Anarchy at Work: Self Managed Organisations

Are you sick of your boss? Most people would answer yes to that question without much thought and yet we are so often 'stuck' in our working rut that we don't even question the options out there. Why are so many companies based on a hierarchical setup when quite often, the wrong people are in the highest jobs on the ladder?

The quick answer is control. When creating companies, the creator wants to control 'their' company and so the hierarchy is created and continues to exist long after the creator has moved on. However companies don't HAVE to be organised this way.

Morning Star and Gore-Tex are two self-managed companies with well documented histories of success: http://www.managementexchange.com/blog/when-nobody-and-everybody-boss

To me, the fact that these self-managed (anarchistic) organisations work as well as they do, proves that anarchy works in small communities. I've previously described my experience at an anarchist camp site, so I know first-hand how well they can be run and how conflicts can be resolved. All it takes is willing participation by all involved. 

The real challenge begins when we try to up-scale anarchism to larger communities and to countries. How do you deal with the minority of people who aren't capable of active participation in self-management (for example due to mental illness or drug abuse)? 

I expect the active community would have to decide how to deal with these people on a case-by-case basis. At least the result would be far more compassionate than the mandatory sentencing handed down by our current judiciaries. 

There are many challenges to be faced by modern anarchists, but at least we have working, self-managed organisations that are profitable and fully-functioning, that can act as inspiration for those of us who are considering starting a business.

Want to learn more about Anarchy? Read: http://www.wikihow.com/Be-an-Anarchist

I love the internet

I LOOOOVE THE IIINTERNEEEEET!

Good morning everyone, that's me calling from the hilltops my love for the internet. This morning I have already had 'contact' with four inspiring groups/people via my screen. Firstly, I'm enjoying playing on google plus; a very nice alternative to facebook although probably equally evil when we look under the bed.

Already I have 'met' like-minded people who I can share thoughts and jokes with; I'll probably never meet them in person in my life, but that doesn't matter. Just knowing they're out there is a warming feeling. It gets tiring being the only oddball vegetarian buddhist anarchist among a state of conservatives!

Being able to read the thoughts of people like Leo Babauta in the morning is a truly inspiring way to start the day. Then being able to read amazing messages from great artists (that's you Banksy) lifts me up beyond the drab grey haziness of everyday drudgery.

One day we might not have the freedom to read and find whatever we choose on the internet; maybe through censorship or lack of electricity (after the apocalypse), so enjoy it now! And be aware of the gift you have at your fingertips. Enjoy.

Anarchy and the G8

Well here comes the G8 again, a meeting of 8 'great' nations who get together to figure out ways to end poverty and hunger... well, at least they COULD get together to end poverty and hunger, but no.

They talk, and eat, and have photos taken together, then talk some more, eat again, another photo shoot and home; all at the taxpayers’ expense. So what do they talk about? Maybe they ARE working to end world hunger? Ah bless, but no.

Most of us will never know what is discussed during these meetings; sometimes they decide to have a particular topic (the host nation’s leader sets the agenda) that is openly discussed with the media, but usually no such transparency exists, and we are just left paying for the grand gala without being let in on the details.

I have a particular nostalgia for the G8 because my experiences protesting against it in 2005 are what made me realise anarchism (as a system of self-government), actually works. I was living in Edinburgh when the G8 was held just up the road in Gleneagles; how could I resist attending the protest?

In the previous year I had attended one of the international protests against the war in Iraq, “no blood for oil” was our slogan and Tony Blair had lied to the international public, stating there was evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD). This has now been proven to be lies and that liar, that international war criminal was leading the G8 in Scotland.

So, who was invited? Other than the usual suspects the International Energy Agency made their debut at the 2005 G8, an organisation whose mandate is to manage the security of oil supply. Hmmm, I wonder what they talked about... I can only guess, and my guess is oil: who has it, and how they can ‘secure the supply’ (i.e. by force).

Publicly, poverty in Africa was said to be on the G8’s agenda for discussion in 2005, largely due to the international ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign, which culminated in a march of an estimated 225,000 people in Edinburgh. Protesters demanded the G8 ‘Drop the Debt’ crippling developing nations and increase aid, without strings attached.

Most aid given to developing nations goes straight to US/UK-owned contractors anyway (to build infrastructure, for example) and what does go to the countries comes with requirements further tying the country to credit dependence and debt to the G8. Unfortunately ‘aid’ is not a monetary gift from one country to another, it’s a payment for services rendered. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aid#Ulterior_agendas

There was an anarchist campsite at Gleneagles where thousands of diverse people came together to protest the G8. There were people in fairy costumes, skinheads, children, ‘normal’ folks and everything in between. Each area of the camp site had a local meeting to discuss their ideas for protest and camp organisation (feeding everyone, cleanup duties etc.); then the facilitators of each group went to a central tent for a camp-wide discussion of the protest. In this way every person had an opportunity to have their say and each group got to discuss their methods of protest.

Riot police in full riot gear were outside the camp threatening to move in and tensions were high. Some people wanted to go out and attack them, some people wanted a sit-down protest while others wanted to walk among the police handing out flowers. How was this going to work?

Each group discussed their idea and then the group facilitators agreed each protest idea would be put into action in a chronological order starting with the most peaceful and only using violence as a last resort. So the mothers, fairies and children went first, they handed out flowers and the children hugged the legs of the police. It was quite a sight to behold! There were no cameras allowed at the campsite to protect everyone’s identities so there were no pictures taken, but it was beautiful, trust me.

In the end our last resort was not needed and the protest ended peacefully. Protesters were allowed to leave in groups of about 1000; they sent us by train back to Edinburgh to be searched and photographed.

So after the British taxpayers spent a total of £12.7 million for the G8 weekend, what was the result? A handful of promises were made (and mostly not kept) to reduce Africa’s debt, but aid was given to Palestine for ‘infrastructure’ and many trade-inhibiting tariffs and subsidies were reduced, opening the door to more G8-owned corporate organisations. It sounds like the mob G8 just got their way again.

Now eight years later the G8 is back in the UK and although David Cameron is hosting the party this year, I’m sad to say, nothing has changed. At least (I hope) the anarchist protests will continue, so a new generation of people will realise, we CAN peacefully organise ourselves. We CAN co-exist with people from different backgrounds with different agendas. We don’t need these corrupt politicians to lead us, rule us or govern us; we CAN govern ourselves. That is anarchy.

Is the UK only days away from a food shortage?

When MPs are warning the public to eat less meat because the UK is “never more than a few days from a significant food shortage”, I must admit, the survivalist in me feels vindicated.

Most of us are completely unaware how fragile our boring lives are, and that with a jolt from an outside source such as oil prices skyrocketing, or in this case, too many people wanting to eat beef and cheese(?!) that the supply of food in our shops WILL dwindle and possibly even stop.

If we all grow our herbs and vegetables at home we can supplement these with store-bought staples like bread, milk, cheese and meat. This would at least give us a fall-back; a supply of food if the shops' supplies run low. There are other benefits to growing your own food, like the health benefits involved in being outside, physical labour and knowing what is in your food. It’s also cheaper to grow a proportion of your own food, especially herbs which are easy to grow just about anywhere (a window sill will do).

Using permaculture methods, only a quarter acre of land is required to feed a family of four (or more depending on their diet). Perhaps if we all ate a bit less meat and cheese then we could manage more of our own survival? When the world goes to hell in a handbasket I want to have a healthy vegie patch instead of queueing with the brawlers for a loaf of bread. 

That reminds me, my vegie patch is pretty dead right now... it needs some winter TLC.

It doesn’t take a lot of money or energy to get started, what would encourage you to grow some food? Or what have you had success with?

Make it Yourself

Today it’s time to lighten the mood.

Yesterday I came across this hilarious gif while perusing my daily blogs (thanks PoppyTalk!):

This cracked me up so completely (I know, simple things!) that it inspired me to write about Crafty types (like the person who made this gif) and the DIY ethos in anarchism.

Crafty people are cool. Controversial statement, I’m sure, but even if everything crafty people make isn’t cool (crochet doilies perhaps?) then just the fact that person is making something original, by hand, is very cool.

The survivalist in me thinks that we ALL need to learn more hands-on skills ourselves, in order to survive the coming apocalyptic post-peak-oil-global-warmed society that will one day befall us. But even if you aren’t anticipating the downfall of society as we know it, there’s still a lot to be gained from a hands-on lifestyle.

Growing a proportion of your own food is a simple hands-on activity that can save you money and make you healthier, as you get exercise, nutrient rich food and fresh air. Making your own clothes allows you to source your own ethical materials and create off-the-rack or unique items for a low cost.

Similarly, building (or even designing) your own furniture means you can create what you need for your own specific site. If you learn upholstery you can re-cover that great couch instead of taking it to the tip and buying a new one. Want to go one step further? Learn how to build and maintain your own tools, and you can create anything.

The potential for creating whatever you need is exponential when you consider 3D printing. Do you need a part? Just create it. Do you need a tool? Again, just create it. There are open-source designs available for building, by hand, the equipment required for ‘starting a civilization’, including how to build a basic tractor, welder, engine and power supply. See Global VillageConstruction Set for more info.

With the ability to fulfill our own needs, we no longer have to rely on the state or corporate institutions. You may ask “Why would I bother? Why shouldn’t I rely on my government and corporations fulfilling my needs?” and the answer has been given repeatedly all over the world, when things go wrong the institutions look after themselves.

Look at all the austerity measures in Europe with social services being cut back relentlessly, while the bankers who caused the crash are still claiming their million dollar bonuses. Of course, pensions and superannuation can be lost at any time when some ‘rogue’ trader blows your entire pension fund on a cocaine-fuelled gambling trading spree (there's always a 'rogue' trader when they describe it on the news, to pretend the whole stock market isn't one big casino).

So after 40 years of service to society as a good employee your pension disappears at the last minute and you’re asked to work another 10 years to make ends meet.

Of course the corporate institutions have even less to gain from making sure you have your needs fulfilled. It is their job to make you want things you haven’t got, and to make you buy those things. As long as the shareholders are profiting then human rights, ecological awareness and ethical trading aren’t even considered.

There is an alternative to working your entire life for someone else, just to have your pension disappear, you can learn to look after yourself. You don’t need to do everything, that’s where communities of like-minded people come in; they learn from and help each other.

Start small. Plant some herbs in pots for your kitchen window, or learn how to sew. And who knows, you might even develop a passion for doing something creative, and find an alternative source of income from wage slavery. And it’s not like all our creations need to be sensible or serious. Take for instance the amazing talents of this lady who created the quilt shown below.

http://stlouisfolkvictorian.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/pixelingthe-finaleotherwise-known-as.html

What funny/crazy/creative thing have you come across lately? Add a link below and share. 

The birth of AnnaKist Ideas

Why AnnaKist ideas?

First, a little bit of history...

For two years I trained with Perth Roller Derby as Fresh Meat. My roller skating skills were pretty much zero when I started out. The last time I had worn a pair of roller skates was when I was about 11 years old (hmmm about 25 years ago).

But it looked like a fun sport to try out, I'm not overly competitive but I do have aggressive tendencies that are helped by physical exercise. A combination of skating AND bashing people about? I would learn to skate to be allowed to do that!

The first year my skating improved immensely but I still dropped out of Fresh Meat as the training sessions ramped up. I don't know why but I would find excuses not to go - work was an easy one because I was a shift worker at the time and trying to fit a scheduled training routine around shift work was harder than I thought.

But other women managed it so I knew it was no excuse really. Then the second year I put my all into the training and it paid off when my skating skills went through the roof, but as the number of training sessions you needed to attend increased, the same thing happened. I dropped out because I couldn't manage the shift work/training regime balance.

When I tried to enroll for Fresh Meat a third time, perhaps unsurprisingly, I found my emails were no longer replied to. I had failed. After a bit of a grieving (my method of grieving usually involves getting angry, then getting depressed, then drinking red wine to excess - bad girl) I realised that the Perth Roller Derby team needed people with a LOT more grit and determination than I was bringing to the table.

They are trying to grow a sport of dedicated team players who are going to give their utmost to play and improve the sport. I was just not that into it all. I loved the skating, loved the dressing up, loved the other crazy people there but I wasn't willing to hand over hours of my own time to improve the sporting league.

So what did I get out of it all? HEAPS! I realised that to be a roller derby girl you have to be hard-core committed. Kudos to all of you who made it! And personally, I discovered that I put a lot more value on my time with Mike and the dogs than I'd previously known.

Mike is my other half, we've been together over 11 years (and counting) and we have two amazing dogs. One of the reasons I tried to join a roller derby league is because I was actively looking for new friends who don't have children. Mike and I are not planning to have children, and all our friends are in the 2 or 3 baby range (bar a handful), and it gets harder and harder to catch up with friends regularly, or even chat on the phone with your friends as they're juggling multiple children at the same time.

So although I didn't make it into the league, roller derby increased my confidence to talk to new people. Wow it can be hard making new friends as an adult! But I have made one really good friend since that experience and it was all worth it just for her. xx

And lastly, I discovered my alter ego Anna Kist! 

Anna Kist was my roller derby name and I only came up with it during my second year of fresh meat after listening to The Sex Pistols... "I am an Anarchist!" and the light bulb went on over my head. I AM an anarchist. Anna Kist became my roller derby name then and there, and my alter ego in 'real' life too.

Tomorrow I'll continue on with some more anarchist ideas. Please drop in and leave your thoughts too! xx

Modern Anarchy

It came to me in a flash last night what links all my my favourite topics. 
I listed them yesterday as:

Self-sustainable living
Fashion: with a heavy leaning toward Rockabilly and Vintage

Sewing and other D.I.Y.

Anarchism and Self-Management

Practicing Buddhism

Being Vegetarian (I’m a vegan wannabe)

Dogs and Animal Welfare

Permaculture

Running and other awesome sports like roller derby

Alternative lifestyles

and I'm kind of giving the answer away in the title here but .... what links all my my favourite topics?

Anarchy

You see, I don't think of anarchy as something that scary people in black hoodies do, that usually involves breaking windows, blowing things up or worse. 

Anarchy to me is all about self-management. Empowerment of the people.

And we're all people, right? Like-minded people are perfectly good at getting together, forming communities and managing themselves.

Amazingly enough neighbouring communities are often willing to negotiate, be compassionate and look out for each other, even when their governments are unwilling to do so.

Look at all the grass-roots campaigns in Israel and Palestine where people are trying to bridge the gap themselves.

I know that's an idealistic example, but being an anarchist isn't all about 'fuck-ing the po-lice' or 'the fascist regime'. To me, it's about being responsible for yourself and your actions, in a way that doesn't rely on the government, the police, or anyone to tell you how to behave.

That's why trying to produce as much of your own food as possible is modern anarchy. 

YOU look after YOU.

Similarly, buying second-hand or vintage clothing (or making your own clothes) is a form of separating yourself from the birth-consumer-death cycle that most of us are in. If you aren't a 'consumer' of cheap crap from the likes of Walmart, Target, Big W etc. then their lobbying power over your government is lessened as is the likelihood of the tragic incident in Bangladesh this week.

OK, I'm definitely sliding off topic now...

But I do believe that the more self-sufficient we are, and the more conscious our consumer choices are, the better the world will be. And that, to me, is modern anarchy.

Leave a comment below. What do you think anarchy is and does it have a place in modern society?

First Post Introduction

Inspired by Leo Babauta from ZenHabits I am hereby beginning an attempt to write every day (well, at least every WEEK day). Encouraged to give my rambling thoughts some sense of order I decided to start this blog.

I don’t feel like a ‘natural’ blogger because I am quite a shy person at heart. Also my only previous experience ‘writing’ has been in a diary I kept as a child/teen and some essay writing for various courses I have studied over my life.

See? Already I want to go back and delete the previous paragraph. My inner voice is being critical; “who cares?” and “you don’t write well enough to be interesting”.

Well, it’s a start. I’ve actually considered writing a blog before, but what to write it about? Lack of topics isn’t exactly a problem for me, I have varied interests but compartmentalise my life to such a degree that combining all these topics had just not crossed my mind. That is, until now.

So I will be attempting to blog about these subjects which are close to my heart (these are NOT in any kind of order):

Self-sustainable living

Fashion: with a heavy leaning toward Rockabilly and Vintage

Sewing and other D.I.Y.

Anarchism and Self-Management

Practicing Buddhism

Being Vegetarian (I’m a vegan wannabe)

Dogs and Animal Welfare

Permaculture

Running and other awesome sports like roller derby

Alternative lifestyles

I’m sure there is a lot of ground I will cover otherwise too, as this process unfolds.

Most of all I want to be honest. Honest with you and honest with me. I haven’t always been honest to myself, or those who love me. I want to lose the fear I have of ‘everything coming out’, I don’t know why but I’m afraid if I truly let people get to know me, then they won’t like me anymore.

So I have ‘work’ friends and ‘girl’ friends and ‘couple’ friends but only a handful of people in the world know all the dark parts about me that I usually gloss over. They are the people who have seen me at my worst and have stuck around. True friends. I’m lucky to have even a handful of such amazing people.

Let me finish by introducing some of my favourite blogs/sites of the moment:

The Rockabilly Girl Next Door

ZenHabits

No Meat Athlete

JuliaBobbin

PLEASE feel free to leave any comments, good or bad, all criticism is welcome and will be taken constructively. OK, for total honesty, I will attempt to take all criticism constructively, but if I feel any rage rising I'll go back and read one of my favourite ZenHabits on A Method for Beating Anger, then I'll come back and reply from a better mental place. xxx