I ran across this satirical cartoon on a favorite page I go to now and again and that I enjoy a good deal.
Click on the picture for easier reading.
![Mikhail Bakunin: "Welcome everyone to the anarchist meeting, we are trying to decide what action to take to best move anarchism forward. I say we begin by distributing literature to the peasants about democracy."
Peter Kropotkin: "That's nice Bakunin, but i think it will be better to try and create a network of mutual aid, and organizing the distribution of bread to all."
Emma Goldman: "What if we teach women about birth control so they can take control of their sexuality?
Kropotkin: "No one cares about sex,Goldman, we need a revolution!"
Goldman: "Perhaps at your age, Kropotkin, but i can assure you that people care about sex."
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: "What if we come up with some really devastating insults to world leaders? That would teach them."
Goldman: "Proudhon, be serious."
Proudhon: "I mean like...real zingers. It might work!"
Goldman: "You are an idiot."
Proudhon: "Exactly, like that! Did anyone write that down?"
[ 25 days later ]
Bakunin: "Okay, we are decided, we'll just do them all since none of us could agree. let's get to work!"
Description: The police arrive immediately and start to beat them all up with clubs.
Police officer: "That will teach you violent anarchists not to disrupt peaceful, civil society! You are all arrested."](https://static.existentialcomics.com/comics/AnarchistOrganizing.png "Everyone in the comic was arrested in real life for what they are arguing to do. Cops have always been the same.")
And it's good and funny and true but the thing I really took away, the thing that especially applies and applied to us today is what the author wrote at the end of the piece:
"Anarchism has always been a philosophy of mutual self aid, freedom, cooperation, dismantling illegitimate hierarchies, and moving towards open democratic structures in all aspects of life. Generally speaking, the people at the top of the illegitimate hierarchies, like people who command countries because they were born to the right family, or people who command workers because they have a piece of paper saying the own the factory, well...they do not care for this philosophy. And the police are on their side.
In fact, like the hover text says, everyone in this comic was arrested for what they are arguing for. Bakunin was arrested for trying to bring about democracy, Kropotkin for 'subversive political activity' (whatever that means, most likely just being an anarchist), Emma Goldman for 'illegally distributing information about birth control', and poor Proudhon was arrested for insulting Napoleon III, a rather silly thing to be arrested for and unfortunately for him that meant he had to look rather silly in the comic.
In every society, those in power will always call the people who are peacefully trying to change the system 'violent anarchists' and the people who violently enforce the system 'peace keepers'. Violence, to them, is having to give up their vacation home so someone else doesn't have to be homeless. Peace is having the police beat up and jail the homeless people who are sheltering there to stay out of the cold. To those whose privilege is built on mountains of injustice, merely asking for justice will be called violence, and violence to protect their privilege will be called justice.
Do not be fooled. The police do not enforce justice, they enforce privilege, property, wealth, and power.
Black Lives Matter."
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