By Cake Boy

When I studied philosophy, I told my teacher I always read anarchist literature. This stuff fascinates me.

Anarchism is about freedom, he said.

Then he said, “OK, freedom, but what do you do with that freedom? Freedom to what?”

I would say the (leftist/Proudhonist) anarchist position says. If people are within structures in which they are used, dehumanised, then they can’t even think about the psychological/lifestyle kind of freedoms. There can’t be a psychological/personal kind of freedom if there is no material freedom. In this period, this psychological/personal freedom was only available to the high class and to older people, who could buy a house when this was possible.

Erst kommt das Fressen, dann kommt die Moral

My brother’s friend works full time, and all her money goes to rent. She has no time to ‘create her own way of being’. Or ‘find out what is really important in life’. She works for the company and the landlord. In a way, she is just a cog in a machine, like in the Charly Chaplin movie. She can’t be ‘someone’ if she is just a tool. Her life is about working, working, working, and then drinking alcohol and watching Netflix, until she falls asleep. The next day, working, working, working. Neoliberalism doesn’t care about your humanity, well-being, vulnerability, authenticity, etc.

Systems like capitalism/neoliberalism and communism don’t really care about the personal/psychological development of the individual. These systems sacrifice the individual for the collectivity. They sacrifice you for production. You’re just a bee in a beehive. These systems are based on utilitarian ethics. Creating ‘the most material well-being’ for the masses. People who don’t fit in are seen as problematic because they do not conform.

The company sees you as a ‘money-making thing’ that ‘will be replaced’ if ‘targets aren’t met.’

I knew a woman who worked for a company for twenty years. One day she got an email in which they said: You’re fired. ” There was no reply. She didn’t hear anything anymore from colleagues. She had become too expensive, so this ‘work thing’ will be replaced. She then got mental health issues and had to go to a mental asylum.

The company spits in her face and disrespects her. But ‘archaic’ themes like pride, dignity, and honor are alien to the neoliberal world.

Some time ago, an Amazon worker fell on the floor, and he died from a heart attack. The other workers wanted to see if he was ok (a basic human reaction), but this was not allowed; the team leader said they should work on, forget about the dead worker. Here we see that we are not humans but things in neoliberalism. Reduced to raw material.

When I write this, I think about a science fiction series in which humans are literally attached to machines and weapon systems so they become more efficient. Would this be the next step in the development of neoliberal modernity?

Many anarchists (and classical Marxists) say that if we don’t fix material/political issues, it’s useless to talk about idealist/psychological issues. I think they are right, to a large degree. Modern anarchists say that if you don’t let people choose their own economic/cultural arrangements, they will get abused. And people who get abused can’t develop their personality.

But I can still answer the question. What do we do with our freedom, the bit of freedom we have? Freedom, to what? I can’t answer this question for people. They have to find out for themselves. Often, it’s a matter of trial and error, I have noticed. Do I like this sport? Do I like this lifestyle? Do I want red or white wine? Do I love her, or do I fool myself? I could only talk with people about these themes. But i have noticed that many people are very hesitant, and distant, when it comes to these matters. It is as if ice is in their hearts, which is hard to melt.

The times someone shared something vulnerable/personal with me were very rare. I think this has to do with trust. People don’t trust each other. Which is understandable, because there are a lot of backstabbers out there