Saturday, August 21, 2010

Security, Anarchy, and Freedom











In the last blog post, we told some stories about the government and how it impacts our everyday lives. Let's talk about anarchy in this post.

Anarchy, which as we mentioned in class is the absence of hierarchy, is an ideal concept. We can never find pure anarchy in 'real' life.



Conditions in contemporary Somalia, however, offer an approximation to 'real' anarchy.

Somalia has been consistently ranked as the worst failed state on the Failed States Index published annually by Foreign Policy magazine and Freedom House recently said that in Somalia there is little protection of individual rights.

Yet, Benjamin Powell says:

It is hard to call any country mired in poverty an economic success. Yet by most measures Somalia’s poverty is diminishing and Somalia has improved living standards faster than the average sub-Saharan African country since the early 1990s. In that sense Somalia is at least a relative success story. The most interesting part of Somalia’s success is that it has all been achieved while the country has lacked any effective central government.

For many, the “A” word—anarchy—conjures up notions of chaos. For others it simply means the absence of a single government ruling a geographic area. In this second sense, Somalia has been in a state of anarchy since the fall of Siad Barre’s dictatorship in 1991. The result has been, in general, economic development rather than chaos—although there certainly have been chaotic periods. The interesting questions are how has development been promoted and what has caused the chaos.




In the film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, many people are heavily armed. No government means no police. In Somalia and post-Apocalyptic Australia alike, people must provide for their own security. Life, you might optimistically say, would be filled with surprise, action, and a level of risk beyond what most of us have ever experienced. Less optimistically, like Thomas Hobbes, we might say that life would be "solitary, nasty, brutish and short."

At the same time, the anarchy of Somalia and the anarchy of The Road Warrior is not chaotic. In post-Apocalyptic Australia, for instance, Lord Humongous as a following. He's clearly in charge and his band of marauders provide a level of collective security not available to most people living there. In Somalia, people are struggling in a more open and less structured fashion, but there is still a level of everyday order. Money is being made by some people and there is enough stability for some people to spend their money on goods (e.g. food, fuel, clothing) and services (e.g. pirating is a service that some people in Somalia provide).

What do you think? Does a place like the anarchical Somalia or post-Apocalyptic Australia have something to offer that a governed society lacks? Does less government and less publicly provided security mean more freedom? Would you rather be secured by police officers that sometimes take liberties with their jobs, or would you rather be secured by Somalian technicals like those shown in the pictures above? Is the freedom that Mad Max has to roam the landscape worth the risk of anarchy? Is it 'really' freedom at all?

65 comments:

  1. There seems to be no freedom at all with a lack of government and stability. Even though we think the absence of authority and the ability to govern ourselves seems like an ideal philosophy, we would also have to provide our own security and alliances if we're to survive in such a state. In my opinion, giving up our provided laws and rights for the demise of policing would only seem to cause more harm than tranquility. If one was to produce a crop or earn any kind of good, what would happen if it were to be destroyed or taken away by outside invaders or other forms of destruction? Anything that you would possibly make has the chance of being taken away, which makes the idea of anarchy hard to rely on. Even if an anarchical society took place, a leader would emerge above everyone else and groups would develop just as they do in Mad Max. A natural outcome of people interacting together results in a government by nature, so how can there be a state of anarchy if a leader and his followers result regardless? Sure there would be excitement and risk without stability, but at what cost? There would be no police to protect you if you were robbed or a soldier to fight for your freedom as an individual. We would have to take matters into our own hands as vigilantes to survive. In the end, I don't believe that living a life of chaos would be the right idea to maintain stability in today's world.

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  2. Although I believe that anarchy may be ideal I myself would rather be protected by police officers who may abuse their power at time. I would rather know that if I have a problem that there will be someone there to help. I do not like to be controlled but I do think that government in many cases prevents crime and keeps order, I am a person who likes order and to know for the most part what is going to happen. Kaos is not something that I could deal with on a daily basis having a "military" that drives around the country with guns on the back of a truck would not make me feel secure but instead would make me scared to walk down the street. This would make me more uneasy because when people feel as they are being controlled they are more likely to lash out

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  3. Every system comes with its own set of problems, but anarchy seems to just be one complicated mass of problems. Pretty much ANYTHING goes... there is nothing holding the type of people who would abuse a powerful position in a structured government from doing whatever they want. I don't feel that the lack of structure is really going to change the moral values of anyone... it will simply take away the boundaries that keep society in check. I base a lot of what I believe and what makes me feel secure on the structure of our society. I cannot really imagine anything I would like about anarchy. Any form of postive would be totally out-weighed by the negative. I value my freedoms and I maximize them, but I also REALLY value the rules that keep us safe. I dont particularly enjoy paying taxes or being pulled over for speeding... but I am a firm believer in their purpose for existing. I really feel like anarchy just leads to people taking a massive advantage over others. I'm not a fan of being taken advantage of, and I appreciate having a system that offers a mostly equal opportunity to live a comfortable life. I want to live in a system where people have to answer for their wrong doings. Without it I just feel unsafe.

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  4. While I believe that less government and less publicly provided security would mean more freedom, I don't think that anarchy is a good source of government for freedom. As much as I hate worrying about cops pulling me over or paying taxes, our form of government is safer. Government in general will always have faults, nothing can be perfect and even though we try, not everyone can happy with it. Some people might think that not having cops and not having to pay taxes would be great; to walk around without a care in the world, but others, like me, feel safe with those securities in place. Places that have anarchy, like Somalia don't have 'real' freedom. It's just a fault in their government.

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  5. I do not see anything that an anarchy could provide that would be better than having an established government other than the fact that you probably wouldn't have to pay taxes. Without government your freedom is pretty much striped away form you. You are not ensured safety. With a police force the likelyhood of something happening is less than it would if there were no consequence for your wrong doing. Would you want to walk down the street knowing there is a much higher change of getting attacked? Also, all the morals that we are shown as a child and grow up with will be less likely to impact us. The children will grow up without any morals and have no guilt. What would stop them from killing to get the things they want? Their parents would probably teach them how to shoot a gun before the age of ten.

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  7. As much as an Anarchy government might be ideal, I personally would not like to live in a country like that. Also after reading, it looks as though there is no freedom at all with the lack of stability and government. As much as I hate police, and as much as they abuse their jobs as Police officers, I would rather have them around all the time for protection. Lastly, Somalia doesn't have a real government, if they did they wouldn't constantly be at risk.

    Nicole Doxsee

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  8. I believe that while both anarchy and government have their pros and cons, personally, I’d feel much safer if I knew I had a government providing security. I’m all for personal freedom, but I’ve never seen an anarchy that really lives up to that. By taking away government power, power is sometimes put into the hands of people who have no interest in your personal safety, which doesn’t generate absolute freedom, it generates fear and danger. Some would argue that when the government provides you security through the police force or military, the power that they’re giving those individuals can be abused, but I’d still rather take the chance than have an anarchical system of looking out solely for myself.


    Erin Shaw

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  9. A place of anarchy does have something to offer, such as a different take on freedom, but it is not something that I am willing to exchange for our current government in the United States. To me, less government does not correlate with a greater sense of freedom but rather a much greater need for self-sufficiency and independence - there is a huge difference between these two concepts, in my mind. Independence means that you watch your own back because no one is going to watch it for you. I think this would be especially true in an anarchical society. Even if a pact is formed, such as the one in Mad Max, there is no law to enforce a stable agreement. At any moment, your agreed protectors could turn their backs or their weapons on you. In a governed society, there is more freedom because there is more security. In the end, most people will hold their own desires above those belonging to others. For example, one of the trainers at SeaWorld was recently attacked and killed by their killer whale companion during a show. As a result, SeaWorld was fined, the head of employee security was fired, and SeaWorld is still fighting to regain their good reputation. But what this means for our freedom is that we can feel secure in that if SeaWorld does not earn their reputation back, we feel safe not visiting SeaWorld, whereas if SeaWorld does prove itself to be reliable, we feel safe visiting their park. When it comes down to it, I would much prefer being protected by the police force than the Somalian technicals! When the police go wrong, we hear about it and they often pay for it. Somalian technicals can do whatever their hearts desire because no one is really there to enforce anything different. Granted the leader of the Somalian technicals can say as much as they want against one thing or another but if someone wanted to step up and kill the leader, they very well could. And then where would we be? If someone stepped up and killed the secretary of defense, there would be consequences.

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  10. In my opinion, living in a anarchical government would not necessarily mean that you would have more freedom. In anarchical governments the people do not have to abide by set rules. This lack of control and regulations throughout the government can turn into a bad situation very quickly. When living in a anarchical government you have the responsibility of protecting yourself as well as your family. This is a big responsibility to have without anyones help. So,in order to survive in a anarchical government like this people would have to develop alliances. With alliances you can help to keep eachother safe from harm but on the other hand something can always backfire and the people that you rely on can turn on you. I am personally in favor of having a government and rules to abide by because it helps to keep everyone in order and it helps to keep the people safe. Not having rules allows people the opportunity to steal someone's property, food or money without getting into trouble for it. People would have the ability to go and kill others without the fear of going to jail for it. There is no doubt that if there were no rules there would be a lot of chaos. Knowing this I would not feel safe to go anywhere alone if I was appart of an anarchical government. The development of leadership is a natural thing that happens everyday. Just like in Mad Max, the interaction of people would eventually end with a person naturally leading the people. There would also be formations of groups as well. This kind of action would not constitute a anarchical government. The natural authority and leadership that comes into play dictates that that government is not anarchical at all. Overall, I believe it is important to have a governed society over a anarchical governed society.

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  11. I agree with J. Anders in the sense that it is better to have police in place to keep the peace. I do NOT like chaos. Therefore, I like to know that when something happens, there will be a certain consequence for it. I think freedom is a GREAT thing but too much freedom just causes problems.

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  12. Some things would be nice about an anarchy, but i would much rather be controlled by a government. At least if something went wrong or I had a problem I would have someone to go to that would help me. If we didn't have government everything would be out of control. People could do anything they wanted with no consequences. It would be find of nice sometimes to be able to do things with out getting in trouble for them, but in the long run it is better to have people there when you need help with something.

    Megan Williams

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  13. Obviously living in an anarchical government would seem like people would have more freedom, but that's not necessarily the case. You also have to take in consideration that since there is no one necessarily taking "charge" of the country that you would have no gurantee security wherever you go. Personally I'd rather have the police protecting me than me having to protect myself 24/7. I feel as if an anarchical government doesn't offer more than a government with a hierarchy does. It causes more problems and everything is so unorganized. Maybe back in the day an anarchical government would've been a better choice but as of now I don't see it benefiting anything or anyone.

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  14. Anarchy in its truest from is Freedom. It is freedom from anyone controlling any aspect of your life. Anarchy puts you in control of your own destiny, gives you freedom to make any choice you want, and doesnt punish you or reward you for anything in life. Though many people crave freedom to do what they want, they dont see the full outcome of Anarchy. As shown in these pictures and in the Movie Mad Max, we see that living in a world with no structure and all the freedom in the world isnt really what its cooked up to be. Life in Anarchy is a rough place where you must watch your back every day and night, to protect what you have, and what you hold dearest to yourself. Living a life like that prevents you from having to the freedom to do things that in a structured civilization you would be able to do. If you must fight for survival day in and day out, you wont have the ability to do things like, learn, relax, read, play, do recreational things that in a society that tries to chew you up and spit you out, you cant possibly do. Therefore, in a world so full of anger and aggresion, your freedom to do things you wish to do, are still infringed upon, because you must always be aware of your saftey and the saftey of all that you care about. Freedom through Anarchy, is not freedom at all.

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  15. An anarchical government would cause nothing but problems for our society. Nothing would be accomplished and society would just fall apart. Society needs structure and a leader, and without that there would just be chaos. I for one like structure, and i enjoy walking down the street without getting robbed and mugged and having a structured government helps prevent that.

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  16. although anarchy does sound nice at times because we sometimes don't follow the rules. I think i'd rather be proteted by the law, someone who I know can help me if there is any trouble coming my way. The world these days needs the law to enforce rules because without athority people would have no sense of direction. or everything would be out of control.

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  17. Considering the idea of an anarchical society, it seems like it would nice to be able to do anything that you wish to do that you would be incapable in a government society. However, I feel that a governed society would be best for the people. With a governed society you always know that there will not as much chaos and you will be protected. If you live in a society where there is no government you could always live with the fear of not knowing or what’s going to come upon you. If someone barged into your home in an anarchical society and stole all of your stuff there wouldn’t be much you could do about it unless you went out and caught them yourself. With the structured government, most of the time the police enforcement and government can help you and use better techniques to hopefully find your belongings. Lastly, even though we have a structured government, the people still have freedom. Yes, there are restrictions that we have to follow but in the long run it is for the best of us.

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  18. I dont believe that there can be any kind of stable enviroment without government. There will always be some type of struggle for power not matter how disfunctional a country may be. I do think that Somalia has an idea to offer to us. If we could have more freedomn in the US and not feel so tied down and policed I believe we would live in a better world. However without rerstrictions and without the guidelines life would be chaos. There would be no line to draw between poor and rich because if the poor wanted to take from the rich there would be no one to stop them. Anarchy just cant work in a place like the US. I would much rather live a life with government then without like Somalia. I wouldnt want to live in fear for my life. Without the government there really is no freedom because you are not free from fear. I cant imagine the things people there must go through.

    Jessica Dant

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  19. I am extremely grateful to be living in this country.While I do understand how exciting it may appear to some to just be able to mame or kill the enemy, I would be very uncomfortable living in any country which did not have an organized government. I appreciate the fact that if I am in trouble I can call upon law enforcement officials for assistance.I would not want to carry a weapon in order to defend myself or my children.Although the people in Somalia may have grown accustomed to living by the old addage "an eye for an eye,"I am sure that this form of living can be troublesome and too stressful.While i do understand some Americans feel as if our government has become too nosey, I am glad it takes the time to insure we will be protected. I definitely do not view anarchy as any type of freedom. Those people live in fear, and I do not wish to live in this manner. Laura Remsburg

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  20. The anarchical Somalia and the post-Apocalyptic Australia offer more freedoms and liberties than that of a governed society. Less government and less publicly provided security does mean more freedoms over a well-structured government. I would rather have the securities of a police force; although they do use their job to their advantage, they still protect and serve the citizens. The freedom that Mad Max has is not worth the risk of anarchy because in an anarchist community, there is no order whatsoever. Because of this, the death toll would be superfluously high as well as the crime rate. This is not really much of a freedom at all.

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  21. Leaving in an Anarchy government is a disaster. It is a shame how police are corrupted to harm people in riots. There's a point in having this done but people in an economy need to have a say. Ived leaved in anarchy government and it isn't fun. Luckily i wasnt involved in riot but i don't understand why the police themselves refuses the bribes and petition against the government. They know thier families are harmed as a result of the bad choices the leader is making. This is the reason why the U.S is a great nation. Compared to an anarchy governemnt, everybody's voices in the U.S have say and in conclusion there is no police harm in riots unlike a dictated nation. Atleast the police know our human rights unlike an Anarchy government that does what it's government will is. I believe that, if the police in an anarchy government turned against the leader's rule, there will not be any harm or pain. It is sad how people tell against each other for a good cause. If peer policing wasn't involve in any of this anarchies countries, i could imagine no anarchy established. I am thankful to be in the U.S and hope that one day Cops in dictated nations come up to their senses and fight back at the government even if it means sacrifying people in this process. This is only for a good cause. Especially to impact our next generation to grow in a land with peace and justice with no fear. I know it is possible for every nation to be successful as the U.S, it just requires that one person to takes the risk which will likely have a positive result.

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  22. The benefit of living in an anarchical situation is the illusion of freedom and lack of authority. Once people have been put in the situation where they will decide what is freedom and what is not, we will have the same situation as we do now, just different aspects are exaggerated such as the violence and different means of policing that would come about while living in an anarchical environment. The only benefits from anarchy are the benefits you would create yourself. To have police officers currently enforcing the laws, despite the fact they may take liberties or abuse those powers sometimes, is a lot better than anarchy. The police officers today have people that police them so they do not become the violent, enforcing, and ruthless road warriors the people in post-Apocalyptic Australia have become due to the fear that if one doesn't strive to survive, they will die. When peoples lives are put on the line in any government situation, things will happen that one can't anticipate.

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  23. I strongly agree with Tom Neville. I feel that as you are living in an anarchial environment that you really aren't grasping or reaching freedom nor the benefits of an anarchy. I feel this because there is no structure or really a say in what you can do or how your actions can be misconstrued. I don't know if this can be relevant to what the blog is asking but I spent two weeks in Zacapa, Guatemala and witnessed poverty as in the pictures above and also saw how different government really is in a another country. It was life changing and made me grateful for the government we have in the United States. I feel that it would be a harder battle to survive without the government, and that freedom really isn't and will not be free for many reasons.

    Elizabeth Higgins

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  24. Elizabeth Higgins makes a great point about comparing the USA with other countries. If you travel outside the US to 3rd world countries, it can make one appreciate the government here. On the other hand, if you travel to wealthier countries in Europe (e.g. Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, etc), then you might well ask: why are there so many homeless people in the US? Why do people in the US work so many hours per week and never vacation? Why don't American employees have better health benefits and higher wages? Why are there so many murders in the US?

    Comparison can make one appreciate where one comes from and it can make one question the status quo where one comes from.

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  25. I feel that living in an anarchial type of situation sounds like a horrible idea. At first the sound of no authority sounds great but if you really think about it our day to day lives would change drastically.Just a simple thing like getting gas turns into all day event or like in Mad Max 2 there is a huge ongoing fight for it. There is no way that you
    can have a stable place to live without some sort authority figure. People need some sort of guidelines or rules to follow so there isn't any chaos. I have never been to anarchial place like Frank Oben Nguembou has but I have been to a couple 3rd world countries just like Elizabeth Higgins. You never really realize how comfortable you are walking down a nice clean, even sidewalk or street in the U.S. until you have walked down a street in a 3rd world country. The roads are horrible,there really isn't a sidewalk to speak of, fecal matter is everywhere, dead animals are laying the sidewalks from dying of starvation and to top it off you really can't carry a purse because you might get mugged. Now from what we have read and seen in class that is just child's play compared to what a real anarchical situation would be. Less government and less publicity does not mean more freedom.I would rather be secured by police officers that sometimes take liberties with their jobs than be secured by Somalian technicals like the ones that are shown in the pictures above. I don't want to have to worry about going out to the store or school wondering if I will make it back alive. I don't think that the freedom that Mad Max has to the roam the landscape is worth the risk of anarchy. Because it really isn't freedom at all.

    Christina Haag

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  26. I agree with Christina, I think when put in front of the option of Anarchy, you must admit that at first it may sound a little appealing. I mean think about it when you first hear about it, it's like "no government sweet, everyone complains about it anyway." but then you rethink the pros and cons. Why would someone want to live in absolute chaos? The idea of being "free and no government" may seem cool at first, but really I personally don't think so. Your everyday life would be competely changed, you wouldn't be able to trust anybody, your neighbors, your teachers, even your family. I don't feel like that is freedom, i feel like that would be hell.

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  27. I don't think I would like to live in anarchy. Even though the policemen and governement get on my nerves sometimes, I would much rather have a few minutes of annoyance than a lifetime of people running around doing whatever they want with no limits. I think that everyone would go completely crazy and that it would be like living in a jungle. I like that there are laws. Even though half the time they are not followed, I'm thankful that there are consequences and the law to punish the wrong.

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  28. Every government has its pros and cons but from my point of view and anarchy has limited pros and an endless number of cons. An anarchical society has very little to offer in my opinion. The people that live there have no security, no dependency, and no stability. I like the idea of waking up in the morning and not grabbing my hand gun on the way to class. I am willing to put up the police that I may not agree with at times because I favor the idea of security. We are not forced to protect ourselves without help and that allows us to get through our everyday lives with little or no paranoia that we are going to be harmed. When we begin to worry about our safety day to day less work gets done. As we saw in Mad Max it took an entire day to get gas but since we have authorities and a stable government with currency we can drive 5 minutes to a gas station and get our gas in 2 minutes. It is out of the ordinary to have chaos when do simple things unlike in an anarchical society where chaos seems regular. There is no stability and in situations like Mad Max there just seems to be chaos everywhere and not much of anything is getting done other than people fighting to stay alive and survive.

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  29. Any kind of government has its pros and cons. I do like the feeling of being safe with our government and not having to worry about being killed or overtaken by someone else everyday. although with an anarchy the law of the land is survival of the fittest. i do like this idea somewhat because it weeds out the weak and only the strong survive. But on the otherhand the ones closest to you may be weak and you would loose them also. With the government we have today you dont have to worry about the weak not surviving because our government will take care of them. Today's government also keeps us much more safe than an anarchy which offers little if any protection at all. So overall i think today's government offers a lot more good things that an anarchy but an anarchy does have some small positive aspects.

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  30. I am gad to be a USA citizen. I would not want to live in an anarchy society. The risk of living in the anarchy society are greater and out weigh the befenits of have total freedom. You would have to protect yourself everywhere you would go. You could not walk to the store without the chance of getting rape or rob. The government that the USA has might be hard in some way; like having to pay taxes, some of the laws are harsh like don't speed not even 5 miles over. But I feel very protected when I go for a walk, or take a ride in my car that the chance of me getting raped or robbed is very rare. I don't see why anyone would want to live in an anarchy society.

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  32. I believe we have no way of knowing if anarchy would be better than democracy because we've never experienced it in the real world. All we've seen is fictitious representations of what people think anarchy would be like. However in theory the freedom anarchy has to offer does sound like it would be nice, but not an effective way to live. It's too unpredictable and I personally would rather live in a orderly governed society were I at least believed everything was safe and secure. I think true freedom is something that each person should define for themselves and try to find on a personal level.

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  33. I do not feel as though a society living in anarchy has anything to offer that a governed society lacks. I wouldn't want to live in a place like Somalia, I like living in the U.S. I like the freedoms that I have come to know such as, not having to be scared to speak my mind. I would rather be secured by police officers who take liberties with their jobs, because for the most part they are just a phone call away.

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  34. In my opinion, an anarchist system would be possible to maintain a basic society. However, most of your time would be spent on collecting food and water. Leisurely activities would almost be nonexistent. You would almost always have to worry about the nessecities of life such as food and water. What anarchy lacks is the ability to progress other things such as an education or fine arts. A governing system is required so that people can progress past worrying about basic needs.

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  35. Although the absense of government at first sounds like the freedom to do whatever you want, you soon come to the conclusion that it also means everybody else can do what they want as well. Anarchy has potential to be very dangerous if the ones with the most power are not responsible, honorable people. In Mad Max, the marauders are the ones with the heavy artillery and surplus of resources. They work together to take what they want and cannot be stopped by anyone (so far; our class has not finished yet, but i'm sure the hero defeats them in the end). In this case anarchy is a terrible living environment. Having a government that has a few rules and standards you may not support is better than a constant struggle of survival and lack of protection on a day-to-day basis.

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  36. Although anarchy seems to be a great thing.. People at first thought may consider the idea quite cool. But if one were to actually think about it the idea seems rather absurd. I would prefer to live in a government that is controlled, even if it is by officials who seem to take their job overboard from time to time. Having a sense of security eliminates a lot of possible chaos that would result if we lived under anarchy.. No rules? Not cool. People would die.. the strong would survive, and more than likely most of the girls would die. . . unless they were some crazy looking chicks (like from Mad Max). But to be short and sweet, no. I would not want to live in anarchy, I never thought I would say this but I actually kinda sort of like the government (when we are discussing anarchy at least)!

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  37. Anarchical Somalia or post- apoclyptic Austrailia are places that are ravaged with hunger, insecurity, fear, oppression, and worry. I would never want to live there. I believe that yes the government can be overbearing at times but when that happens I try to think of what Somalia and Australia have to go through on a day to day basis and I feel blessed to live in the United States. Anarchy is a state of restlessness and ignorance. Given a choice I would choose the U.S. over anarchical Somalia or post-apocalyptic Australia any day.

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  38. Personally I don’t believe I would ever want to live in anarchy. In the reading “Why Government” it was said that most people struggle when living in anarchy, and those who do make it live in constant fear and constant threat. There would be no real freedom because you would be too afraid to do anything. I think I would rather live in a place where there are laws and government and police just so I know I can go to the gas station when I need to. I find comfort and somewhat security in knowing that if something bad happens I can call the police and they take care of it. In an anarchy there is no cops, either I dealt with it myself or just pretend it never happened. That isn’t a good way to live.

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  39. One of the only opportunities that a place like anarchical Somalia offers is for the concept of "survival of the fittest" to take place. A person who is fit in the U.S. may be a middle or lower class individual, but in Somalia that same person could be at the top. Although, in no way am I saying that the pros for an anarchical country outweigh the cons.There is a sense of freedom that comes with not having police officers all around you, but you can not enjoy this freedom. I would much rather have police officers there to penalize me for breaking the law and at the same time they are there to protect me.

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  40. Freedom by definition is the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. In places where an anarchical society and rebellious ungoverned citizens control the outcome of everyday life, freedom isn’t really freedom. Granted one can basically go out and do whatever they want, but the stronger always get stronger and confinement or being physically restrained is most likely the future of many weaker people in this disordered state of life. This means less freedom for the everyday person, if you can’t fend for yourself the you cant fend in an anarchical world. Anarchy is a political ideal that proposes the cooperative and voluntary association of individuals and groups, But obviously with no government not everybody is going to act cooperative and voluntary, chaos will come out of the disorder. The comfort of knowing I can walk to my classes safely, and knowing that there is consequence for disobedient behavior makes me feel very secured. Not everyone is perfect, even our police officers but the safety and assurance they have to offer appeals to me much more than Somalian technicals with assault weapons and bands of dangerous characters roaming the country.

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  41. Obviously having set laws for society is not always 100% effective. Not all people abide by the rules and regulations of the government. After watching Mad Max though, I am sure all of us can agree that it would be less ideal to live in an Anarchical society. Even though not everyone follows the laws of government it is benefical to have them in place.

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  42. I love having all the freedoms we have. I have one friend who wants to go to another country. I can understand to visit but I can't understand why he wants to live there for the remainder of his life. I like being able to speak whenever I want, to wear what I like in public, and to express myself in any way I choose.

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  43. Although too much government can be oppressive, there is always a need for some form of government. I would hate to live in a world where there is constant fear and insecurity. We may not be "free" in the anarchical sense, we have many freedoms through the government.

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  44. I generally see an agreement from most people that the anarchical situations we've been asked to respond to are pretty unsavory. Especially after watching Mad Max and having a chance to look more into the situation in Somalia... I'd be interested to actually hear someone's argument TOWARDS an anarchical society. There was pretty much nothing about what happened in that movie I found appealing. I maybe appreciate structure more than some people, but still. No one seems safe. How is that a good thing?

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  45. I suppose that government does offer freedom that anarchy cannot. However, we are all susceptible to fear; even those with power will fear losing it. In the quest for security, freedoms are taken. Just look at how difficult it has become to fly anymore.

    I think it was Nietsche that said life must constantly overcome itself. If history shows us anything its that things eventually come to an end to be replaced by something else. How long did the Roman empire last? Or any others?

    Right now I'm too fat and happy to be thinking anarchy is a better way, but there is that part of me that doesn't like the idea of popping perscription anti-deppressants until I die from cancer or type 2 diabetes. Can you die from lethargy? What about a constant high dosage of simultaneous boredom and stress? I don't know. A zombie outbreak could be exciting. ;}

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  46. Freedom is such a relative term. In an anarchical situation sure your not bound by any laws and no one holds you accountable (except for the people who are "stronger" than you) but what does that really give you? Most of your time would be absorbed by providing your own security and obtaining necessities (food, shelter, ect). Sure you can do whatever you want, but would you be able to? A government is by no means perfect and it does limit you but the structure and security it provides allows you some freedom as well. Leisure time, accumulation of possesions, hobbies, medicine on a larger scale (mass production of insulin or other drugs, plus hospitals and trained/educated doctors) are all possible because of government. All the things most people enjoy about life wouldn't be possible in an anarchical situation. Are the sacrifices of a government worth it? I think they are.

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  47. I'm going to have to agree with the majority here and say that I prefer the idea of government over anarchy. Of course I get upset with government officials on occasion, as do most, but I feel much safer knowing that there's security being provided for me. Those in support of anarchy are usually seeking a sense of freedom that they don't think they can gain through a structured government. But with the "survival of the fittest" thing that anarchy has going on, the weaker people are getting off with even less freedom than a structured government gave them. While I'm not too keen on the extremes that government tends to go to, I do think that some form of structured government is necessary.

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  48. I believe that anarchy can’t be controlled because anarchy ideology is based on no government, laws, etc so the idea of controlled anarchy is impossible. People begin to form groups and usually a leader is formed. When one or more rise to control and enforce laws on an anarchy state, it is no longer anarchy, it is a form of government whether democratic, communist, etc. True anarchy can’t be controlled. Anarchy is in part a belief in freedom of expression and no laws can stop them, some would say libertarians are a form of anarchy party.

    Democracy is controlled by voting and a majority opinion becomes action. When Law is controlled by a set of guide lines then anarchy is lost. We are led to believe that anarchy is a terrible idea because it is threatening the life we know today in the USA. Many musicians sing songs about anarchy but it is govern countries that have laws that protect their rights to perform music, sing about anarchy, and lastly get paid for it. Kind of foolish if you ask me.

    Anarchy is existence without supervision, without the regulations and controls of a leader, i.e. government. Without someone to dictate right from wrong, good from bad, and anarchy is a way of life in which you have to take responsibility for yourself and your own actions without the convenience of a leader to decide what the moral and ethical guidelines of acceptable behavior for you and you are out to protect yourself with no group of government to protect you because a true anarchy it everyone for themselves.

    Finally, no one will survive in a total anarchy society. Someone will rise and lead and people are generally followers needing leadership to guide them.

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  49. I believe that freedom has its own definition, and it is a term that we have coined and thrown out there. In any event Security is what I believe freedom really is. Or it is the basis for freedom. As humanity didn't boom and form its arts, and such until there was a stable environment. This is do to the fact that when we have security we have the "freedom" to use our minds for things other than self defense.

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  50. As most previous posts have already stated, more freedoms may create less safety. Some of the freedoms that we lack here are for our own safety. Although some police will abuse their power, in an anarcy there is no gurantee that the citizens wouldn't abuse their freedoms. For the most part, when police abuse their power in illegal ways they end up getting in trouble. In an anarchy there is nothing that can be done if someone uses their freedoms to do harm. However, in any anarchy there will always be people who form their own small groups. This could be your form of protection which would different from the Somalian technicals. It would be safer because you would have a closer relationship within your own group. The freedoms are not worth the lack of security though. Unless you are a criminal then an anarchy doesn't have much to offer.

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  51. Dictionary.com defines freedom as
    "the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint." Now in Mad Max would we really call it freedom if he's under the physical confinements of exhaustion, malnutrition, and paranoia? The confinement of the mind to never be at ease. Always wondering where to get that next apple or can of dog food. Where will i sleep when i do collapse of exhaustion. Wheres the next liter of gas? The state of feeling secure by policing forces provides more "freedom" to me than that of any self providing society.

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  52. Although I must say that I have many issues with our government today, but I would not want to live in anarchy. One may think that anarchy is complete freedom, but really anarchy can have quite the opposite affect. When you wake up in our society, you think "man I gotta go to work today." When you live in anarchy you think "hmm, am I going to eat today?"

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  53. I believe we need the government in order to have the "freedom" we all want. Yes, there are restrictions to our freedom, but are they not for the better? We need to have these boundaries and rules so we can live together and even survive longer. If we didn't have the government system like ours, and say we were growing food or make some type of good we needed, and a stranger came up to you felt the urge to take it from you. What then? We would kill off one another, especially if we were living like Mad Max. We wouldn't even think twice about our actions. At least now we have protection and property. Here we have responsibilities. In an anarchy society, what would you do with your time and "freedom"? When you think about it, we're always bored when we have free time. I wouldn't want that.

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  54. Even though there's technically more freedom in an anarchical society, I'd rather risk a little bit of freedom and have the protection of the police, local government, and other parts of the government. In my opinion, I have enough freedom to be happy right now in the society we live in, and I really don't have any desire to live in anarchy. Would it really be worth it? I'm sure every society in anarchy wouldn't be like the one in Mad Max 2, I still would like to keep things the way they are. Even though there is crime in our own society, I'm glad there are police officers that are there to protect us. In anarchy, I would never be able to protect myself.

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  55. I personally like to feel safe. I like to feel a sense of security walking around campus or driving around town. Although the police or government can't necessarily stop those bad things from happening they can try to prevent them and they will do whatever they can to bring justice to the person violating the law. I wouldn't like living in an anarchical society where there was no one stoping anyone from doing anything. It would be horrible. I can't really believe that there is anyone that can really say that would like to live under anarchy. Everyone thinks that being able to do whatever they wanted would be ideal and in a way it would be until someone is holding a gun to someone else. I would live in a constant state of fear in an anarchial society. I don't agree with everything our government or police officers do but I am pretty confident with saying that I live fairly comfortably and not in fear.

    Samanthia McQuade
    Section 100.03

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  56. No, I do not think that anarchy offers anything but starvation and competition. To me anarchy is a way for strong individuals that prey on the weak and attempt to take control of everything. That is why we need the security that government police provide. Government police are highly trained and caring people that are focused on equalizing the world and providing a safe environment, while in the anarchy world people will be savages and only think about themselves. The freedom that Mad Max had was not really freedom. He was hurt inside because of the love that he lost and was very lonely. The reason why Max was still alive was because of his selfishness of not wanting to see his loved ones that he couldn't protect.

    Thomas Addison
    100.03

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  57. In theory, anarchy is freedom where anything goes and nothing is illegal because there are no laws to break. But what exactly is freedom? Freedom is where you have no obligation or duty and where you can do anything you want whenever you want. With this in mind I don't see how anarchy offers any more freedom then the government. Having to constantly look over your back because of fear for yourself and everything you care about would put limitations to what you could do with your so called freedom. I think I would rather take my chances with the government than live in an anarchy system that doesn't really offer any more freedom then the government.

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  58. I would much rather be secured by police officers even if it means losing some liberties. What I noticed in Mad Max 2 was that anarchy is not a good way to live at all. It is violent and chaotic and it does not seem like anyone really wins in the end. I do not think Mad Max’s ability “to roam the landscape” is a very good lifestyle. He seems very lonely. The only companion he had in his adventures (for lack of a better word) was a dog that ended up dead. So now he literally has no one. I know I would much rather be a part of a group.
    Catherine Pevahouse
    100.03
    MWF 9:10-10:00

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  59. I am very thankful for our government and the services they provide. However, I do agree with some previous posts that point out the difference between third world countries, the USA, and richer European countries. There are places with more stability and less crime than the United States, and other places (like Somalia) with much poorer stability.
    I am happy with our government. Police Officers and Firefighters make me feel safe. I believe they are there to protect our best interests. In an anarchical society, I would be afraid to leave my own house. The pictures, as well as Mad Max, portrayed everyday life as warfare, and that is not something I could survive.

    Laura Baker

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  60. I think that I would rather have a government that protects me rather than having to provide protection for myself. The people in Somalia or Apocalyptic Australia, I feel have nothing to offer but themselves to join a governed society. Having less government and less publicly doesn’t provide more freedom; it doesn’t show everyone how people are getting treated with an anarchy government. I would rather be secured with police officers so I know I’m being taken care of and safe rather than being secured by Somaliland technicals. In the movie, Mad Max, him getting to roam around isn’t freedom; he is going around basically fighting for his life and for fuel. I would feel like he has to fight everyday just to escape from the anarchy there.

    --Sabina Nicewarner 03

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  61. I feel that it would be aweful to live in an anarchical situation. At first glance anarchy may sound great with no government officials to listen to and no man-made laws to abide by but with the absense of these laws and officials they would be no protection that comes with it. In an anarchical situation the weak are prayed upon by the strong and there is nothing to be done about it, no police officers to call. I believe that a place like Samalia and post apocolyptic Australia would have nothing good to offer. As Sabina said in the blog before Max is not enjoying his freedom he is in a constant struggle to stay alive in a country that is rampant with rape and murder. I know that sometimes police officers take advantage of their hierarchy over the public but it is nice to know that firstly many don't and that for the most part their is consequences for their actions if caught. There is no consequences in a anarchy. I would rather have police officers around then people that can take whatever liberties they want and make whatever rules for themselves without any respect or thought to others.

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  62. I believe that in society today we do need the government. The government are the group of people that keep everyone under control. In Somalia or Apocalyptic Australia, all of the people have no morals and don't care a bout human life. If the whole world was a full anarchy then everything would be out of control. Everyone would be out to get what they need at all cost, even homocide. Either way eventually there would be a hierarchy. Thats because once things would get out of hand they would have to start controlling everything or the world would inplode and mankind would wipe itself out. The government isn't just people controlling our lives, it's them just controlling what needs to be controlled. The people who act out of the norm and are taking other person's lives. Everyone in anarchy's today are trying to get out not stay there.

    William Sawyers

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  63. I believe that in our world today we need government. They are there to protect us from harm and to keep everything in the best order they can. After watching Mad Max two and seeing how much that society stuggled in order to keep order, I became very thankful that our country has such a strong government. Feeling safe and secure, and knowing that our country has a strong government to protect its people makes me satisfied. I know many countrys out there struggle everyday to keep everything in line.

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  64. Its hard enough keeping everything running now,can you imagine are lives in an anarchy? Things would never be easy. In a no government area. Everything you take for granted like food, water, safety; it is all in jeopardy! It would be survival of the fittest. I like the way things are now, its not perfect but it works.

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  65. I believe every country has their way of governing things. I also believe that the police and most of the government in the US abuse their power. They have TOO much power and they abuse it alot. I don't know what happens in other countries because i don't live there so i don't know how their government works. But I think the way we are running things now works... it's not perfect at all but it works. I do know that I wouldn't enjoy walking to the store and passing a bunch of men with guns on the street and it being a normal everyday thing. That in no way shape or form is normal to me.

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