Sadly, mankind doesn’t appear to have learned much from history as the evils of nationalism and racism are once again on the rise. From Europe to the US, the rise of groups affiliated with Nazi ideology has led to a resurgence in violence against minorities, immigrants, and refugees.
Author: Parrish Miller
Parrish Miller has worked as a web designer, policy analyst, blogger, journalist, digital media manager, and social media marketing consultant. Having been largely cured of his political inclinations, he now finds philosophy more interesting than politics and is focused particularly on alternative ideas such as counter-economics, agorism, voluntaryism, and unschooling.
Who Anarchists Are Actually
Thanks to the media’s portrayal of masked malcontents kicking over trashcans as “anarchists,” I believe some clarification is in order. I am an anarchist because I recognize that the institution of the state is fundamentally based on violence and coercion, not because I punch people in the face for exercising their freedom of speech.
Voluntaryism Can’t Be “Free Stuff”
You cannot claim to support a fully voluntary society while simultaneously asserting that you have a right to certain goods and services. Such an assertion necessarily demands the enslavement of whoever is conscripted into providing the goods and services to which you claim an entitlement.
Abolition from Transparency
According to its defenders, the state is supposed to be “by the people” and “for the people,” so how could it possibly have a right to keep secrets from the people? Of course, I believe that the state is evil and should be abolished in its entirety, but either way, can we at least agree that it shouldn’t be permitted to keep secrets?
Stop Trying to Control One Another
Most conservatives think I’m a liberal because I oppose the death penalty, war, the draft, censorship, drug laws, and other state interference in people’s personal lives. Most liberals think I’m a conservative because I oppose obamacare, welfare, food stamps, taxes, environmental regulations, and other state interference in business and the economy. Most libertarians think I’m an anarchist because I refuse to engage in the game of voting for people to run the state rather than agitating for its abolition.
The Role of Capitalism in Anarchy
Anarcho-capitalists have a tendency to fancy themselves as too far outside the normal sphere of anarchy when we are actually just anarchists who understand both economics and human nature. In a free society devoid of the fiction that is authority, some people would indeed acquire, improve, and trade natural resources. Ergo, capitalism. This would happen not because a system of capitalism was established but simply because no one was stopping production and trade from occurring.
With Crime, Hate is Irrelevant
In a just world, “crimes” would be only those actions which victimized others, and the reasons why would be fairly irrelevant. It ultimately doesn’t matter why you hurt someone or take their stuff (other than in justified self-defense, of course.) If you do victimize someone, you owe them restitution.
2017: The Year Statism Starts to Die
In 2017, it is more important than ever to take a stand against collectivism and the hate it inspires. Don’t be silent. Don’t be part of the problem. Raise your voice and let the whole world hear you say—in blatant defiance of the state—that peace is possible, war is unnecessary, and liberty is achievable.
Should We Get Life’s Necessities without Effort?
Staying alive requires effort. Being comfortable requires even more effort. Like it or not, it’s reality.
Why Paleoconservatives Are Wrong About Immigration
I don’t see how you can oppose free immigration without at least indirectly supporting the existence of a coercive state. I’ve read what (paleo) Rothbard and Hoppe have to say about it, but their argument (essentially, if all land were privately owned, “immigration” would require permission from the landowners) ignores several important facts.