By Cake Boy

So, ancap (anarcho capitalism) is fascism, some famous leftist anarchist said, some days ago. These leftist anarchists use the word ‘fascism’ a bit too often. Fascism was/is a very specific kind of current. Not everything is fascism.

Is ancap fascism? I would say that ancap is just nothing. I mean, it has no implications in the real world. It’s an internet theory made up by some economists. Ancap is a concept created by men on the internet, where they meet to fantasize about speculative worlds and ‘free markets’. There is no region like, let’s say, a region where millions of people are living under Rothbardian economics. The only praxis anacaps do is this agorism thing. But I wouldn’t call that ancap. All kinds of people use that tactic. At least, in America, they do. For now, ancap is mostly just a sort of utopian dream.

People are critical of Bookchin’s style of anarchism. But, at least these Bookchin followers have actually made a political reality out of their theory, with their Rojava thing. There are, of course, a lot of questions and problems around Rojava, but at least it’s something. They made the first move, you could say. With Rothbardianism, it remains a theory, a concept, thin air. They never materialized their theories. They never tested their statements in the real world. It’s easy for them to have this theory; it’s never been tested. You can say all kinds of things and invent all sorts of systems. And then?

What they have in mind, what the ancap has in mind, I wouldn’t call that fascism. Fascism is all about the state; ancap is against the state. What ancaps have in mind would result in some kind of feudalism, I think. But it would also never happen because nobody wants it. Capitalists are neoliberals; anarchists don’t like landlords (most of them). So, I don’t see a lot of space for ancap. If it existed, it would be a very niche phenomenon. Like how, for example, radical Christian cults are very small.

I would say fascism is more modern than what the ancaps want. The ancaps dream of a sort of pre-modern utopia. It’s a reactionary movement, while fascism is all about ‘progress’ and violence, and futurism, etc, etc. So, fascism is about statism and modernism, while ancap is about statelessness and conservatism. It’s a dream of a stateless capitalist golden era, which never existed, because capitalism was always a construction of states (which ancaps don’t know, because they never read history).

In my view, ancap didn’t contribute a lot to anarchist theory and practice. It didn’t really get outside of the internet. It didn’t have a say in the politics. Ok, Ron Paul did contribute something to the debate and the politics, but I wouldn’t call him an ancap; he is just a classical liberal. His politics, besides whether you agree or disagree with them, are more realistic than the ancap theories.

To most people, the word ‘anarcho capitalism’ sounds horrible. It sounds like, your having the current capitalism, but without any restrictions. The actual theory of ancap was critical of current neoliberal capitalism, corporations, and globalisation. But, most of the current ancaps don’t understand these nuances, and to them ancap is just neoliberalism, but minus the benefits for the poor, etc.

The word capitalism is very controversial. And in a way, Rothbard was against capitalism. He opposed what most people perceive as capitalism, specifically the existing order. He had a different system in mind. So, it was a bit silly to call his stuff anarcho capitalism. These ancaps always have to explain that they don’t mean capitalism, with capitalism. This was not a good beginning to their whole thing. We are capitalists, but we are not capitalists, because capitalism is not capitalism….And real capitalism would be like real capitalism. And that would be really good. Although you never had that, that’s great.

In the future, I think the biggest clash will be between socialists and neoliberals. These are the two big poles. All these niche movements we talked about will either be included in one of these two or disappear.

The following issues will likely arise in class, I think. Who owns your mortgage? Who owns the land? And why? Can I feed myself? What does it mean to be middle class? Will there be a middle class? What will China do? What comes after this Trump madness?

I think the culture war will eventually end, and then the class issues will arise. Also, geopolitical issues will arise.

In a way, this is a Marxist analysis. I’m not a Marxist, but I think Marxist/materialist analysis is often correct. The way they see the world is often more realistic than the way both the ancap and idealist (Calvinist) leftists know the world.

#Cake boy philosophy