Anarchism as a political philosophy values voluntary action. A person should be able to organize their life without being coerced or forced by anybody, especially the government. I've pointed to a number of examples where in our everyday lives we organize ourselves without being forced. One example we talked about in class is the Pan Tram bus -- people generally gather at the bus stops and orderly board the bus without being coerced. There are many other possible examples.
Think about your own life. Describe an example of anarchism in everyday life. When do you organize yourself without being coerced or forced?
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ReplyDeleteI attend anime conventions and dress in costume as a cosplayer for a hobby. At these conventions public photo shoots are often held where cosplayers can display their handiwork and photographers can snatch photos. These events can become massive with more than a hundred people present at a shoot.
ReplyDeleteThe groups of photographers as an unspoken rule always keep about five or more feet back from the group of cosplayers whose pictures are being taken. They also make holes so everyone is able to take a clear picture. The group of cosplayers also organize and pose themselves so everyone is visible and can get a good photo taken.
There is also the unspoken rule that no one may photograph or touch a cosplayer unless explicitly given permission. If they are touched without consent, hordes of people will come to defend the victim against their attacker. For such a seemingly unorganized event, I have never seen a more courteous and respectful group of people.
Alexandra Willett PSCI 100.01
When going to the gym you will every now and again find someone else using the equipment you'd like to use for your workout. Two things can happen: either you wait until their finished with the equipment to use it, or you can ask to share the equipment by doing a rotation so you both get to use the equipment. The equipment isn't either person's property, but you never see anyone trying to take it away from the person using it. This is working with another person so both of you can use the same equipment without any outside force coercing you into making the agreement.
ReplyDeleteTom Jones PSCI 100.01
Damian Beane PSCI:100 :01
DeleteI agree that the gym is a great example of how me voluntarily agree to get along without coercion. Nobody ever tries to strong arm anyone over the use of the weights or machines. It's almost mutual aid in a sense where we help each other finishing a set by backing off or helping to spot someone else. He wait our turn without being told or we work together. Even on the occasion when we are coerced into going to the gym in the first place we still go about the routine in a way that avoids coercion to use certain things and we just voluntarily get along.
Being a student athlete at Shepherd University,there are a lot of things expected. Such as having good behavior, being respectful to people on campus, and to maintain a good GPA. Even though we are voluntarily participating in the sport, we still have rules to follow. Coaches are not around all day to see whether or not we are doing the right thing. Also, as an athlete you have to be disciplined enough to train alone. You do these things without being forced. Ryan Sturdivant PSCI 100:03
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletebeing a college athlete you were most likely an athlete in high school; which i was. and what your past coaches have told you is that you are to be a good person and do the right thing and that even though they are not always there to watch you they say there are other people always watching. If you are caught doing something bad there are usually consiquences of sitting out some games or being cut from the team. so it is coerced in your mind that even though you are in college the rules still apply and that you should always be doing the right thing you have been told this for years. you are not choosing to do the right thing all the time you are on a sports team and have to if you still want to play.
DeleteRebecca Miller PSCI-100.03
Going to a gun range is a great example of anarchy. There are certain set rules, but they aren't posted everywhere and there is no one there to enforce them. Yet everything still runs smoothly without incident. Multiple people can be firing weapons in the same area with no complications. If someone wants to check their target they let the others known and everyone stops firing. No one ever points guns at others, no one fires recklessly. There's no authority to tell us not shoot each other, and at the range we don't need one. Jaysen Bruno PSCI 100:01
ReplyDeleteThat is a really good example. It's funny because anarchy is a misunderstood concept. Many people believe that the core of anarchy revolves around violence and chaos. Your example of self organization at a gun range is ironic because the shooters maintain complete order with no authority coercing them to do so.
DeleteLorna Morton
100:03
Going to the gym is a great example of anarchism. No one is telling you that you have to go to the gym and if you don't go to the gym you'll be punished. There isn't a law saying you must go to the gym on certain days and at certain times. You decide on your own to go to the gym. You can decide what day and time you would like to go to the gym. When you're there you also get to decide what type of cardio or strength training you would like to do and what will suit you the best. It's you own choice to go to the gym and to do certain activities at the gym. No one is forcing you.
ReplyDeleteKimberly Nicholls PSCI 100:01
How you train your family pet is an example of anarchism. No one is telling you or forcing you to house train your pet, or to train him to do tricks. You get to choose what you do and don't teach your dog or cat, and no one has a say about it. There is no law mandating what your dog or cat has to be able to do or not do. It is completely voluntary.
ReplyDeleteKatie Fenley - PSCI 100:03
Bar etiquette is an example of everyday anarchy. There are a limited amount of seats in a bars and typically a greater number of persons in said bar with a flow of people constantly in and out. Instead of battling the people in the seats for control, the people coming in after the seats are full respect the occupied territory. It revolves around a first come first served basis. Also the people in the bar without seats do claim the seats as their own when the occupiers get up to go to the restroom.
ReplyDeleteEdward Jackman - PSCI 100:03
I enjoyed your example quite a bit. In my experience, people generally refer to bars as places full of people who are drunk, rude, and unruly. However, in truth most people in a bar setting are friendly and are able to manage themselves without authority figures around.
DeleteCoryn Barger 100:3
Deciding what you eat when you go to a restaurant is an example of anarchism. You get to decide what item of food off a restaurant's menu best suits your appetite or "mood". There are no laws telling you that you can only choose chicken over pork or lettuce over spinach. You have complete freedom to choose whatever you want on their menu. I believe thats why so many of us as kids looked forward to going out to eat with our parents. We got to choose what we wanted to eat rather than being coerced to eat what our parents made.
ReplyDeleteKatie Madden- PSCI 100:03
This one might be a little bit of a stretch but with four way stops and stop signs, they're usually no police men and they're definitely no cameras and most and usually 50% of the time that I go to them there is no reason for me to stop cause there is no car in sight, yet everyone always stops and waits??
ReplyDeleteExamples like this one are the ones that confuse me. To me, stop signs and the like are still up to interpretation. A person could be stopping because of the threat of a camera or the fear of an accident..but they could also be stopping just to avoid conflict. I suppose just about anything could go either way.
DeleteCoryn Barger 100:3
Participating in any kind of physical fitness is everyday anarchy. No one is following you around telling you to go for a morning run or to go to the gym and lift weight. It is your option if you do or don't participate in physical fitness and also what you do. There is no set guidelines for people who go to the gym and lift weights, it s just you and the equipment. Also you may play sports amongst your friends with out being forced to participate. Kody Hinzman- PSCI 100:01
ReplyDeleteThere are many examples in ones life of everyday anarchy. A main example of mine would be gathering together every Saturday with my friends and going on a run or hike. No one is forced to do it and sometimes no one goes. It is something completely voluntary that I participate in on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteWhat I noticed in m everyday life as an anarchy is when i go to grab lunch or dinner in school or most food places for that matter. I go in and I stand in line, theres no one telling me to stand behind that person or there is no sign. I just know to do that and not cut everyone in front of me. After that we order our food, get and we go to pay for it. We know not to just walk away from our food after receiving it.
ReplyDeleteKimi Khiangte 100:01
Just attending this class is a type of anarchy. No one has told me to take this class. I chose it for myself because I knew I needed the credits and it interests me. I could have just as easily taken a Debate class. Another type of anarchism that I pride myself in is jaywalking. It is actually illegal but I've done it in front of cops as my own little way of saying, "I can walk wherever the hell I want to walk." Being told where to walk by painted lines on the pavement is idiotic and I should not be fined because I step somewhere I'm not supposed to. I understand that they are there for safety purposes but to make it illegal not to use them is ridiculous. I stick it to the man in little ways.
ReplyDeleteStacy Mummert 100:01
I believe buying a car is an example of everyday anarchy. You have the liberty to voluntarily choose where you buy your vehicle, what make and model, the color, etc. The government does not choose that you can only have a motorcycle for three years before trading it in for a new SUV to transport your wife and newborn. You can choose to keep the bike and buy a used SUV. There is no outside force dictating your purchase of the vehicle you choose to possess and how many you possess. Now there are consequences for stealing vehicles illegally in any shape or form. However, acquiring a vehicle legally is totally in your rights.
ReplyDeletePSCI 100:01
DeleteOne example of everyday anarchism that I can think of is the way we interact with one another every day. For example, when you use your manners and hold the door for the person coming after you, you volunteer yourself to help the person coming behind you with no coercion. Some people don't hold the door for others, and that's their own form of anarchy, not using the manners they were more than likely taught as a child.
ReplyDeleteAnother example is the manner in which we drive. Some people go the speed limit, drive passively, let others go in front of them in a line of traffic. While others speed, tailgate, pass when there is a dotted line, and drive very aggressively. Then there are those who are a mixture of the two. The different driving styles are a voluntary form of anarchy. You are choosing your driving style, no one is telling you to be an aggressive or passive driver.
Nicole Custead PSCI 100-03
One form of everyday anarchy that comes to my mind is choosing the clothing that you wear everyday. Though society may look down upon or attach stereo types to certain clothing styles, people still choose to wear what they want. There may be people who speak out against what you are wearing, but they can't actually do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteSummer Varso PSCI 100:01
Another form of everyday anarchy is choosing what time to eat dinner every day. No one is making you eat at five or at six its totally your choice you can even eat at eight if you want. People may think your time choice is wrong or weird but they cant force you to eat at any other time than what you want.
ReplyDeleteRoman Monzon PSCI 100:03
I am a part of a private hockey league in Northern Virginia, in which I believe anarchy prevails in some sorts. There are certain rules that people live by, but for the most part everything is chaotic in its own way. For example, players come and go at their own choice, and show up to games and practices when they want to without any form of enforcement. Our style of play, our uniforms, and our leaders are chosen in a chaotic way with no group of people ruling the rest for decision making. Many would argue that there is a hierarchical structure even at lower levels of social interaction such as a private hockey league. I understand this perspective, but in how I participate in the league, I view it as a form of anarchy in my everyday life.
ReplyDeleteStephen Ryan PSCI 100:01
When I come back to my room late at night, and my roommate is sleep, instead of turning on the big room light, I turn on my little desk lamp and suffer trying to find things in the little bit of light available. No one is telling me I should and no one is forcing me to, but I do because I feel that it is a common courtesy. Even though often she does not return that kindness, I still am nice. I think that is a good example of anarchy in my everyday life.
ReplyDeleteChevelle Whichard 100:01
That is a good example of every day anarchy. Living with roommates requires a great deal of self organization. For example, I choose not to eat my roommates food - not because I am being forced to, but because it's a common courtesy.
DeleteLorna Morton
100:03
As a scuba diver, I experience a common anarchy each time we head out on the boat to a dive site. There is no law in Florida defining who does or does not have access to a certain dive location on a certain day. Generally there is mutual cooperation via radio among boats to coordinate dive sites. Communication is also prevalent among dive boats and fishing boats to prevent unwanted contact. It is not uncommon to see two boats headed towards the same area while the captains organize themselves on the radio until one decides to veer off to another area.
ReplyDeleteSammie Simpson 100:01
I am also a scuba diver. In my experience another example of anarchy in this would be underwater. There is no one or law that forces you to a "dive buddy", but yet most people dive with one. Every diver generally knows that is safer to dive with a buddy, but no one is watching to make sure you have one or that you stay with your buddy.
DeleteMitch Woolley 100.01
Going to church is a form of anarchy because nobody forces you to go to church. it is your choice to attend if you want to. there are people who do believe in god an so forth but do not attend church purely based on if they want to go or not
ReplyDeleteMichael Solomonik. 100:01
An example of everyday anarchy in my life is grocery shopping. People choose what they want and stand in line quietly until the lane is available for them. People generally don't fuss or fight and there isn't a cop in sight.
ReplyDeleteCoryn Barger 100:3
One example of everyday anarchy are yard/garage sales. They are organized by the owners of the estate, and word is all spread by mouth and by personal signs posted over town. Despite not being officially run or operated, the large majority yard sale goers are respectful and don't attempt to break or steal the items for sale. Bartering goes on as well by trying to talk down the prices.
ReplyDeleteEmily Brown 100:01
Doing laundry in a public area requires a small amount of self organization. For example, a person must wait for his or her turn as opposed to removing another person's clothes mid-cycle. This is a form of consensual self control or self organization that requires no authority of coercion. Because of this, doing laundry could be an example of an act of anarchism.
ReplyDeleteLorna Morton
100:03
I can't of anything big in everyday life that doesn't involve coercion. However, there a lots of little things that might go unnoticed. For example, whether or not you brush your teeth, take a shower, or eat breakfast; how you eat or do those things. What route you take to school/work or how you interact with other people. What you do in your personal time could also be considered a from of anarchy.
ReplyDeleteOne example I thought of was the way people organize their things, keep their rooms clean, etc. Unless you are living at home or with your parents, keeping your living space tidy is something most people do just because they like to live in a clean, organized area. When you are living on your own there is rarely anybody to coerce you to clean up after yourself or stay organized. You choose to keep your area tidy yourself because you feel better when its clean than when it is messy and chaotic. Or, you could choose to keep it messy, and that's your choice.
ReplyDeletePandora Affemann
100:03
We are coerced as people from the moment we are born. We have become oblivious to the lack of decision making we really have. Socialization from our family, friends, school, and other institutions have shaped the way we make our own decisions. A subtle example of uncoerced, voluntary action in our society is the way that we personally bank. Despite it being the social norm, there are no laws that require people to have a bank account. As ridiculous as it may sound, you are entitled to be able to store your money under your mattress. Anarchists disagree with a system of monetary value, however the way in which we invest and store our money is completely up to the discretion of an individual.
ReplyDeleteTamer Yousufzi
100:03
It is difficult to determine where our personal choices begin and the ever-present shadow of society ends. As Tamer Yousufzi above me eloquently stated, we are indoctrinated from the moment of birth. Is going to the laundromat, buying toilet paper, waiting for the bus, and depositing our money wherever we wish truly examples of freedom? Or rather, is this merely the illusion of freedom?
ReplyDeleteI believe that true examples of everyday anarchy would be few and far between. Besides, any genuine occurrence of such an action would certainly be against the interest of the state and discouraged. The populace must be made dependent on the system and those in power. For example, laws recently passed in Florida have mandated that all homes must be connected to the electricity and water grid; it is illegal to be self-reliant.
Yes, people often do organize independently of any sort of coercion by the powers that be, oftentimes in order to help others in need. Working together in the aftermath of a disaster, helping someone jump-start their engine, even picking up a hitchhiker. Things that are done to help others without any expectation of personal reward.
-Stephen Audia
100:03
Anarchy can present itself in subtle ways. An example of this is my morning coffee. Every morning, I make coffee shortly after waking up. I don’t do this because I have to. No one is forcing or coercing me to drink coffee. I’m not even put at an advantage over non-coffee drinkers. Plenty of people don’t drink coffee in the morning without consequence, and I’m sure I could stop drinking it if I really wanted to. But I don’t, and therein lies the beauty of everyday anarchism. Not only is everyday anarchism a form of freedom, but it’s also what makes us individuals. I drink coffee in the morning solely because I want to. It’s not a profound reason, but it doesn't have to be because it’s my reason. Uninhibited choice-making fosters individuality, which fosters diversity. In this way, everyday anarchism is a crucial freedom that’s woven into the fabric of our society.
ReplyDeleteElijah Spinney
100:03
I work in a café in Frederick and it is a really chaotic environment sometimes, especially on the weekends. When things get busy and there are a large number of jobs to be done, it is a common sense reaction to take over or help someone who needs help. If someone is in charge of making drinks and there are more than a few piled up to be made, I will help prep them without being asked, or start working on the second machine without being coerced or prompted to do so. I believe there is a little bit of anarchist in each of us in these types of situations. It is in our nature to participate in mutual aid. If I see someone who obviously needs help, I'm going to make an effort to assist them in any way possible.
ReplyDeletePSCI 100:01
Though you are being coerced. The boss standing over your shoulder and the paycheck you receive is a form of coercion. While I am assuming, I would doubt that anybody would have begun to help someone like that had they not been given money and had an authority figure standing over their necks. The reason it's a common sense reaction is that you have learned over time that to be considered a good employee (which I'm sure you are) you must be able to react and help in these situations without having to be asked to.
DeleteThere are plenty of quasi-anarchist moments in everyday life. The most basic, I find, is that we tend to walk on the right. That isn't the same internationally, but for the sake of not running into one another constantly, everyone in the US has elected to stick to the right side of the hall or sidewalk, just like they would in a car. Some people walk where ever they please, but for the sake of general order, most people pick a lane and stay in it, even though I have never seen a "Stay On Your Side of the Sidewalk" cop.
ReplyDeleteLauren Duckworth
PSCI 100:01
An example of everyday anarchy in my life is playing sports like basketball and football with my friends. No one is forcing me or telling me I have to play basketball or football with them it is my option if I want to participate or not.
ReplyDeleteAustin Showe
PSCI 100:01