Is it just me, or is "Anarchist" a bad meme?

[Ian David]

I don't know a heck of a lot about Anarchists, except:

1) They spray-paint on stuff
2) The ride skateboards
3) One of them assassinated some obscure president
4) They get beat-up at protests a lot
5) They seem to like punk rock and any kind of music that is devoid of melody or chords

In my mind, it just sounds AWFUL when the media says that "Anarchists disrupted the President's speech."

Personally, I don't think I would want to be arrested alongside "a bunch of Anarchists."

It sounds really really bad.

Please enlighten me:

A) What good things are there to say about Anarchists

B) Is there a better name they could call themselves?

I mean no disrespect to the Anarchists out there.

I am just expressing what I think is the common perception of Anarchists held by the public.

[patrice]

1. Anyone who claims to be an anarchist isn't.

Aside from that, I think you are right. Anarchists are viewed with suspicion by just about everyone.

Technically, Timothy McVeigh was an anarchis, inspired by anti-government rhetoric of America's "Right" wing. He illustrates how anarchy is a wild card, not left nor right.

[ixion]

2. actually, the people you're describing are NOT anarchists

they are punks, and nothing more.

Anarchy is an intellectual movement (originally) founded by Michael Bakunin, among others. The basic premise is that intelligent, enlightened people can think for themselves, without the help of a Big Brother government nanny.

In a nutshell, Anarchy is simply the absence of government, not chaos.



http://www.spunk.org/texts/writers/bakunin/sp001862.html

[gater]

3. Anarchists want no rules...no regulations.

The individual decides what is right and what is wrong, and how to live their lives.
And as to the "Punk Music" reference, most of it is melodic, some very so. Check out Green Day's "American Idiot", or any Bad Religion album (with three and four part harmonies). Punk is more a lyrical style, and these are the CSNY and CCR, and Country Joe's of our era.