Gerald Talbott

While politics is theater, the effects of political theater on the audience is very real. Women going on sex strikes against men, members of marginalized communities lashing out against other members of marginalized communities, heightened fear and hatred of voters from the “other” party… Manufactured division that feeds the ruling class and allows them to maintain their power. We are not one another’s enemy. We don’t wage war. We don’t print money. We don’t affect policy or create laws. We don’t control institutions. We don’t own the media. We don’t allocate resources. We do not currently hold the power to effectively change the material conditions of one another’s lives. But we could, if we stopped allowing ourselves to be so utterly manipulated by the show and stood in solidarity with one another against our common enemy: the ruling class who have always oppressed the people and will continue to, until we stop them together.

Strangely enough, there is no difference in response to whenever I say I’m an anarchist by members of all sides of the political spectrum. Liberals, conservatives, 3rd-party supporters, and libertarians will all claim: we can’t function without some form of government. Why? What has government done for us? What function does government play in our everyday lives, that is fundamental to our existence? If the people can’t govern themselves, then why can a small number of people with great power govern over the rest of us? If the people aren’t to be trusted without the rule of law, then why can a small number of people who are above the law be trusted? If the people can’t determine what is best for themselves, then why can a small number of people determine what is best for everyone? And most importantly, if we can at least agree that government is a problem, how can government be the answer?