Anarchist Hypocrasy

[Jay]

This question is directed at the lifestyle of an anarchist, which, currently, I do not understand.
I just want to be clear that anything I write is out of curiosity, not critisism, and that I am only asking to learn.

It seems to me that, living in any modern 1st world culture, it is nearly impossible to not be a hypocrite to at least some degree while claiming to be an anarchist. For example, from what I have read so far, anarchy is against corporate control just as much as it is against government. This being the case, what do anarchists do in terms of clothing, and hobbie items such as musical instrements, all of which seem to be exclusivly under corporate control? Even now im sure that 99.9% of you are using a computer made and sold by microsoft or apple.
Also, relatedly, what do anarchists feel about public vs private education, at all levels?

[Siiri]

I'm new here and still have a lot to learn about anarchist philosophy and practice. This question worries me too. I'm an individualist type of libertarian, but I find that if you raise the question of corporatism on libertarian discussion forums, nobody wants to know. I'd be interested to know people's take on it here.
It seems to me that to live a truly free life, you'd have to drop out of the system, move to some wilderness area, and adopt the life of a hunter-gatherer. But that's pretty much impossible nowadays. Even the Jarawara tribespeople in the Amazon are being forced to integrate into the modern world and send their children to mainstream schools.
The trouble is, if you want food, medicine, technology, and education, and most of us do, then you have to live within the system as consumers. I guess you can buy food and clothes from 'ethical' suppliers, but electronic goods are different. I've had mixed feelings about owning an iPod ever since I read about Foxconn, the suicide factory in China that produces components for Apple. I guess Apple would argue they have an obligation to their shareholders to find the best labour deal, and that there's a demand in the West for cheap electronic goods, but that's no excuse for treating their overseas workers like slaves. I don't know how much more an iPod would cost if it were manufactured in the West under better labour conditions, and whether people on ordinary incomes could still afford them. As things are, it's a matter of individual conscience whether you choose to buy one.
As for public/private education, I guess anarchists' views would very widely on this depending on the emphasis they place on liberty and egalitarianism in their personal beliefs. Personally, I like the idea of schools which are free and independent of the state. I don't think the government should have a monopoly on education. Universities, though freer than schools, depend a lot on government funding and are basically tied in to a statist research agenda - Rothbard has made quite a good analysis of this.

[Guest]

It seems to me that, living in any modern 1st world culture, it is nearly impossible to not be a hypocrite to at least some degree while claiming to be an anarchist.

If hypocrisy is the issue, anarchists would be the last to be accused. Are Democrats engaged in the spread of democracy? Or are they merely fascists? Do Republicans support representative democracy? No, they're just fucking fascists too. (And by fascists, I mean people who work for a strong central government under strong influence/confluence with the corporate world, Mussolini's definition of fascism.) Greens participate in an unreformable system. Communists call their authoritarian systems "pro-worker" when they are actually "pro-banker."

Meanwhile, here we are, pointing out all of this hypocrisy, and then having the accusation flung right back at us. If someone points a gun at me and I submit to their demands, am I being un-anarchist because I submit to their authority? Are there hypocrites within the anarchist movement? You bet there are. But are we consciously trying to fool people, the way Democrats, Republicans, Greens, and Communists do? I don't think so.

what do anarchists do in terms of clothing

personally, i only buy used clothes from the thrift store. shoes i usually get new, though. However, clothing is a necessity. Is a Commie being a hypocite because he'she needed a cheap shirt and it wasnt union made?

im sure that 99.9% of you are using a computer made and sold by microsoft or apple.

OS: linux, hardware: stolen from work

Also, relatedly, what do anarchists feel about public vs private education, at all levels?

If i had kids, I would want to homeschool them or perhaps form a group with like-minded parents.

[Infinite]

Also, relatedly, what do anarchists feel about public vs private education, at all levels?

I'm against it

[Don]

The trouble is, if you want food, medicine, technology, and education, and most of us do, then you have to live within the system as consumers.

Precisely. The issue is not one of purity or separating oneself from the realities of capitalism. "Being an anarchist" has nothing to do with pretending that one is morally superior because they are able to escape the strictures of capital and state to a greater degree than others (while simultaneously washing their hands of the horrors others are forced to endure - this is the fallacy inherent in the asinine argument that "if you don't like it you should just move"). The issue is comprehending and resisting the fact that capital excercises a monopoly on the means of survival. Further, anarchism has nothing to do with buying more expensive commodities from (bizzarely labelled) "ethical" capitalists. It is not the consumption or non-consumption of commodities, but the realization that we are all subject to the logic of commodification which is key.

[Saethwyr]

The majority of us try and live within the system as best we can while trying to work alternate, less exploitative means of living as best we can, because completely dropping out would be incredibly difficult. It's just a matter of necessity.

[Anthony]

If education was free it would promote voluntary learning. I am assuming most of us here, whether we are Anarchists or not, have willingly researched it.

Because in an anarchist society we are not forcing information upon a child that is based on competition and obtaining as many resources as possible, students will learn simply for the thrill of learning, whether it be a genuine interest or something they see as a necessity in their lives.

"All claims of education notwithstanding, the pupil will accept only that which his mind craves" (Emma Goldman Anarchism and Other Essays 48).

[Echelon]

If education was free it would promote voluntary learning. I am assuming most of us here, whether we are Anarchists or not, have willingly researched it.

Because in an anarchist society we are not forcing information upon a child that is based on competition and obtaining as many resources as possible, students will learn simply for the thrill of learning, whether it be a genuine interest or something they see as a necessity in their lives.

"All claims of education notwithstanding, the pupil will accept only that which his mind craves" (Emma Goldman Anarchism and Other Essays 48).

This is an interesting point, one that with regards me in my current situation, I strongly agree with. I would love to have the time to study what I want to study.

However I see one problem with this, which is that I feel that how can a child truly know what they want to study if they are not educated as to what the possible areas of study are?
I feel that, up to a point it would be advisable to educate a child in as many different areas of knowledge etc as possible, while at the same time educating the child on the notion of free thinking, encouraging him not to one of these points of view, but to view them all objectively first, then choose, when at a maturer age, those subjects in which the child desires to study further.

Furthermore i would view this education on the multiple perspectives as essential because, as is particularly the case with children, people are much more likely to condemn that which they don't know. Thus i feel that a basic education on all the different perspectives would be important.