatorship in Iran was resisted by secular elements in the aftermath of the events that surrounded the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in 1979. The tragedy about the removal of fundamental rights and liberties in Australia over the past few years is the almost total lack of resistance to these changes. Apart from a rearguard action by a small rump of Australia's legal fraternity and a perfunctory defence by a miniscute section of the Australian media, the silence from the politicians and the community has been deafening. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, a legislative agenda has been put in place by the Australian Parliament that could see Australia being transformed into an overtly fascist State overnight.
Three Ministers of the Crown can legally direct the Australian Armed Forces to use deadly force anywhere in Australia, if they believe Commonwealth interests are threatened. The military personnel involved in this action are legally indemnified from the legal process. People can be arrested and interrogated secretly for weeks because they may inadvertently have access to information that could assist authorities with their investigations. People can be jailed for up to 5 years for refusing to answer questions. Draconian control orders can be placed on people if they are considered to be a threat to security. The legal protections that existed to protect the individual from the arbitrary exercise of State power have been swept away by playing on people's fears of a terrorist outrage. When the legislative changes that have occurred are examined as a package, not just individual pieces of legislation, the building blocks have been put in place for the creation of a fascist society in Australia.
I have been amazed at how easily Australians have allowed this to happen. They have chosen to look the other way, thinking it is not their business; shrugged their shoulders and walked away because it does not affect them; closed their eyes about what is happening around them because they are engrossed in their own personal lives. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Those who choose not to know, are just as guilty as those who legally commit atrocities in their name. The exercise of Individual choice is the cornerstone of a free society.
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Q. ARE ANARCHISTS DANGEROUS?
A. We sure are, not because we are violent or terrorists but because of our ideas. There is nothing more dangerous in life than somebody who knows how the system works and knows what they want to replace it with. Anarchists are dangerous to those in power and authority because we can see right through their little games. We are dangerous because we have no respect for them and what they stand for. We are exceptionally dangerous because the ideas we promote encourage self-activity, direct action and direct democracy. Can you imagine how much of a threat somebody is who believes that ordinary people can organise their own lives and don't need Gods or masters. Can you imagine how dangerous somebody is who wants to break down hierarchies, abolish the State and replace it with a Federation of community and workplace councils?
Anarchists are dangerous because the ideas we promote resonate with people. They are not new ideas, but they are powerful ideas that value the worth of all human beings. Our strength ultimately lies in the strength of our ideas. Our strength lies in our ability to influence other people to take up our ideas. Each time, we as anarchists become involved in an action or activity, we challenge the authority of those who try to use social and political movements for their own ends.
The State, being a terrorist organisation, knows how to deal with threats of violence and terrorism. If there weren't any political or social movements that used terrorism as a weapon, they would have to create one to justify their own existence. Our very presence strikes fear in those who wield power and authority. The strength of our ideas is our major weapon. Irrespective of whether they try to dismiss us as utopian fools or as irrational ter-rorists, they will not succeed because our ideas will ultimately overcome any obstacles they put in our path. We're dangerous because we pose a threat to secular and religious authoritarian movements and regimes. Dangerous to those who wield power and exploit and oppress? Yes!!! Dangerous to those who are exploited and oppressed? Never!!!