The Human Condition: The seed for ongoing anarchy

By DR. DANIEL SCHNEE on July 27, 2022.

Recently United Conservative leadership contender Danielle Smith promised to put forward sovereignty legislation that would give Alberta the power to ignore federal law and court rulings. And though it is illegal and irresponsible, this idea consistently resurfaces throughout the years, and is rightfully rejected. But why does it persist? Because lying within antifederalism is the seed for ongoing anarchy.

For example, there has been recent discussion in the news of a social justice-themed summer camp for children in Portland, founded by anarchists. Budding Roses (a project of the Black Rose Anarchist Foundation) will host the camp: a project inspired by work done by the communist Black Panthers, and the philosophy of Brazilian author Paolo Friere (as laid out in his book “Pedagogy of The Oppressed”).

Though in theory a summer camp teaching children to be more inclusive and less racist is a great idea, the fact that it is undergirded by anarchy-based antifederalism makes the project an ideological failure upon arrival.

Anarchists (in general) believe we can and should do without the federal government and, being free of such overarching authority, can build a society where everyone cooperates on individual and collective terms. In other words, having no national government and law as we know it will finally allow everyone to live happily within our own localized system(s).

In more sophisticated terms this means people would volunteer to run inter-working programs and groups that would keep hierarchies from developing; no-one holding exclusive or excessive power over another. It sounds very pleasant, just like any other theoretical utopian system. But as anyone with a basic education in social studies will immediately understand, history bears out the reality of human relations: we will never, ever achieve an anarchic Paradise. For if one overarching system is replaced through anarchy, then it encourages predation on the replacement as well: getting rid of one thing leads to more getting rid of, not less.

Humanity has become an apex predator, something with no other thing preying upon it. Humans are so predacious that the entire planet is our quarry: flora, fauna, water, minerals, and any other thing we can exploit for personal gain. We even prey upon ourselves in any number of ways. Thus, when you teach people to reject one set of rules, you teach them to eventually reject your rules; prey on you as well, when the mood strikes them.

Even more concerning is that the Budding Rose Project is founded on what might be called “theopolitical” anarchy, what can be described as “salvation” from federal systems. Friere’s book argues that dialogue with an oppressor is impossible, and as such they are incapable of either self-liberation or participation within it. Alternately, the oppressed must “liberate” (save) their oppressors by ending “their” government, abolishing “their” police, and instilling in them the “right” thoughts and beliefs. Any society built on predation as “righteousness” will be equally as bad or much worse than what we have now.

A children’s camp founded by an organization that teaches rejection of organizations, or governing through resisting governance… the irony is tragic, and dangerous.

Dr. Daniel Schnee is an anthropologist and jazz/rock drummer

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