American exceptionalism is a real problem in an area where one might least expect it: anarchist circles.
Hell, doing an audit of my own head I found some residue there.
The scary thing is, this brainwash is likely not an accident, but by design. Let me explain.
Before getting too deep into this, I’d like to take a look at some facts. Before that, though, let’s do an audit. If you are an anarchist, please note your internal reactions to the following statements:
John F. Kennedy was a terrorist, no better than Osama Bin Laden, or any other MSM “bogeyman.”
The United States sanctions against Venezuela enacted by Barack Obama heavily aided in the country’s financial collapse. It wasn’t just “because socialism.”
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were not anarchists and owned/kept other humans against their will.
The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the single largest terrorist bombings the world has ever witnessed.
The United States of America is the world’s largest extremist terrorist country.
Okay. Now. How does your stomach feel? Did you have a knee-jerk, emotional reaction to these statements? I did. It’s called programming, and it runs deep. The thing is, no real anarchist should have much of an issue with any of these statements and their general meanings.
The fact is, that JFK did escalate the conflict in Vietnam, approved the creation of “strategic hamlets” (internment camps), and the napalming of thousands of innocent human beings, as well as the destruction of food supplies and farms.
STATIST/BRAINWASHED ANARCHIST REBUTTAL: But communism was spreading over there! He had to stop it!
Wait a second. Aren’t you an individualist anarchist, who respects and understands individual self-ownership? Why are you now advocating blanket force against an entire region of people, none of whom had personally violated JFK, and thousands upon thousands of whom who had violated no one?
NEXT.
The fact is, that Barack Obama issued an executive order in 2014 (more US empire building/interventionism) effectively beginning the starvation and real collapse of the Venezuelan economic system. It cannot simply be blamed on “socialism,” as such. Canada is a socialist paradise now and is not in the same state of afffairs. Why not? The American government isn’t starving Canada via sanctions.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro denounced the sanctions as an attempt to topple his government. At the end of a thundering two-hour speech, Maduro said he would seek decree powers to counter the “imperialist” threat, and appointed one of the sanctioned officials as the new interior minister.
Declaring any country a threat to national security is the first step in starting a U.S. sanctions program. The same process has been followed with countries such as Iran and Syria, U.S. officials said.
Let the above quotation sink in. And look at the other nations sanctioned. They are always those which reject the US dollar, and/or have rich oil or natural resource reserves. It doesn’t take a fucking mentalist to figure out what is going on. Qaddafi’s dead. Hussein is dead. Only the American terrorists like Barack Obama receive Nobel Peace Prizes.
I have a friend who has worked for major banks who attested to this. He personally had to oversee freezing assets and cancelling accounts of Venezuelan customers after Barack Obama issued this order.
(More information here, and here.)
STATIST/BRAINWASHED ANARCHIST REBUTTAL:
(This one comes from a major figure involved in Anarchapulco)
What are you, some kind of communist!?
No address of this lunacy is really necessary. Of course socialism is shit, but why turn a blind eye to reality? Why? Programming. So many folks in anarchist circles are still nationalists. There is a reason for this which I will address at the end of this article. It’s a very insidious tactic that is being employed.
NEXT.
So many anarchists love to quote the “Founding Fathers” and one prominent figure in the “liberty movement” especially, who falsely calls himself a Voluntaryist, loves to quote and refer back to the men of America’s revolutionary founding era. This individual is also running for president, not surprisingly. He is not alone, however. Anarchists across the board tend to gloss over and sanitize human rights abuses when “America” is the perpetrator.
The fact is, almost all of these quoted and idolized historical figures owned other human beings even though they demanded that they themsleves be free from colonial rule. In short, they were hypocrites of low emotional intelligence and believed it was okay to own other humans. Why they should be classified as “heros” and “patriotic anarchists” is beyond me. Wait. No, it’s not. Brainwash is the culprit again.
STATIST/BRAINWASHED ANARCHIST REBUTTAL:
They may have owned slaves, but everyone did at that time! Their ideas were still revolutionary and gave birth to the greatest and most free country this world has ever seen!
No address needed here. This is not an anarchist or voluntaryist-compatible position. But hey, as future “not-president” hopeful Adam Kokesh (a prominent figure in the “liberty movement”) claims, we can still be united under “American values!”
Who knows what the hell those are? I think what he really means is Voluntaryist values, some of which were held by these “founding fathers.” He has to say “American Values” to garner political support, I imagine. Many defenders of Kokesh say he is getting the “anarchist message” out to the masses. Well, if the anarchist message means nationalist bullshit propaganda and a bastardized version of “liberty,” then sure.
Here’s a sweet still from his latest promotional video. Yes, it is really him doing pull-ups superimposed over an American flag. Watch it for the laugh factor if nothing else, but make no mistake. This type of subtle programming is insidious in nature and in many instances (not necessarily Adam's) intentional. Intentional or not, the damage done to liberty is the same.
NEXT.
The fact is, that over 129,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the two bombings which occurred at Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August, 1945. We are told to “never forget” the terrorism of September 11th, 2001, but to say “Meh,” to the terrorist bombings of August, 1945, which were drastically more deadly and horrific in scale. This is not even to mention the carpet bombings which also were perpetrated in Japan, killing around 100,000 civilians and displacing 1,000,000.
Whoops. So much for “American values.”
STATIST/BRAINWASHED ANARCHIST REBUTTAL:
They had no choice! We’d all be speaking German right now if these bombs hadn’t ended the war!
“They?”
Japan was repeatedly making overtures to surrender which were ignored by US officials. These bombings were a display of power and a sick experiment. Any bomb which would have killed even one non-violent human being is illegitimate as per Voluntaryist ethics and individual self-ownership. This was a massive terrorist act. Stalin, Pol Pot, Truman.
Funny. More muscles and American flaggotry.
NEXT.
Endless foreign invasions. Hundreds and hundreds of millions dead. Birth defects. Mutilation. Starvation. This is the “USA.”
Why are anarchists glossing over these things?
There is a reason that John Stossel is still on TV. There is a reason that the CATO institute is so popular. There is a reason that attendees of popular anarchist conferences such as Anarchapulco love their two-minutes hate catharsis aimed at “socialism!” It allows them to still be on a "football team" and not think for themselves, whilst simultaneously feeling they are anti-government rebels. The truth is, they are neutralized ideologically, and due to their programming, can never really break out of the thought-control box. This is a happy thing for the state.
Trace most mainstream libertarian think-tanks and groups back to their sources and headquarters and you will find they have very real connections to Washington, D.C. What better means to control opposition than to lead the opposition? Sure they speak great truths. What is whispered in the other ear is deadly, however. If you don't believe me, Google the locations of groups like CATO and their headquarters. Ask yourself why "libertarian" mainstream media figures such as Jon Stossel are quick to blame socialism, but not to call out the actions of American leaders as is the case with Obama's sanctions on Venezuela. Ask yourself why you cannot ask these questions without being called a statist or a communist. Ask yourself why certain media figures are immediately fired or disposed of after speaking out, and others are allowed to remain. Ask yourself why certain libertarian "activists" never get real jail time, while others are killed or sentenced to life in prison, like Ross Ulbricht. These are common sense questions. They are uncomfortable, but necessary.
The tactic is insidious: dangle a piece of juicy pure anarchist meat and philosophy on a string and get those hungering for freedom, acceptance, and love to salivate. Then, while they are distracted whispered veiled statist propaganda into their ear:
Socialism is always to blame (not US violence)
Dictators are to be maligned (except US dictators and historical “heroes”)
Anyone who disagrees with you is a communist.
See what you have there? A nice big honey trap of anarchists who will now never be truly dangerous. Got their pot. Got their guns. Feeling accepted. And all the while still pushing forth the subtle narrative that the American state is better than others. They’ve been neutralized.
I am not asserting that every single group or individual is a statist operative. I am only pointing out the fact that the brainwash and infiltration are very real. Please audit yourself, and keep going until nothing is left but self-ownership and natural law. I will be doing the same.
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DLive and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)