The concepts “anarchism” and “anarchist” became household terms during the Republican National Convention  this fall. The reporting on the protests that occurred during the convention, made it clear that any crime could be attributed to so-called “anarchists”.  Most reporting reinforced the popular belief that anarchists are nihilists and prefer chaos to any kind of organization. Images of broken windows are trash-strewn streets were used to bolster the claim that anarchists don’t stand for anything save for destruction and mayhem. It is no wonder that when anarchism is portrayed in this way, people get angry and judgmental.  Chaos is scary.

Unfortunately, this caricature couldn’t be further from the truth, and the reporting did little in the way of explaining what anarchism actually is.  Nor did did it dispel misinformation about what anarchists hope to achieve.  Anarchism, a political philosophy, has a long history of fighting (mostly nonviolently) for personal liberation from all forms of oppression, state or otherwise. If you are interested in the history of anarchism, please watch this film “Anarchism in America“.  It nicely demonstrates its thoughtful and humanist philosophy, and makes the argument that anarchist ideals are dear to the American ethos.