Plant a Seed

[jacobhaller]

Maybe we should set up an anarchist library system. I mean, I support the infoshops but quite often I just want to read a book once - or only use it for reference - and buying the thing is a bit ridiculous. Having a nice library which provides an eclectic variety of anarchist and non-anarchist material might attract some more people. <br> <br>There are quite a few ways to run these libraries. I prefer the honor system myself but even mainstream libraries have a high attrition rate. Using a secret deposit system might be a better idea for the near future. (That is, each book has a special stamp on it; to take any stamped book you must leave the listed deposit, close to the list price; when you return it you can get the deposit back and/or cover another book.) <br> <br>In addition to the books "on the shelves" people could set up a support net of local anarchists or other interested people; when a special request comes, someone could volunteer to supply this book. (and the requestee might be asked to provide a name &amp; contact information).

[jacobhaller]

Orwell is an ambiguous author within an ambiguous movement which most of the people here (as Emma and I have certainly noticed - it was you, Emma, right?) consider the epitome of authoritarianism. My point, I think remains; Orwell was a state-socialist author, but also very much a dissident state-socialist author with an anarchist bent. Art and the state do not go together... <br> <br>"[color=red]If, for the better development of the forces of material production, the revolution must build a </font color=red>socialist[color=red] regime with centralized control, to develop intellectual creation an </font color=red>anarchist[color=red] regime of individual liberty should from the first be established. No authority, no dictation, not the least trace of orders from above!</font color=red>" <br>- Lev Trotsky, Andre Breton &amp; Diego Rivera, Towards a Free Revolutionary Art (emphasis in original)

[Din]

[color=green]Orwell is an ambiguous author within an ambiguous movement which most of the people here (as Emma and I have certainly noticed - it was you, Emma, right?) consider the epitome of authoritarianism</font color=green> <br> <br>The epitome of authoritarianism? You have got to be kidding. What movement is this? Fascism? Stalinism? I would have thought it clear that Orwell was firmly on the side of the libertarians and not the authoritarians.

[Guest]

drop the fucking attitude now

[Din]

[color=green]drop the fucking attitude now</font color=green> <br> <br>Yes, Sir! <br>Aye-Aye, Sir! <br>Affirmatively, Sir! <br>Unquestionably, Sir! <br>Fucking Right Now, Sir! <br>So Obediently Blinding, Sir! <br>Most Passively Submissive, Sir! <br>Loyally and Emotionally Yours, Sir! <br>Severely and Sexually Subjugated, Sir! <br>Still Digilently Disciplined and Dominated, Sir! <br>Always and Forever in an Orderly Agreement, Sir! <br>With a Substantially Servile and Meek Comformity, Sir! <br>Continuously and Considerably Compelled and Coerced, Sir!

[Kevin]

Or else! <br> <br>lol, in my experience anarchists don't generally take well to commands, your statement would probably have the opposite of your desired effect. But heck if I know anything.

[Kevin]

Great, now no one will believe in my great divining powers. <br> <br>Din, I order you to stop posting messages the same minute in which I do!

[Din]

[color=green]Din, I order you to stop posting messages the same minute in which I do!</font color=green> <br> <br>Never!!! [img]/wwwthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[Guest]

hahaha, that was pretty funny din. <br> <br>You guys know Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War right?

[Guest]

why don't you start treating people with respect

[Tom]

Yeah, i mean, disobeying kev like that... <br> <br>*rolls eyes everywhere*

[Morpheus]

[color=blue]why don't you start treating people with respect</font color=blue> <br> <br>Why don't you.

[Morpheus]

IMO, the best description of Orwell's politics would be "democratic socialist." He was basically an authoritarian socialist with a libertarian streak. Even though he wrote favorably about Anarchists in Homage to Catalonia, he was never an anarchist and stayed mainly in anti-Leninist state socialist parties. In the Spanish Civil War he fought with the POUMT militias (Party of Marxist Unity - anti-Stalin Leninists). He even criticized anarchism at a few points. After World War Two he gave lists of Leninists to the authorities to be blacklisted.

[Morpheus]

[color=blue]Maybe we should set up an anarchist library system. I mean, I support the infoshops but quite often I just want to read a book once - or only use it for reference - and buying the thing is a bit ridiculous. Having a nice library which provides an eclectic variety of anarchist and non-anarchist material might attract some more people.</font color=blue> <br> <br>Actually, I find I'm able to get access to many anarchist works using interlibrary loan through my local library.

[jacobhaller]

I was also trying to find a system that could function properly while preventing anyone from actually tracking the borrowers (except the special loans). An unpatriotable library. But where I live the local ILL fees are very high while the selection of anarchist works is practically nil.