XPost: soc.culture.french, soc.culture.german, soc.culture.greek   
   XPost: soc.culture.turkish   
   From: nicolai.vladirmirescu@gmail.com   
      
   --   
   What is Capitalism?   
   We live in a truly beautiful world. There is easily enough of   
   everything to go around for everyone to live comfortably. However,   
   while the rich live in luxury, most of us spend our whole lives   
   slaving away just to get by. The ruling class owns everything,   
   controls government and the world's wealth and resources. We, the   
   working class, however, have fuck all. We own nothing and so can only   
   do one of three things: Work, claim benefits or steal. Many of us get   
   sent down in our attempts to make ends meet by any means necessary.   
   This is what capitalism is based on: we have to sell our ability to   
   work (and hours of our life) for a wage. Our work produces things and   
   provides services. BUT our wages are less than the value of the   
   products and services we provide. The difference between the value of   
   what we make and what we get paid is the profit which is being stolen   
   from us. Someone answering phones does £400 of work a day but only   
   gets paid £50. The rest is taken by the boss and called "profit" -   
   which the boss reckons they should be entitled to just because they   
   own the office the phones were answered in! So to make money, you must   
   first have enough money to own something. By this system, the rich get   
   richer and more powerful while we get poorer and, of course, less   
   powerful.   
      
   We think that the people doing the work - us - should get the lot!   
   Capitalism produces things for profit rather than need. For example in   
   famine-ridden Africa, big corporations will grow cash-crops like   
   cotton while millions starve all around. If you can't pay for the bus,   
   get the fuck off it. If you need an operation, you can wait six months   
   on NHS but if you've got money, you can go private and get whatever   
   you want, whenever you want. This happens all over the world. Those   
   with money get what they want and those without get nothing. This is   
   not a problem with capitalism that needs fixing, this IS capitalism!   
   War, poverty, crime, famine and environmental destruction. These are   
   all signs that capitalism is working perfectly. They are also signs   
   that it is unsustainable and must be destroyed and replaced.   
      
   What do we want to replace it with?   
   We don't want to replace one set of ruling class scumbags with another   
   like in the USSR. We want to destroy government and rich peoples'   
   privileges. We want to get rid of the control that police, government   
   and bosses have over our everyday lives. We want workers to control   
   their own workplaces and see ordinary people run the world together   
   without money, hierarchies or authority. This is what we call   
   'Anarchy'.   
      
   This all sounds very far fetched but actually, it's more realistic   
   then you think. Think about who actually does the important work in   
   society i.e. people who produce goods or services. We do! We know   
   exactly how to run workplaces and farms and whatever else because it's   
   us who do it everyday.   
      
   All the bosses do is get in the way and take a fat chunk of the   
   profit. Now think about how much less work we would have to do if all   
   the people who do pointless work i.e. accountants, stockbrokers,   
   soldiers, coppers etc. did useful work. We would have more time to do   
   what we really wanted to do and truly live out our dreams and desires.   
   We would be happier and more willing to help others because we   
   wouldn't be wasting most of our waking lives either commuting, working   
   in boring, pointless jobs or preparing ourselves to be "good",   
   "productive" workers in schools or universities.   
      
   Ask yourself: This week, how much time have I spent with the people I   
   love? Now ask: How much time have I spent at work?   
      
   Everything we would create would be for our benefit and so we would be   
   more willing to work hard. A perfect example of this is during the   
   Spanish Civil War, when the factories in Anarchist (i.e.   
   self-organised workers') controlled territories were far more   
   efficient than the factories had been while under capitalist control.   
   And in Argentina today, workers in the Zanon ceramics factory kicked   
   out their boss and began running it themselves: now they all work two   
   days a month for the same pay!! The idea that we need a central   
   'leading' group or individual otherwise nothing would get done is   
   ridiculous. The idea that we work harder when we've got someone   
   breathing down our necks, taking the profit of our work and telling us   
   what to do makes no sense when you look at it more deeply. At a big   
   corporate conference, one of the speakers asked why workers, after   
   sweating blood for 8 hours a day, come home and work in the house or   
   garden.   
      
   The answer is simple. Because we want to. At work, we know we won't   
   benefit from working harder and as soon as the boss turns the corner,   
   of course we'll skive. Why should we work hard for someone who spends   
   their time spying on us and ordering us about (not to mention that   
   most of our work goes into their pockets)? In the garden or the home,   
   we do what we want, when we want, for our own benefit and so will work   
   harder for ourselves than some money hungry boss who's controlling us.   
      
   Things like this, from everyday, present life, are examples of Anarchy   
   in practice and, more importantly, in practice by ordinary people just   
   getting along with everyday life. Things like this show that a world   
   free from the authority of government, police and hierarchy is   
   possible. Things like this show that Anarchy is possible.   
      
   How do we want to get to Anarchy?   
   All this sounds good and it is hard to believe that anyone would   
   oppose it. However, there are many. The Ruling Class will not give up   
   their power and privilege just because they think that it is unfair   
   that they've got power and privilege. Their power must be taken from   
   them by force. However, although we out-number them by millions across   
   the country (and by billions across the world) they have the police to   
   beat us up, the prisons to lock us up, the military to shoot us, the   
   schools and the corporate media to fool us and all other institutions   
   used to keep us soft and obedient. This is why we need a revolution.   
   Firstly, of ideas. We must stop thinking like slaves. We must stop   
   believing in their system. Why should we obey their laws that protects   
   their property and their privileges? We must start seeing each other   
   as equals and seek to unite our class, which they have successfully   
   divided with racism, sexism and all sorts of stupid prejudices   
   throughout the centuries. However, changing our ideas is not enough.   
   Capitalism must be fought in the streets. Our streets. Police must be   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)