I appreciate the admission that how to prevent rule violations isn’t fully set in stone yet. I’ve heard a lot of people try to argue for anarchist stances without giving an honest answer about that.
It’s definitely tricky. I spent some time in an Occupy camp when that was going on, and the way they functioned was anarchist. Daily meetings were held where everyone could speak and vote on rules, and we were actively encouraged to ensure that a diversity of viewpoints were addressed, ie if it’s your turn to speak and you notice that the last few people were all of the same race/gender/age range/etc., you were to choose someone who wasn’t part of that group to say their share next. This was to prevent any one group from overpowering the others. It required a lot of cooperation.
The problem was, some people didn’t care what was said in those meetings. They either didn’t attend, didn’t speak up, or didn’t care at all. I ended up leaving the camp after a guy wouldn’t stop smoking wherever he felt like. There were children, asthmatic people, and others who were sensitive to smoke participating, and as a group we decided to reserve some areas for smoking. I even used my work discount to get some buckets and sand to create ashtrays for those spots.
But this one guy, a self-professed libertarian, ignored all the rules. He didn’t care that tents are breezy and if someone smokes outside them, they’re basically getting fumigated. I spoke up, my partner spoke up, others spoke up, but nothing happened. There simply wasn’t any way to enforce the rule or kick the guy out. I commuted to work every day I was there, and thanks to this guy I ended up with raging headaches because I inadvertently breathed second-hand smoke all night. Eventually I just couldn’t take it anymore, and that’s when I left the camp for good.
I appreciate the admission that how to prevent rule violations isn’t fully set in stone yet. I’ve heard a lot of people try to argue for anarchist stances without giving an honest answer about that.
It’s definitely tricky. I spent some time in an Occupy camp when that was going on, and the way they functioned was anarchist. Daily meetings were held where everyone could speak and vote on rules, and we were actively encouraged to ensure that a diversity of viewpoints were addressed, ie if it’s your turn to speak and you notice that the last few people were all of the same race/gender/age range/etc., you were to choose someone who wasn’t part of that group to say their share next. This was to prevent any one group from overpowering the others. It required a lot of cooperation.
The problem was, some people didn’t care what was said in those meetings. They either didn’t attend, didn’t speak up, or didn’t care at all. I ended up leaving the camp after a guy wouldn’t stop smoking wherever he felt like. There were children, asthmatic people, and others who were sensitive to smoke participating, and as a group we decided to reserve some areas for smoking. I even used my work discount to get some buckets and sand to create ashtrays for those spots.
But this one guy, a self-professed libertarian, ignored all the rules. He didn’t care that tents are breezy and if someone smokes outside them, they’re basically getting fumigated. I spoke up, my partner spoke up, others spoke up, but nothing happened. There simply wasn’t any way to enforce the rule or kick the guy out. I commuted to work every day I was there, and thanks to this guy I ended up with raging headaches because I inadvertently breathed second-hand smoke all night. Eventually I just couldn’t take it anymore, and that’s when I left the camp for good.