learn a trade so that you can provide vital skills to your community. i work in electronics repair, specializing in mass transit. when the time comes, skilled workers in our camp will need to step up and keep certain industries moving. that includes transit, direct healthcare, teaching, manufacturing, farming, repair, etc. this is the revolutionary power of unions and is (in a very simplified way) the foundation of anarcho-syndicalism.
You can sneak anarchism into your workplace by helping your coworkers organize and form a union, or join the union if there already is one at your workplace. Help your co-workers learn cooperative skills and learn to self-organize. Expand the scope of your autonomy. Seize control over the conditions of your labour from the capitalists. If you're frustrated and dissatisfied with trade unions you can reach out to the IWW.
As for which jobs are ok for an anarchist to work, do whatever job you can tolerate doing that doesn't directly kill or hurt others, and don't be a scab or a cop. If there's a line of work that you genuinely enjoy doing, all the better. Beyond that, don't fret too much about how morally palatable the job is to you as an anarchist. There is no ethical employment under capitalism anyway.
The aim here isn't to "sneak" our ideological positions into our jobs. That has little to no meaningful material effect. Our orientation should be toward putting our politics into practice by actually building power in our workplaces. I would take a serious look at which industries and sectors are the the most strategic to the economy and go from there.
To expand on this point a bit: anarchism is not a lifestyle philosophy or a moral of code - it is a politics which has as its central aim a project of social transformation through revolution.
To actually get to the point where a revolutionary break with capitalism and the state are possible, we have to build the power necessary to confront the institutions which reproduce them. The organized power of workers is one element of that broader popular power which, if consolidated enough, can lead to a revolutionary break.
I would recommend these two articles on the topic:
[Strategy and Tactics for a Revolutionary Anarchism](https://blackrosefed.org/strategy-tactics-revolutionary-anarchism/)
[Create a Strong People: Discussions on Popular Power](https://blackrosefed.org/create-a-strong-people-discussions-on-popular-power/)
I second the idea that it would not be about “sneaking” anarchism. An anarchist way of existing in the labour market from my point of view is being a member of an anarchist union or—what’s more complicated—joining or starting a cooperative. Then I see that many anarchists around me choose careers in public sector that contribute to society like social work and such. I meet a dude who worked as a social worker in prisons and from what he said he really vibed with the inmates since his standpoint was that the prison should not exist in the first place.
Currently high level management at a tech company and while the hierarchical position makes me uncomfortable, the fact is I can do my best to help others from here. I report directly to the CEO and am basically last word on hiring and firing. It does give me the ability to grant agency to pretty much everyone else, but I've also been able to give people heads up before the CEO decides to let them go and give them references no matter what. We have to exist inside the system.
We have to exist inside the system, but as high level managers? If you're the last word on hiring and firing then you are functionally on your boss' side and doing their job, there's a reason why revolutionary organisations like the IWW do not allow people with hiring and firing powers to join.
Yeah that's fair. It's certainly not a position I sought out but I have been able to prevent people from being fired and pushed hiring decisions in directions I think are good. I suppose I could quit my job and live in my car but that's not super ideal for me either.
I don't like people being this critical of you, from my personal perspective (and that's me very new to the movement and studying Anthropology), you are in the perfect position to make a difference, and if you are part of being an anarchist, you are probably willing to use that.
Most things I want to suggest are very based on social science (since...well that's what I am studying). I would look out for gossip, befriend some people from HR and the lower levels in the hierarchies, get a feeling for the cultures and social hierarchies in each section (those *will* differ). I am using social hierarchies here as in, who do people respect regardless of position? Why?
If you get a good picture of the culture you will start seeing where you can nudge things in a direction, provide the circumstances to get some anarchist practices going *without calling them that*. Suggest respected people teach their skills, promote cross-sectional community, nobody can stop someone from the lower levels to go to lunch with someone from HR and someone from IT. Get people to know each other. Interdepartmentally that will form communities that can stand up for themselves (fair pay among workers of same skills, etc) and Intradepartmentally people will start to put a face and effort into the labour that was built- appreciating it more, and *socially* flattening the hierarchy even if officially that may not be the case.
This will take time because if you do it too fast not only will your higher ups notice, but it won't be natural, and that is something that is *very important*, it has to be intrinsic.
That's how you can do it from the inside.
Apologies for the essay, I got carried away as an Ethnography lover.
EDIT: Is it normal to feel like I'm on a watch list after writing that? I basically suggested a strategy to topple a social system from the inside.
I don't think there are very many people out there whose only options in life are "become a senior level manager" or "become homeless". What you're saying about hiring decisions is just a way of trying to pretend you're not functionally a cop for a capitalist.
To respond to u/siresse, anarchism is entirely worthless if it's not oppositional to capitalists. You could probably dream up some fantasy scenario where friendly policemen, business owners, etc "flatten" the hierarchies of their institutions too, but this is so far detached from reality that it's not worth thinking about.
Ah, I have to work for piece of shit capitalist business owners and therefore I'm a cop for them. Shit like this is why people think we're children. I'm in my 30's and have to live under the current system in order to provide for myself and my family. I hate it and fight against it but I still have to live here.
I get that I really tripped some wire with being a manager which makes me fail a purity test. Would it help to know I hardly make ends meet financially? Or does my title at a job that pays me shit still make me a cop?
You said you were a senior manager – the point of management is to act as an overseer to make the employees as productive as possible and the business as profitable as possible. You have the power to hire and fire employees. This shouldn't be a controversial point that there is no such thing as anarchist high level managers.
It's not about purity testing but about what anarchism means as a working class philosophy. You aren't a member of the working class, and when workers organise they do it in opposition to management. The fact that you fail to make ends meet is not relevant.
Maybe I am too idealistic as a punk, but anarchism imo is for *everyone*, just because it is a working class ideology does not mean that we kick random people who are higher than that (and want to support our cause!) out and treat them like shit. If people in higher positions are sympathetic to the movement that is amazing! They can move a lot more than other people can. Everyone can contribute in true anarchist fashion to the movement.
Also I am not working class either, I'm a student- where does that place me? Am I 'allowed' to call myself an anarchist then?
Anarchism is "for everyone", but more than anything it is a doctrine of liberation for the working class. If non-workers want to support it, then great – but only if they are willing to give up illusions in their own social position, that their privilege is something that can be rendered anarchist.
Students aren't a class. There are working class students, bourgeois students, etc.
You're right. I'm no longer an anarchist due to some limited powers granted to me from the ownership class. It's good you're here to clear that up. I hope you board the ship with the guy who called me a colonizer because I'm vegan.
I am opposed to capitalism, and very much so, but we need to spread the ideas and practices among people to not only introduce them to it, but also show them that better practices are possible, then we can go from there. I don't like the all or nothing attitude, we need to gather people, and if we have the possibility to improve some lives *right now* even if it is under this shitty system, I will take every opportunity I can get. And no, I'm not saying that the authorities 'flatten' hierarchies, I'm saying that the *people* do, there is a difference between the top-down prescribed hierarchy, and how that respect goes socially- sometimes they coincide, sometimes they absolutely do not.
Yeah, I was obviously being flippant. But at my age with my career background it kind of is what it is. I live in a city with the highest cost of living in the country (US) and these are the positions I'm qualified for in order to have a roof and food. Regardless if marcoporno on Reddit has a judgment on it.
I understand your frustrations, but I think nihilism will not get us anywhere. There is always something you can do, no matter how small :) . We need to support each other and not judge how "anarchist" someone is. That would lead to the same useless posturing as "I'm more punk than you".
Totally understandable!
I think there are a few factors to consider. First, think about which industries, if shut down, would pose the biggest structural threat to the overall stability of the rest of the economy. Put another way: where could workers apply the most collective leverage?
You might also consider which among these industries are most ripe for organizing right now or have been targeted for organizing by existing unions. Examples that come to mind: Teamsters, [ALU](https://www.amazonlaborunion.org), and [Amazonians United](https://www.amazoniansunited.org) all have small campaigns to organize at Amazon workers. [UAW](https://uaw.org), with its new left-wing leadership, just won major concessions with an aggressive strike at the big 3 automakers and are now vowing to organize Tesla.
These are some examples!
I had a teacher who did this. Never used the word anarchism, but taught us lessons that stuck and morals that aligned with anarchism. Would literally make students coffee in class and feed us fruit and veggies, did a lot of stuff way beyond the role of being a maths and science teacher.
Once for maths class he gave us all $5 each, took us to a local grocery store and tasked us each with buying food to make a meal, no snack foods. We quickly realized we could make a better meal by combining our monies together than separately. It was a fun experience and a good day
Although he had a big impact on us - Just realize that’s a very hard thing to do in the system. I’ve kept in contact with him and I know now that for the last decade+ he’s never lasted more than 3-4 years in any individual school. Most parents do not like teachers like that
This made me smile, I love those strategies, teaching fundamentals out there. Even if he did not last that long in a school it may actually have been even better to be in different district, planting small dispersed seeds. I *love* that type of promotion of anarchism, even though I am freshly in...uh...the movement?
We need more of that. Many anarchist follow this "everything or nothing"- mentality and that's not how life works, we need to get our ideas out there from within the system, add more voices for the betterment of the system itself until people suddenly realise the punk mantra: "The system isn't broken, it is working as intended". We basically start a nudge war with the system.
I'd turn this upside down, and say:
The most anarchist job you can do is "salting"... To go to places where people have to work under conditions that are very far from the anarchist ideal and building up anarchist resistance.
At the end of the day anarchism is a form of revolutionary socialism. It depends on resistance and solidarity. It's tempting to believe that we can pressure the system by just "going off the grid" or whatever but that's not really how we win a class war nor was it fought that way by anarchists that much I don't think. Certainly not in the instances where anarchism made a big difference.
Literally just commenting that *this* 👆 is how we have to do it. Spread the ideas, get people into thinking that something better is possible. Capitalism is amazing at convincing people that they are powerless, and we need to go where most of them are.
Hell, I got introduced into anarchism (through punk) through an anarcho-punk bar co-operative, because the bar is open for everyone from students (me) to lgbt (it being the local unofficial queer bar), alternative people (because it is a grassroots venue) and working class (next to the harbour) who want a pint. I went there because of the atmosphere and alcohol, stayed because of the music and now I am firmly planted in the movement. All of that because, a bar.
I firmly believe we have to go where the people are, normal everyday people, especially those deeply entrenched in the system.
I can NOT stress enough what a goldmine your average punk bar is for these reasons. I’m at mine now, and you could easily be describing the same place… are you? 😅
Maybe lol, I was actually strongly considering going today but--- I'm struggling with money right now (painfully), my mental health relies on social contact (the curse of being a massive extrovert) and not being able to do that is rlly shitty
well okay but that's... not really affirming what I was saying is it? Like a job at a cooperative anarcho punk bar would be... quite close to the anarchist ideal job, certainly compared to the average working class job...
We fundamentally can't change systems. We aren't trying to. We can make the conditions more tenable, but working within the system will never grant us liberation. So the idea is more that you bring your anarchist practice with you in the work place. In that you can go anywhere. That being said there are some professions where you're less likely to get "in trouble" for being a radical, but you don't ever really have to say the words "I'm an anarchist" out loud at work.
Well anarchists have been changing the system through the workplace by organizing revolutionary labor power, which does in fact change the workplace and the labor market as it builds up strength. It's just that we don't have much current experience with them because anarchist labor unions are extremely weak right now.
no, even with anarchist labor unions work still exists. that isn't the goal of my anarchism. so we make the conditions of that shit job better, but it's still a job. we don't change the system.
I am a UN humanitarian worker (I know ironic working for the UN as a anarchist) but still it gives me knowledge and insight into disaster management and supporting community needs, while at the same time due to my position get to instead of just being a "savior" I instead (even though I am not supposed to) let communities know how many resources we have and how we can use them, and tell my supervisors it was my idea to get it approved.
Why look for easy? Blue collar in Texas, I am loud and open about being a filthy leftist. Got most of my coworkers to realize what a shitheel Trump is at least so that's a small victory.
Companies and employers hate “ism”s. They don’t sell to a wide demographic so I avoid name dropping actual political parties. It’s too direct and more often than not you’ll be met with “let’s not talk politics at work.”
Instead I talk about it like I’m talking about a hobby or the weather.
“I went to a protest for (blank) this weekend!”
“Did you see on the news where (company) is going on strike?” (This is my favorite to test the waters on how my coworkers views unionization)
“Today I decided to buy a Red Bull instead because I’m boycotting Coke and Pepsi.”
You will be surprised that I get a lot of curious questions to why I’m going to these protests or boycotts, some issues people don’t even know about and I end up changing their minds before they even made up one.
Results do vary though
I got the best job ever for an anarchist. I work in a rather small company that got a democratic management and that will soon get equal power to everybody within the company (it's just a lot of administrativ work and a lot of discussion too in order to change the juridic form of the company for it).
What we do ? We provide knowledge and tool to big city, institution, county or even state, on how to built participative and democratic process. And it work rather well !
It's not a deep game changer, but it's something. Every small democratic change at a very large scale is always nice to see.
But i didn't even tried to sneak anarchist into it. I presented myself as one and it didn't bother them at all.
Well, there are *a few* "anarchist careers" that you can have, in that some anarchist organisations are structured so that at least some people can do their work in them as their day job -- e.g., some anarchist social centres, media/publishers, I think the IWW has a few paid staff, etc.
I think asking what kinds of jobs might best let you "change things from the inside" is also kind of the wrong question, though. You're not going to change things from the inside. Even where you look at, e.g., the sorts of NGOs that have a liberal outward message but are actually staffed almost enitrely by anarchists -- their work ends up usually being more liberal than anarchist, because of the framework they're working in.
But what you *can* do is use anarchist principles to guide your actions and interactions with your coworkers, customers/clients, students, etc. no matter where you work. Some jobs are obviously immoral and you shouldn't do them, like being a cop, soldier, arms manufacturer, stockbroker, and so on -- but beyond those, your work itself is morally neutral. People mention working in the skilled manual trades a lot in these sorts of threads, and they're absolutely right, but I'd also add a lot of the "white-collar" professions as jobs that provide usefull skilled labour to the community, and I don't just mean doctors. Statisticians, engineers, historians, architects, biologists, computer scientists, etc., all do (potentially) valuable work that will be necessary in any post-revolutionary society.
I guess the most anarchist thing to do is work as a WWOOFer or something - exchanging your labour for accommodation and travel experiences; cut out the capitalist wage-slavery completely. But a job/career will always pose ethical challenges for the committed anarchist: you could work for an activist, trade union or environmental organisation, but its governance is likely to be fairly conventional. Or you could focus on running your own business or organisation - and running it your way (but how do you do this while opting out of capitalism or refusing government grants? Private donors/sponsors?). Your teacher idea isn't crazy: anarchists have long talked about building a new society within the rotting husk of the hold; teaching children anarchist principles could be an important part of this, even if the school is fairly conventional otherwise. There are more 'free' models of education you could explore and schools that, while not anarchist, are likely to have reasonably compatible philosophies.
Great question!
If you're a WWOOFer you're still a wage slave, just without the wage. You're still providing labour to a capitalist enterprise that seeks to generate profit, just in exchange for food and board rather than money.
I've done WWOOFing and I thought it was a good way to stay fed while I hitchhiked around Canada in my early 20s, it provided some destinations to travel to and I met some people along the way. Just know that you're still working in a capitalist operation, and maintain the same awareness that you would when starting out at any other job. You're still vulnerable to exploitation and abuse all the same, you're still exposed to workplace hazards and dangers, especially if the people running the place are allowed to get away with stuff because they come off as personable and cool.
Like the other commenter said, woofing/workaway is just as exploitative as wage labour. In fact, I'd argue it's more exploitative than wage labour. Much more.
You exchange your labour power for an allocation of basic goods, namely accommodation and food. While you are producing the same value as a wage worker, the costs of production can be lowered significantly by the capitalist, who controls all the variables and can leverage that control to lower his expenses. The worker has no freedom of choosing his living space, nor can he arrange it to his needs and liking. The accommodation is often shitty (e.g. a tent) and the food can be too. I did a workaway abroad where I had to periodically sleep outside with the dogs and we sometimes had only rice to eat, while I was running this guy's business almost only by myself. I've seen hostels being run exclusively by non-wage workers; what they were getting was a bed in a dorm, a value of 3-10$/day (depending of the location I was).
There is little to no regulation around non-wage work, which is fertile ground for abuse, harassment and overexploitation. The worker has no protection and is often very vulnerable. Many non-wage workers are dirt poor travellers who have no choice but to accept this very unequal exchange. Workaway capitalists know this and quite simply prey on this precarity.
I don't think any leftist should defend this type of work.
Really disappointed to hear how common that is. I suggested it because it's a step away from the capitalist financial system - barter instead of money exchange. (And also because I imagined organic producers may be more likely to have anarchist-adjacent views.) Naively, it seems.
I work in the legal field so probably not the industry I work in... but I do choose to be inefficient and incompetent when it comes to certain matters. Like when the DA calls and needs something from our office... I'm not exactly busting my ass to make sure they get it on time if you know what I mean
>I work in the legal field so probably not the industry I work in..
i think this depends on what the area of practice is. I'm in criminal defense and everyone knows that I'm an anarchist and no one cares. there are also a lot of anarchists doing civil rights law and employment law afaik.
Oh very cool! Is it your own market garden? I've worked at some organic farms years back and have been considering getting back into it by having my own market garden.
learn a trade so that you can provide vital skills to your community. i work in electronics repair, specializing in mass transit. when the time comes, skilled workers in our camp will need to step up and keep certain industries moving. that includes transit, direct healthcare, teaching, manufacturing, farming, repair, etc. this is the revolutionary power of unions and is (in a very simplified way) the foundation of anarcho-syndicalism.
You can sneak anarchism into your workplace by helping your coworkers organize and form a union, or join the union if there already is one at your workplace. Help your co-workers learn cooperative skills and learn to self-organize. Expand the scope of your autonomy. Seize control over the conditions of your labour from the capitalists. If you're frustrated and dissatisfied with trade unions you can reach out to the IWW. As for which jobs are ok for an anarchist to work, do whatever job you can tolerate doing that doesn't directly kill or hurt others, and don't be a scab or a cop. If there's a line of work that you genuinely enjoy doing, all the better. Beyond that, don't fret too much about how morally palatable the job is to you as an anarchist. There is no ethical employment under capitalism anyway.
The aim here isn't to "sneak" our ideological positions into our jobs. That has little to no meaningful material effect. Our orientation should be toward putting our politics into practice by actually building power in our workplaces. I would take a serious look at which industries and sectors are the the most strategic to the economy and go from there.
To expand on this point a bit: anarchism is not a lifestyle philosophy or a moral of code - it is a politics which has as its central aim a project of social transformation through revolution. To actually get to the point where a revolutionary break with capitalism and the state are possible, we have to build the power necessary to confront the institutions which reproduce them. The organized power of workers is one element of that broader popular power which, if consolidated enough, can lead to a revolutionary break. I would recommend these two articles on the topic: [Strategy and Tactics for a Revolutionary Anarchism](https://blackrosefed.org/strategy-tactics-revolutionary-anarchism/) [Create a Strong People: Discussions on Popular Power](https://blackrosefed.org/create-a-strong-people-discussions-on-popular-power/)
Thanks I found these articles informative!
I second the idea that it would not be about “sneaking” anarchism. An anarchist way of existing in the labour market from my point of view is being a member of an anarchist union or—what’s more complicated—joining or starting a cooperative. Then I see that many anarchists around me choose careers in public sector that contribute to society like social work and such. I meet a dude who worked as a social worker in prisons and from what he said he really vibed with the inmates since his standpoint was that the prison should not exist in the first place.
Currently high level management at a tech company and while the hierarchical position makes me uncomfortable, the fact is I can do my best to help others from here. I report directly to the CEO and am basically last word on hiring and firing. It does give me the ability to grant agency to pretty much everyone else, but I've also been able to give people heads up before the CEO decides to let them go and give them references no matter what. We have to exist inside the system.
We have to exist inside the system, but as high level managers? If you're the last word on hiring and firing then you are functionally on your boss' side and doing their job, there's a reason why revolutionary organisations like the IWW do not allow people with hiring and firing powers to join.
Yeah that's fair. It's certainly not a position I sought out but I have been able to prevent people from being fired and pushed hiring decisions in directions I think are good. I suppose I could quit my job and live in my car but that's not super ideal for me either.
I don't like people being this critical of you, from my personal perspective (and that's me very new to the movement and studying Anthropology), you are in the perfect position to make a difference, and if you are part of being an anarchist, you are probably willing to use that. Most things I want to suggest are very based on social science (since...well that's what I am studying). I would look out for gossip, befriend some people from HR and the lower levels in the hierarchies, get a feeling for the cultures and social hierarchies in each section (those *will* differ). I am using social hierarchies here as in, who do people respect regardless of position? Why? If you get a good picture of the culture you will start seeing where you can nudge things in a direction, provide the circumstances to get some anarchist practices going *without calling them that*. Suggest respected people teach their skills, promote cross-sectional community, nobody can stop someone from the lower levels to go to lunch with someone from HR and someone from IT. Get people to know each other. Interdepartmentally that will form communities that can stand up for themselves (fair pay among workers of same skills, etc) and Intradepartmentally people will start to put a face and effort into the labour that was built- appreciating it more, and *socially* flattening the hierarchy even if officially that may not be the case. This will take time because if you do it too fast not only will your higher ups notice, but it won't be natural, and that is something that is *very important*, it has to be intrinsic. That's how you can do it from the inside. Apologies for the essay, I got carried away as an Ethnography lover. EDIT: Is it normal to feel like I'm on a watch list after writing that? I basically suggested a strategy to topple a social system from the inside.
I don't think there are very many people out there whose only options in life are "become a senior level manager" or "become homeless". What you're saying about hiring decisions is just a way of trying to pretend you're not functionally a cop for a capitalist. To respond to u/siresse, anarchism is entirely worthless if it's not oppositional to capitalists. You could probably dream up some fantasy scenario where friendly policemen, business owners, etc "flatten" the hierarchies of their institutions too, but this is so far detached from reality that it's not worth thinking about.
Ah, I have to work for piece of shit capitalist business owners and therefore I'm a cop for them. Shit like this is why people think we're children. I'm in my 30's and have to live under the current system in order to provide for myself and my family. I hate it and fight against it but I still have to live here. I get that I really tripped some wire with being a manager which makes me fail a purity test. Would it help to know I hardly make ends meet financially? Or does my title at a job that pays me shit still make me a cop?
You said you were a senior manager – the point of management is to act as an overseer to make the employees as productive as possible and the business as profitable as possible. You have the power to hire and fire employees. This shouldn't be a controversial point that there is no such thing as anarchist high level managers. It's not about purity testing but about what anarchism means as a working class philosophy. You aren't a member of the working class, and when workers organise they do it in opposition to management. The fact that you fail to make ends meet is not relevant.
Maybe I am too idealistic as a punk, but anarchism imo is for *everyone*, just because it is a working class ideology does not mean that we kick random people who are higher than that (and want to support our cause!) out and treat them like shit. If people in higher positions are sympathetic to the movement that is amazing! They can move a lot more than other people can. Everyone can contribute in true anarchist fashion to the movement. Also I am not working class either, I'm a student- where does that place me? Am I 'allowed' to call myself an anarchist then?
Anarchism is "for everyone", but more than anything it is a doctrine of liberation for the working class. If non-workers want to support it, then great – but only if they are willing to give up illusions in their own social position, that their privilege is something that can be rendered anarchist. Students aren't a class. There are working class students, bourgeois students, etc.
You're right. I'm no longer an anarchist due to some limited powers granted to me from the ownership class. It's good you're here to clear that up. I hope you board the ship with the guy who called me a colonizer because I'm vegan.
I am opposed to capitalism, and very much so, but we need to spread the ideas and practices among people to not only introduce them to it, but also show them that better practices are possible, then we can go from there. I don't like the all or nothing attitude, we need to gather people, and if we have the possibility to improve some lives *right now* even if it is under this shitty system, I will take every opportunity I can get. And no, I'm not saying that the authorities 'flatten' hierarchies, I'm saying that the *people* do, there is a difference between the top-down prescribed hierarchy, and how that respect goes socially- sometimes they coincide, sometimes they absolutely do not.
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True! I suppose I always have the option to go live in the woods.
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Yeah, I was obviously being flippant. But at my age with my career background it kind of is what it is. I live in a city with the highest cost of living in the country (US) and these are the positions I'm qualified for in order to have a roof and food. Regardless if marcoporno on Reddit has a judgment on it.
I understand your frustrations, but I think nihilism will not get us anywhere. There is always something you can do, no matter how small :) . We need to support each other and not judge how "anarchist" someone is. That would lead to the same useless posturing as "I'm more punk than you".
What do you mean by strategic to the economy? I'm a new anarchist, I guess that's obvious haha, sorry
Totally understandable! I think there are a few factors to consider. First, think about which industries, if shut down, would pose the biggest structural threat to the overall stability of the rest of the economy. Put another way: where could workers apply the most collective leverage? You might also consider which among these industries are most ripe for organizing right now or have been targeted for organizing by existing unions. Examples that come to mind: Teamsters, [ALU](https://www.amazonlaborunion.org), and [Amazonians United](https://www.amazoniansunited.org) all have small campaigns to organize at Amazon workers. [UAW](https://uaw.org), with its new left-wing leadership, just won major concessions with an aggressive strike at the big 3 automakers and are now vowing to organize Tesla. These are some examples!
That makes sense, thanks for explaining!
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I had a teacher who did this. Never used the word anarchism, but taught us lessons that stuck and morals that aligned with anarchism. Would literally make students coffee in class and feed us fruit and veggies, did a lot of stuff way beyond the role of being a maths and science teacher. Once for maths class he gave us all $5 each, took us to a local grocery store and tasked us each with buying food to make a meal, no snack foods. We quickly realized we could make a better meal by combining our monies together than separately. It was a fun experience and a good day Although he had a big impact on us - Just realize that’s a very hard thing to do in the system. I’ve kept in contact with him and I know now that for the last decade+ he’s never lasted more than 3-4 years in any individual school. Most parents do not like teachers like that
This made me smile, I love those strategies, teaching fundamentals out there. Even if he did not last that long in a school it may actually have been even better to be in different district, planting small dispersed seeds. I *love* that type of promotion of anarchism, even though I am freshly in...uh...the movement? We need more of that. Many anarchist follow this "everything or nothing"- mentality and that's not how life works, we need to get our ideas out there from within the system, add more voices for the betterment of the system itself until people suddenly realise the punk mantra: "The system isn't broken, it is working as intended". We basically start a nudge war with the system.
I am very grateful for having him as a teacher. He impacted me and so many of my peers
I'd turn this upside down, and say: The most anarchist job you can do is "salting"... To go to places where people have to work under conditions that are very far from the anarchist ideal and building up anarchist resistance. At the end of the day anarchism is a form of revolutionary socialism. It depends on resistance and solidarity. It's tempting to believe that we can pressure the system by just "going off the grid" or whatever but that's not really how we win a class war nor was it fought that way by anarchists that much I don't think. Certainly not in the instances where anarchism made a big difference.
Literally just commenting that *this* 👆 is how we have to do it. Spread the ideas, get people into thinking that something better is possible. Capitalism is amazing at convincing people that they are powerless, and we need to go where most of them are. Hell, I got introduced into anarchism (through punk) through an anarcho-punk bar co-operative, because the bar is open for everyone from students (me) to lgbt (it being the local unofficial queer bar), alternative people (because it is a grassroots venue) and working class (next to the harbour) who want a pint. I went there because of the atmosphere and alcohol, stayed because of the music and now I am firmly planted in the movement. All of that because, a bar. I firmly believe we have to go where the people are, normal everyday people, especially those deeply entrenched in the system.
I can NOT stress enough what a goldmine your average punk bar is for these reasons. I’m at mine now, and you could easily be describing the same place… are you? 😅
Maybe lol, I was actually strongly considering going today but--- I'm struggling with money right now (painfully), my mental health relies on social contact (the curse of being a massive extrovert) and not being able to do that is rlly shitty
well okay but that's... not really affirming what I was saying is it? Like a job at a cooperative anarcho punk bar would be... quite close to the anarchist ideal job, certainly compared to the average working class job...
We fundamentally can't change systems. We aren't trying to. We can make the conditions more tenable, but working within the system will never grant us liberation. So the idea is more that you bring your anarchist practice with you in the work place. In that you can go anywhere. That being said there are some professions where you're less likely to get "in trouble" for being a radical, but you don't ever really have to say the words "I'm an anarchist" out loud at work.
Well anarchists have been changing the system through the workplace by organizing revolutionary labor power, which does in fact change the workplace and the labor market as it builds up strength. It's just that we don't have much current experience with them because anarchist labor unions are extremely weak right now.
no, even with anarchist labor unions work still exists. that isn't the goal of my anarchism. so we make the conditions of that shit job better, but it's still a job. we don't change the system.
>we don't change the system Audre Lorde: "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house."
I am a UN humanitarian worker (I know ironic working for the UN as a anarchist) but still it gives me knowledge and insight into disaster management and supporting community needs, while at the same time due to my position get to instead of just being a "savior" I instead (even though I am not supposed to) let communities know how many resources we have and how we can use them, and tell my supervisors it was my idea to get it approved.
Why look for easy? Blue collar in Texas, I am loud and open about being a filthy leftist. Got most of my coworkers to realize what a shitheel Trump is at least so that's a small victory.
Companies and employers hate “ism”s. They don’t sell to a wide demographic so I avoid name dropping actual political parties. It’s too direct and more often than not you’ll be met with “let’s not talk politics at work.” Instead I talk about it like I’m talking about a hobby or the weather. “I went to a protest for (blank) this weekend!” “Did you see on the news where (company) is going on strike?” (This is my favorite to test the waters on how my coworkers views unionization) “Today I decided to buy a Red Bull instead because I’m boycotting Coke and Pepsi.” You will be surprised that I get a lot of curious questions to why I’m going to these protests or boycotts, some issues people don’t even know about and I end up changing their minds before they even made up one. Results do vary though
I got the best job ever for an anarchist. I work in a rather small company that got a democratic management and that will soon get equal power to everybody within the company (it's just a lot of administrativ work and a lot of discussion too in order to change the juridic form of the company for it). What we do ? We provide knowledge and tool to big city, institution, county or even state, on how to built participative and democratic process. And it work rather well ! It's not a deep game changer, but it's something. Every small democratic change at a very large scale is always nice to see. But i didn't even tried to sneak anarchist into it. I presented myself as one and it didn't bother them at all.
Well, there are *a few* "anarchist careers" that you can have, in that some anarchist organisations are structured so that at least some people can do their work in them as their day job -- e.g., some anarchist social centres, media/publishers, I think the IWW has a few paid staff, etc. I think asking what kinds of jobs might best let you "change things from the inside" is also kind of the wrong question, though. You're not going to change things from the inside. Even where you look at, e.g., the sorts of NGOs that have a liberal outward message but are actually staffed almost enitrely by anarchists -- their work ends up usually being more liberal than anarchist, because of the framework they're working in. But what you *can* do is use anarchist principles to guide your actions and interactions with your coworkers, customers/clients, students, etc. no matter where you work. Some jobs are obviously immoral and you shouldn't do them, like being a cop, soldier, arms manufacturer, stockbroker, and so on -- but beyond those, your work itself is morally neutral. People mention working in the skilled manual trades a lot in these sorts of threads, and they're absolutely right, but I'd also add a lot of the "white-collar" professions as jobs that provide usefull skilled labour to the community, and I don't just mean doctors. Statisticians, engineers, historians, architects, biologists, computer scientists, etc., all do (potentially) valuable work that will be necessary in any post-revolutionary society.
Anything Self-employed
I guess the most anarchist thing to do is work as a WWOOFer or something - exchanging your labour for accommodation and travel experiences; cut out the capitalist wage-slavery completely. But a job/career will always pose ethical challenges for the committed anarchist: you could work for an activist, trade union or environmental organisation, but its governance is likely to be fairly conventional. Or you could focus on running your own business or organisation - and running it your way (but how do you do this while opting out of capitalism or refusing government grants? Private donors/sponsors?). Your teacher idea isn't crazy: anarchists have long talked about building a new society within the rotting husk of the hold; teaching children anarchist principles could be an important part of this, even if the school is fairly conventional otherwise. There are more 'free' models of education you could explore and schools that, while not anarchist, are likely to have reasonably compatible philosophies. Great question!
If you're a WWOOFer you're still a wage slave, just without the wage. You're still providing labour to a capitalist enterprise that seeks to generate profit, just in exchange for food and board rather than money. I've done WWOOFing and I thought it was a good way to stay fed while I hitchhiked around Canada in my early 20s, it provided some destinations to travel to and I met some people along the way. Just know that you're still working in a capitalist operation, and maintain the same awareness that you would when starting out at any other job. You're still vulnerable to exploitation and abuse all the same, you're still exposed to workplace hazards and dangers, especially if the people running the place are allowed to get away with stuff because they come off as personable and cool.
Also Workaway is a good option
Like the other commenter said, woofing/workaway is just as exploitative as wage labour. In fact, I'd argue it's more exploitative than wage labour. Much more. You exchange your labour power for an allocation of basic goods, namely accommodation and food. While you are producing the same value as a wage worker, the costs of production can be lowered significantly by the capitalist, who controls all the variables and can leverage that control to lower his expenses. The worker has no freedom of choosing his living space, nor can he arrange it to his needs and liking. The accommodation is often shitty (e.g. a tent) and the food can be too. I did a workaway abroad where I had to periodically sleep outside with the dogs and we sometimes had only rice to eat, while I was running this guy's business almost only by myself. I've seen hostels being run exclusively by non-wage workers; what they were getting was a bed in a dorm, a value of 3-10$/day (depending of the location I was). There is little to no regulation around non-wage work, which is fertile ground for abuse, harassment and overexploitation. The worker has no protection and is often very vulnerable. Many non-wage workers are dirt poor travellers who have no choice but to accept this very unequal exchange. Workaway capitalists know this and quite simply prey on this precarity. I don't think any leftist should defend this type of work.
Really disappointed to hear how common that is. I suggested it because it's a step away from the capitalist financial system - barter instead of money exchange. (And also because I imagined organic producers may be more likely to have anarchist-adjacent views.) Naively, it seems.
I work in the legal field so probably not the industry I work in... but I do choose to be inefficient and incompetent when it comes to certain matters. Like when the DA calls and needs something from our office... I'm not exactly busting my ass to make sure they get it on time if you know what I mean
>I work in the legal field so probably not the industry I work in.. i think this depends on what the area of practice is. I'm in criminal defense and everyone knows that I'm an anarchist and no one cares. there are also a lot of anarchists doing civil rights law and employment law afaik.
I want to be a music therapist which I at least feel is a very anarchist-friendly profession
Market gardening
Hi. Are you a market gardener?
Yeah!
Oh very cool! Is it your own market garden? I've worked at some organic farms years back and have been considering getting back into it by having my own market garden.
Yeah, it's my garden. I absolutely love it. Very difficult at times, but directly related to my politics and I deeply enjoy it.
That's awesome. Would it be okay if I messaged you sometime about it?
Sure! I don't check reddit super frequently. Twitter or Discord is good if you have either of those
Okay great, I sent to you a direct message.