this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2026
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Yeah, I mean, yeah, but... the problem with anarchism isn't that it's stupid, it's that people are stupid. Most anarchists are smart and see the world through their perspective, which is, people are empathetic, rational, and interested in nuance and complexity. Unfortunately, a large number of the populace is not that smart, nor that interested. Anarchist societies don't exist or if they do, they don't last, because the premise is wisdom, which so many people lack, that they would rather have a king, than deal with the complexities of being one's own master.
People are not “stupid”, they are ignorant.
People have a learnt behaviour, they only know the system they live in. And that is one where civic duties are outsourced to nebulous entities while they wring their hands of responsibility.
Historically this has not always been the case and there are active societies today who are considered examples of anarchism.
The issue is not that people are unintelligent, it’s that their whole life has been telling them the only way to survive is what you currently know.
Ignorance can be overcome with education and practicing different ways of existence.
People are pretty fucking stupid. Have never been to walmart or wendy's?
I dunno, I've met some pretty fucking stupid people. Idiocy and ignorance go hand in hand.
I'm firmly on team "humans en masse are too stupid and selfish for anarchism to work on any scale beyond the neighborhood.
Good argument I'll gladly and openly discuss further. You state that the main reason is ignorance and people can be educated out of it. My counter claim is that much of that ignorance is either willful, or a product of the lack in intelligence of those people. If a person, having access to the education currently provided in modern states, is still ignorant, then that is a choice or a result of lack of intelligence. Every school child today is taught Socrates' cave analogy, but most dismiss it as a story without realizing it applies to their world view. Who hears the story and starts questioning? Those who are naturally question-Askers, which is one characteristic of intelligence. As you say, and I agree, they follow the default, the reason being, the default is easy, and most people want easy. They want to outsource difficult tasks to institutions, that is easy for them. Of course it is also easier to survive by not questioning.
Modern schools are institutions of indoctrination. Along with what you think they are supposed to learn they also learn nationalistic, pro capitalist sentiments. And those indoctrinated as children are the hardest to sway as adults. The ignorance isn’t always technical often it’s the awareness that this isn’t the only way. Who teaches that? To me it’s an emergent property built on the experience of the failure of hierarchies of power. Original sin is a farce of control.
Which societies active today are considered examples of anarchism? As far as I'm aware there was only one in post-aasad Syria and they got decimated by other regional factions.
Anarchism poses the ultimate threat to the ruling class, and so they are obviously incentivized to destroy it. That doesn't mean it isn't worth trying!
The Zapatistas are a modern anarchist society existing today, but you are right that many historical examples such as the Spanish Commune have been ruthlessly repressed, by fascists and communists alike.
Explain how you deal with or prevent rape and murder in an anarchist society.
We don't prevent or deal with rape in our current society, you do realize? It's one of the most ignored crimes.
I'll link and quote the relevant part of an anarchist FAQ for you:
So, in simple terms, we would prevent murder and rape. We, the people. It's definitely worth reading the FAQ more as it also covers why rapes and murders occur, and why anarchism would dramatically reduce the incedence rate of those crimes.
Sounds like mob justice to me, but maybe I'm a cynic.
And democracy was criticized as "mob rule" in the days of the divine right of kings. Most people today - though they acknowledge its flaws - agree that democracy is better than the alternatives.
"Mob justice" is better than the punitive false justice system we have now.
Could you explain how a formal police force with a monopoly on violence isn't mob justice, but a voluntary association would be?
are you saying a formal police force isn't voluntary?
Many people are excluded from serving in the police force, yes. Also, an anarchist voluntary association would have no powers beyond those of everyday citizens.
Are you a bot?
The police is constrained, at least in theory, by the threat of losing their livelihood, being sued, or going to jail. Powers that be tend to put their fingers on the scale except in the most egregious examples, but at least there's some sort of counterweight, unlike with a lynch mob.
Well, to begin with, as you well know, that doesn't work in practice.
Who constrains the police? You mentioned they are under threat - where does that threat come from?
I trust in the cops suffering consequences somewhat more then I do a lynch mob. The "voluntary association" who resolved what they viewed as "anti-social behavior" from Emmett Till suffered no consequences for their actions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till
Already pointed out. Make a point.
There are far, far more cases of police officers not being held responsible for their atrocities.
You didn't point it out at all - you are saying that someone holds the police responsible for their actions. Who does that?
Which still has a higher percentage of being held accountable then voluntary associations like the Klan did.
I in fact did. Not going to ask again: Make whatever point you're trying to make.
...the Klan is not a voluntary association at all, it's a white supremacist membership based group which is closed to many. Are you serious?
No, you did not. I think you understand exactly what I'm trying to get at, and you're just sticking your head in the sand and refusing to engage with it. Thanks for your time, but I see no purpose in continuing this conversation if you are not going to approach it with good faith. All the best.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voluntary_association
Not liking that the klan was a voluntary association that resolved what they viewed to be anti-social behavior (and lets be real, would 100% form again in some form in a anarchist society) doesn't change that it was one.
Yes, I did. I'm going to presume as you lead with that you didn't bother to make a point and block you at this point.
It's scary confronting the fact that your world view is wrong, isn't it?
Do we really have a justice system now? (I'm in US, so forgive me if you are in a more civilized place)
Maybe a group of grandmas could be the "mob justice". I'd trust them more than cops and judges.
Every post of yours in this community has been some edgy bad faith take. Why would I bother wasting time answering this question for you?
Google it yourself, it's been asked a million times before and you personally are not worth my time any further now that I've seen what you are.
Vast majority of crimes can be prevented by just providing people with basic resources, education and emotional support.
Anarchist FAQ: What about crime?
Some people chose ignorance because of laziness.
But the real problem IMO are the entitled soulless egomaniacs without empathy that trashes any society because they are so fundamentally broken and hateful. Remove them and we can all live harmouniously together, or so I think.
The real problem is capitalism and how it promotes those traits.
So steps 1 kill all the people?
Step one is Agitate, Educate, Organise. The goal is to make people politically aware, educated on solutions, and organised to see them implemented.
Lots of anarchist societies don't last not because of lack of wisdom, but because of deliberate backstabbing by authorities that initially seem to support them. For example, Ukrainian anarchists during 1910s had a pretty successful time until Bolsheviks decided they weren't needed any more.