Politics : Writing anarchists in fiction

Writing anarchists in fiction

How do you make anarchism make sense in the anarchist's head?

Characters want to tear down the current social structure, okay, that's what Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia want, but that's not wanting a social structure where no one's in charge.

'(sigh) We humans are stupid egotistical self-deluded beings'

Post deleted

This message has been deleted.

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

This wasn't intended to be a philosophy question, I'm writing a novel and I have a secondary villain who might just be posing as an anarchist for personal gain or genuinely believe in it, depending on which best suits the story.

Sidenote: I'll look up that book.

'(sigh) We humans are stupid egotistical self-deluded beings'

Post deleted

This message has been deleted.

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

I don't think you grasp the topic. I already know a bit about anarchism and some historical and fictional anarchists, what I wanted was to have a conversation.

'(sigh) We humans are stupid egotistical self-deluded beings'

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

Anarchy is a bottom up movement started by those people unable to gain status by navigating the current hierarchical structure. There are no billionaire anarchists.

When you think about it, anarchists are power crazy people who want to tear down the current hierarchy because it's easier to impose their own when there isn't already one in place.

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

So you're saying there are no "true believers" (who want an Earth without monarchs etc. because they believe it would be an improvement), there are only "posers" (who want the local establishment overthrown for their own gain)?

'(sigh) We humans are stupid egotistical self-deluded beings'

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

Yes. If you want to write a three dimensional character, have them learn this for themselves during their attempt to destroy the system. An important part of any story is that turning point we all love when the hero realises they don't want what they think they want. It works equally well with the villain.

Most of us don't know what we want, we only think we know.

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

I had been thinking about that but I still don't have the sense of it, of how it ever made sense to them to begin with.

'(sigh) We humans are stupid egotistical self-deluded beings'

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

It's basic psychology. If I were you I'd dig into it a little more before taking your story down that path. Spend some time researching.

ETA: People often know what they don't want, rarely do they know what they do want. Anarchists don't like the current status quo and instead of trying to edit it they think the answer is to simply erase it and start again. It's irrational, but there you go.

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

Oh, I'm not taking the whole story down that path, this is just for a secondary villain's motivation (who is manipulated by the primary villain).

It's like if I were writing an internal monologue for um, who to use… Bane in The Dark Knight Rises that doesn't boil down to "Talia so charismatic, Talia so wise, Bane do what Talia say, Bane most loyal there is!", it makes a kind of internal sense.


EDIT: Maybe I'm being too vague. I mean that this character isn't a loyal lapdog or a rabid wolf but either actually believes anarchism is better for the world or is just putting up that front for a scheme.

'(sigh) We humans are stupid egotistical self-deluded beings'

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

Sounds like you have a plan. Hope it goes well.

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

Well, no, I'm just describing why I put up this thread.

'(sigh) We humans are stupid egotistical self-deluded beings'

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

Amen!

As the saying goes: "A Libertarian is an anarchist with money."



😺 Schrodinger's Cat walks into a bar, and doesn't. 🤨 Let's go, Brandon! 🤨 Try that in a small town.

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

No clue, sorry. Good luck on your book. Please keep us posted on its progress.



😺 Schrodinger's Cat walks into a bar, and doesn't. 🤨 Let's go, Brandon! 🤨 Try that in a small town.

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

Anarchism is not chaos. Syndical anarchism is an ordered system which replaces a powerful central government with worker's syndicates which control industry.

There's nothing chaotic about that. It just eliminates a powerful oligarchy, which even republics like the U.S. and Britain have essentially become. And it takes away power from the 1% of wealth horders.

Administrator
"filmboards is a bold experiment in free speech and anarchy"
I GameBoy

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

I see, that's interesting.

'(sigh) We humans are stupid egotistical self-deluded beings'

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

"Syndical anarchism." Doesn't scale beyond a local bakery. Past that it replicates a democratic bakery republic, at best, just with different interest groups but it is entirely bakeries this time around. Not saying it wouldn't make a fascinating novel, graphic or otherwise, if you are into bread. Yes, it is true, if every rotten hippie involved likes bread and wants to bake bread then a bakery co-op will run smooth as silk. But do not extrapolate from that. Axiom 1: The world is not a bakery. Reality is not an oven.

Re: Writing anarchists in fiction

Lame analogy. Syndical anrachism is designed for industrial production. It actually might not work as well with small family owned businesses like bakeries. Lol.

It's basically built on the concept of labor unions. It merely shifts power from the state and corporations to worker's syndicates. Sorry, you can't have your cake until you really address the issue.

Administrator
"filmboards is a bold experiment in free speech and anarchy"
I GameBoy
Top