"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." ~ H.L. Mencken
A Proof of Anarchy: The Rulers Themselves
Column by Paul Bonneau.
Exclusive to STR
Day after day we read that cops or other minions of the ruling class never suffer any legal consequences for various and sundry vile actions on their part. No doubt you can find an example today and every day among the Strike The Root articles.
One working definition of government might as well be, “those people for whom the laws do not, in any real sense, apply.”
It struck me after reading one of these articles, that the rulers are themselves leading an anarchic existence! No law applies to them. Yet, they do not experience chaos in their personal lives. They do not murder their fellows over disagreements.
Of course this is not a perfect proof of anarchy, because there are in fact millions who have been murdered by the rulers, primarily those rulers in the United States in recent years. But let us not forget, this is an anarchic society of criminals, psychopaths and sociopaths. The worst do indeed get on top, as Hayek noted. It would be entirely unrealistic to expect such a society, full of evil bastards drunk on power, not to use it badly. Ordinary people in the same position probably would not be quite so lethal to innocent others.
Also, humans are tribal. Those outside the tribe do have to watch out. No matter who is in the tribe of rulers, those outside that tribe must always be at risk. The remedy is to join another tribe with some teeth....
But still, one gets some sense that the rulers do prove anarchy. They do not usually murder and rape their associates. For those others they do murder, rape and torture, it’s not anarchy that is at fault, but the power they have over others. Disparities in power seem to be the true enemies of an anarchic existence.
If this is so, it would behoove anarchists to get their hands on some, to start reducing this disparity.
(1 vote)
Comments
I should have said, "Disparities in power seem to be the true enemies of a PEACEFUL anarchic existence."
"The worst do indeed get on top, as Hayek noted", or, as the saying goes, "sh*t floats".