Where are the Modern Anarchist Societies?

[TonySutton]

I often hear people asking for examples of past anarchist societies. Today I read an article about what appears to be a modern anarchist society. I can not tell for sure from reading the article but was hoping someone here has visited this place and could paint us a better picture of life in Slab City.

Slab City, their home for the past three months, is a squatters' camp deep in the badlands of California's poorest county, where the road ends and the sun reigns, about 190 miles southeast of Los Angeles and hour's drive from the Mexican border. The vast state-owned property gets its name from the concrete slabs spread out across the desert floor, the last remnants of a World War II–era military base. In the decades since it was decommissioned, dropouts and fugitives of all stripes have swelled its winter population to close to a thousand, though no one's really counting. These days, their numbers are growing thanks to a modest influx of recession refugees like the Angios, attracted by do-it-yourself, rent-free living beyond the reach of electricity, running water and the law. And while the complexion of the Slabs, as the place is locally known, may be changing in some ways, the same old rule applies: respect your neighbor, or stay the hell away.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/arti...#ixzz1lzJpJ8Hi

[JuicyG]

Here will be the future of anarchism: http://www.seasteading.org/

[Kelly.]

http://www.vice.com/americana/slab-city

[Elwar]

Here will be the future of anarchism: http://www.seasteading.org/

qft

[Indy Vidual]

Burning Man 1 Week/Year almost qualifies.

Looks interesting:

"When I first got here, I thought this is a whole new planet, there's no place like it," she exclaims. Initial concerns about her safety as a woman alone did not last long. Three years on, she's surrounded by friends and lives on less than $100 a month, supplementing her Social Security check with paintings she sells to tourists that stop by her studio, a converted school bus.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/arti...#ixzz1mKIX7cmM

[angelatc]

Burning Man 1 Week/Year almost qualifies.

Looks interesting:

"When I first got here, I thought this is a whole new planet, there's no place like it," she exclaims. Initial concerns about her safety as a woman alone did not last long. Three years on, she's surrounded by friends and lives on less than $100 a month, supplementing her Social Security check with paintings she sells to tourists that stop by her studio, a converted school bus.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/arti...#ixzz1mKIX7cmM

Yeah, that's how I $#@!ing want to live. Poor, in a POS bus, selling crappy paintings to idiots who buy them. Thanks Time, for showing me the liberal light.

[Indy Vidual]

Yeah, that's how I $#@!ing want to live. Poor, in a POS bus, selling crappy paintings to idiots who buy them. Thanks Time, for showing me the liberal light.

Some people don't care about money or comfort, they choose a 'low-class' type of freedom.
I just looked at several pix of Slab City, and 'Yes angelatc" there was a few too many POS buses.

[Elwar]

This demonstrates the thin line between anarchism and anarcho-capitalism.

I did not notice much development of one's property in order to prosper.

[QuickZ06]

Here will be the future of anarchism: http://www.seasteading.org/

Fancy.

[Indy Vidual]

This demonstrates the thin line between anarchism and anarcho-capitalism.

I did not notice much development of one's property in order to prosper.

It's a "a squatters' camp deep in the badlands of California's poorest county" on Gov land, is development of one's property in order to prosper really expected?

[Conza88]

[osan]

Here will be the future of anarchism: http://www.seasteading.org/

Maybe. I remain skeptical, leaning to doubt. The globalist oligopoly is slowly (though acceleratingly) closing the noose on the dregs of human freedom. What leads anyone to believe that they would tolerate these floating bastions of liberty?

Psychology is perhaps the key factor in the maintenance of long-term oppressive governance, aka tyranny. Such islands of people stand as a neon middle finger to the established order. So long as such niches of differently minded people remain the risk remains that their different-mindedness may spread past the borders. I am not convinced the global tyrants would be willing to tolerate this. Assuming this, it would be the simplest thing to drive such communities out of business by denying them trade and harbor. Such communities are not likely to be self-sufficient. Being floating, seagoing structures they will require maintenance. They could be designed with sectional drydocking facilities, but eventually material such as hull plating will be needed because mechanical devices wear out. Without access to trade with dry land I am not at all clear on how such floating tribal nations would survive.

Do not get me wrong, I like the idea but I find it hard to accept that these endeavors will not be met with some hostility by the greater material powers of the earth.

[Romulus]

Here will be the future of anarchism: http://www.seasteading.org/

That's all well and fine until a Sea Stead concil is formed. If that doesn't happen.. a nasty virus airdropped by Bill Gates' private airplane will but an end to any freedom on the seas.

[Hraggleblarg]

I haven't seen any anarchist societies around. Just things like Project Agartha. http://bneweden.runboard.com/
Which is basically socialist, and they want you to fork over 2k to live on their land. And they want taxes. And they want a police force. Just really distasteful to me.

I've been thinking of buying some land and setting something up like this, but I doubt the US would let a society that's openly anarchist. So, maybe a hush-hush, small, anarchist group could live on a bit of land in the middle of TX, but not one that's openly anarchist. Might buy the land, the payments are pretty inexpensive. Not sure.

[Elwar]

I haven't seen any anarchist societies around. Just things like Project Agartha. http://bneweden.runboard.com/
Which is basically socialist, and they want you to fork over 2k to live on their land. And they want taxes. And they want a police force. Just really distasteful to me.

I've been thinking of buying some land and setting something up like this, but I doubt the US would let a society that's openly anarchist. So, maybe a hush-hush, small, anarchist group could live on a bit of land in the middle of TX, but not one that's openly anarchist. Might buy the land, the payments are pretty inexpensive. Not sure.

They tried this in 2008: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulville,_Texas

I have not heard much about it since.

[Elwar]

That's all well and fine until a Sea Stead concil is formed. If that doesn't happen.. a nasty virus airdropped by Bill Gates' private airplane will but an end to any freedom on the seas.

I believe that the best idea of seasteading is the idea of having mobile seasteads where you can join a community with your stead for as long as you want and if you do not like the community, you move your home.

The idea of a nation attacking a "seasteading community" is akin to stomping out an ant pile thinking that you have taken care of the ant problem.

[fisharmor]

Do not get me wrong, I like the idea but I find it hard to accept that these endeavors will not be met with some hostility by the greater material powers of the earth.

Yes, since the beginning of time, stateless societies have not been tolerated.
Everyone knows by now I like to bring up Ireland. This is because the English had to kill off 40% of the population to finally cement statism there.
Stateless societies will not be tolerated. Given the fact that few people know about what happened to Ireland (why would a statist school bring that up?) and the fact that even fewer people give a $#@!, you can bet heavily and confidently that if seasteading gains popularity, WHEN (not if) the powers of the Earth decide to stamp it out, they will not be playing any games.

The idea of a nation attacking ______________ is akin to stomping out an ant pile thinking that you have taken care of the ant problem.

Let's play madlibs:
a) drugs
b) speeding
c) drunk driving
d) flag burning
e) music sharing
f) porn
g) seditious speech
h) using cellphones in the car
i) making your own dietary decisions
j) homeschooling
k) owning a toilet with a tank capacity necessary to remove human excrement
l) talking back to a cop
m) being able to replace critical components of your appliances, like light bulbs

That's just off the top of my head... I really don't think that when they start gunning down entire families on a boat 200 miles from anywhere, and there's no video or any testimony that it even happened, that the public is going to be overly pissed about it.

[heavenlyboy34]

Somebody needs to invent giant starships ala Star Wars.

[Brick-in-the-Wall]

This comment in the Time article was spot on I thought.

It was inevitable that a community like this would take root. America has been at war on its own culture for decades, and "the land of the free" is anything but free.

The remark about some of the most intelligent persons being found in such a place is on the nose. People can become too smart for their own good in a society - if "your own good" is defined as being able to remain happy and content while toiling within the machine of society itself. People who become too aware of what's really going on, and don't happen to be rich enough to build their own private fortress estate to hide out in, tend to drop out of the rat race and head off. In a certain sense, Slab City may be a relic of the pre-Internet age reaction to becoming fed up with society. These days, with the internet itself being much more pervasive, it's presenting more opportunity for people to develop alternate ways of living and ways to make money.

A lot of people who would have dropped out and headed to Slab City in the 90s, are instead using the net to make a career and stay the hell away from the great machine and its citadel cities.

I won't lie, I'm getting to that point. I look around at people, society and think, "why?" Why get something when a new one will just be out soon. Why do anything? Do I have a voice in this massive machine that I'm just a tiny cog in?

[azxd]

This comment in the Time article was spot on I thought.



I won't lie, I'm getting to that point. I look around at people, society and think, "why?" Why get something when a new one will just be out soon. Why do anything? Do I have a voice in this massive machine that I'm just a tiny cog in?

Good comment, and you're not alone ... If it fell apart tomorrow, I might have a party, or I might just keep doing what I do ... And I don't even know "why?" except to vent frustration.

[Brick-in-the-Wall]

So...who all wants to get together and make our own kickass city with me!?

Any takers!?

...

[heavenlyboy34]

So...who all wants to get together and make our own kickass city with me!?

Any takers!?

...

Put together a business plan and I'll consider it.

[Jingles]

Does the free state project count?

[hazek]

Does the free state project count?

No.

Here will be the future of anarchism: http://www.seasteading.org/

I highly doubt it. I researched the idea a bit, read and watched a few things from Patri Friedman and what he wants is a free society but one that still obeys the admiralty law, one that works with nations on financial issues and obeys their regulations meaning no support for money laundering, no harboring of "criminals" or god forbid "terrorists", no amassing of weapons of mass destruction of any kind..

So you'd be free to live in the middle of a very unfriendly ocean as long as you are obedient to those with the most powerful weapons and don't dare compete with them for their business without following their rules.



This is very frustrating for me. Somehow people still believe that a) this is freedom and not just a slipper slope or b) that freedom is possible without being willing to fight and potentially die for it. I'm sorry but if I'm going to spend my life in an environment that my body didn't evolve to survive in and endure all the pain that comes with it, I sure as hell aren't going to give up even an inch of my freedom. For me to make such a step it would have to be all or nothing.

But the more I look around me the more I see how this simply is a pipe dream. Yes an anarcho capitalist society is the best system for a society but I just don't see how it could ever come about.. The more I look at the world the more I'm thinking I can't win against these criminals, why not just join them and have an easy life exploiting the herd? Why punish myself by believing in this noble idea of complete freedom, why not just look for the easiest path to an easy life, protect my wealth, exploit the stupidity of others and just not give a $#@!?

[TheTexan]

Here will be the future of anarchism: http://www.seasteading.org/

Prohibitively expensive. Much more feasible to declare sovereignty on land.

A land based approach would require a sizable (I'd say 5,000 people minimum) population to have a chance at legitimate sovereignty. A boat-based approach for sovereignty all you need is yourself and a boat, so there is that.

Yes an anarcho capitalist society is the best system for a society but I just don't see how it could ever come about..

It comes about by us making it come about. Declare sovereignty, and be willing to sacrifice your life to protect it. The more people who do it with you, the more likely it is to succeed.

Or just go off the grid. That works too - but is obviously not optimal.

[Johnny Appleseed]

http://framework.latimes.com/2011/12...ab-city-video/

I lived up in the mountains of Northern California for a time and the "town" I lived in was considered by the Sacramento B to be the most lawless town in America. Looking back now we didn't need laws because everyone got along the town was like 1 big family and it was a lot nicer place than slab city

[Crotale]

But the more I look around me the more I see how this simply is a pipe dream. Yes an anarcho capitalist society is the best system for a society but I just don't see how it could ever come about.. The more I look at the world the more I'm thinking I can't win against these criminals, why not just join them and have an easy life exploiting the herd? Why punish myself by believing in this noble idea of complete freedom, why not just look for the easiest path to an easy life, protect my wealth, exploit the stupidity of others and just not give a $#@!?

Because you know that would be morally wrong and you have more respect for the life, liberty and property of others.

[Johnny Appleseed]

the more closely connected a community is the fewer laws needed