Everyday Anarchism

This week's episode is an interview with Professor Leonard Williams, a professor of political science, crossword puzzle constructor, and author of the new book, Black Blocks, White Squares: Crosswords with an Anarchist Edge. Join me and Professor Williams for a discussion of that book, plus the anarchist nature of 60s protests, the forces driving the rebirth of anarchism in the 21st century, and even the anarchist nature of constructing and solving crossword puzzles. You can get the book at your local bookstore, or directly from the publisher, AK Press: https://www.akpress.org/blackblockswhitesquares.htmlIf any of you are interested in constructing some of your own puzzles, here are some resources from Professor Williams:Free construction software: - Crosshare https://crosshare.org/ Construction tips and help - Cruciverb.com https://www.cruciverb.com/index.php And if you're interested in more resources, visit this episode on the Everyday Anarchism Website

Science is real! At least that's what my neighbor's sign says. But what does it mean to claim that science is real? Aren't lots of things real?In this episode, I argue that "science is real" is a claim that science isn't just real, it has access to a higher reality, one that nonscientists aren't allowed to argue with. This means science isn't just real, it's the boss. Which isn't very anarchist.Luckily for us, though, scientists and the scientific process don't actually work this way. How does science work? Anarchism.

In this Q&A episode, I respond to questions about voting, juries, and other elements of the political process. Tune in to hear how I think we can use parts of the political process, like voting and the justice system, to try to make the world a more anarchist place. I also answer two questions about David Graeber, in anticipation of his new book, The Dawn of Everything, coming out this week!View this post on the Everyday Anarchism Website here.

Now that Jesus Christ is out of the way, we can study Jesus of Nazareth, the anarcho-communist who hated property, encouraged his followers to share everything together, and sent the rich to hell without even thinking about it. Our guide to this Jesus is Walter Rauschenbusch, whose bold claim for Jesus as a socialist in the early 20th century reverberated around the world. This Jesus actually thought the last could be first. And he didn't have much time for lawyers, philosophers, priests, judges, emperors, and anyone else who held power.www.everydayanarchism.com

In this episode, I dive into the definition of anarchism. Are the street fighters of the black bloc "really" "anarchists"? Is cooperation really all it takes to be an "anarchist"? Why even bother with this dangerous term "anarchism" anyway? Was Tolstoy even an "anarchist"?If you want to skip to a specific question:01:50 - Do everyday anarchists and black bloc anarchists even believe the same thing?23:35 - Where does the word anarchism come from? Couldn't we just use "mutual aid" or even "cooperation"?28:20 - Why use the word anarchism when it's so associated with violence and chaos? Doesn't that just require lots of explanation?33:20 - Why call Tolstoy an anarchist? Wasn't he a spiritual revolutionary, not a political one?I make multiple references to Ruth Kinna's magisterial history and theory of anarchism, The Government of No One. Professor Kinna is scheduled to appear on the show in December; in the meantime, here's a link to the book: The Government of No One

Jesus of Nazareth was an anarchist. But he doesn't get talked about too much by Christians. Instead, Christians tend to focus on Jesus Christ, who was made up by the Romans more than 300 years after Jesus died. I'll talk about the anarchist Jesus of Nazareth next time; this week is all about how a visionary, anti-clerical, anti-imperial, anarcho-communist mystic became a vessel for clerical and imperial power.According to Nietzsche, our story starts with the Greek philosopher Plato and ends up in the Roman Catholic church. Plus I'll tell you how George Washington and Dwight D. Eisenhower fit into the picture!https://www.everydayanarchism.com/

In this Q&A episode, I devote most of the time to the question of vaccine mandates. Also included are:0:20 - New website, and updates about the podcast's growth and how to support it. Go to www.everydayanarchism.com!4:40 - Should anarchists support vaccine mandates?31:15 - What's the connection between anarchism and utopia (featuring quotes from Oscar Wilde)38:55 - Do states hate anarchism because they are afraid it will work (featuring quotes from Ian Forrest)

Marriage is a patriarchal, capitalistic tool of oppression. But John Milton, the man who made Satan a revolutionary hero, suggested that marriage could be rendered empowering, not oppressive. By divorce! Join me for the everyday anarchism of divorce - as well as a brief history of patriarcho-capitalistic marriage and Emma Goldman's scathing condemnation of it. Also briefly discussed are the castle doctrine and its relationship to marriage, Frederick Douglass's condemnation of chattel slavery, and Michael Warner's critique of gay marriage.

Tolkien expert and fellow podcaster Sam Brock joins me for a discussion of Tolkien's anarchism! In my attempts to convince Sam that anarchism is the true hero of The Lord of the Rings, we discuss Ents as eco-terrorists, the Shire as a conservative anarchist utopia, Aragorn as a monarch who never governs, and power as the true villain.Check out Sam's podcast, Quenya Questions in Quarantine, if you want to go deep into the backstory of The Lord of the Rings with Sam and his cohost Raleigh: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AOvC2rYiJjK9yUGpNYxA7

I answer a question about Tolkien's anarchism, then a series of questions about anarchism, everyday anarchism, and why they matter! Featuring Tolkien's environmentalism, a conventional definition of libertarianism and an anarchist definition of libertarianism, discussion of Robert Nozick and Abdullah Öcalan, Kurdistan, the Paris Commune, the Spanish Civil War, and more!

Tolkien was an anarchist. So was Gandalf. In fact, anarchism is the hero of The Lord of the Rings - or at least, I think so.

In this episode, I answer listener questions, like: Would anarchism actually work? Do we have rights under anarchism? If everything is anarchism, doesn't that mean nothing is anarchism? My examples come from the Iliad, Shakespeare, and Hannah Arendt. Keep the questions coming to [email protected]!

In this episode, I introduce the idea that anarchism is all around you and you're using it every day. In fact, there's nothing more everyday - more normal, decent, and regular - than anarchism. Cooperation, or mutual aid, is how we structure our lives. And when we find alternatives to cooperation (like competition, commercialism, or coercion), we see that those alternatives are actually versions of cooperation, not alternatives to it.Not convinced? Give it a listen. And share your thoughts with me at [email protected] !