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Comment by steveklabnik | Hacker News Reader

I tend to refer to myself as a "centrist libertarian", because I used to be hardcore right libertarian, but lately have developed relatively strong anarchist sympathies. (Oh, and capitalists can't be anarchists.)

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Out of curiousity, why did you stop at the centre in your journey leftwards?

I don't 100% buy it yet. I feel the same way about capitalism that I do about religion; losing my religion was a long journey over a period of years, that took a lot of unlearning. I'm in the middle of that process with capitalism now.

That's cool :) Good luck! I'd really recommend getting involved in your local anarchist collective (which from Google seems to be this one: http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node/8085). Actually, shit, after a bit more Googling, that place seems to be dead. That's very sad. If a new place pops up though, try to get involved if you can. I've really, really benefited from getting involved with Seomra Spraoi, which is a similar type of place in Dublin. Being able to be around people who understand your basic assumptions in life, in a fun and sociable environment, has done so much to keep me sane.

We have a local FNB that I've been meaning to go help with, but haven't found the time. I was also involved in the G20 stuff here. In the meantime, I've +frontpaged /r/anarchism, been doing a lot of reading, and taking it slow.

That's cool. I was just having a discussion with somebody earlier about how much better discussions are in real-life places like Seomra Spraoi than they are on /r/Anarchism though. You get so many people on /r/Anarchism who take a moral high ground against people who they (usually correctly, but this isn't the point) perceive as not being "real" anarchists. Even when we disagree, discussions in Seomra Spraoi are always very pleasant and respectful, and there is a real sense of togetherness, despite our minor differences. Basically, don't lose faith in anarchism and anarchists because of /r/Anarchism, because I could see that happening to somebody. :)

No worries, point well taken.

> (Oh, and capitalists can't be anarchists.)

Explain why.

The Anarchist FAQ covers this point in great detail.

http://www.infoshop.org/page/AnarchistFAQSectionF

tl;dr on the FAQ: private property creates hierarchy.

What defines government is not hierarchy: it's coercion.

I'd beg to differ. The hierarchy is what enables the coercion to take place, they're two sides of the same coin.

Anyway, I'm sorry, but this comment is 3 pages back in my history, so I probably will forget to come back and check. If you'd like to discuss this further, my email is in my profile.

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