Article by Colonel Nogov on Jun 18, 2015
I read in another article that it was naive to believe the government could be abolished. This came from an anarchist/libertarian perspective. Not a main stream piece in other words. So, I, having read this had to take a step back and evaluate that statement.
It is not naive to believe government can be abolished. The abolition of government is inevitable. It’s only a matter of time. I used to think it wouldn’t happen in my lifetime, but now after wading deeper into the thought pool, I believe it can happen in my lifetime and I’ve included some information on how we, as anarchists, can speed up the process. So, I thank the author of the piece mentioned for my renewed vigor.
To say that it is naive to think government can be abolished is to say that man cannot learn from the past or that man can never be enlightened as a species. I find plenty of evidence to the contrary. Every generation gets a little bit – not smarter or higher average IQ – but has more basic knowledge to build on.
Think about the combustion engine. Everybody, in the U.S. anyway, has a basic knowledge of the combustion engine. They may not be mechanics or engineers, but they understand the spark lights the gas that pushes the pistons that turn the crank etc. The combustion engine is 100 years old or so. Most of the world understands it now. But prior to it being invented, no one understood the combustion engine. The knowledge spread until today it’s almost universally understood basic knowledge.
What about more sophisticated technology? Computers. Outer space. Most people understand computers. They may not be programmers, but they understand how they work. The percentage may not be as high as the combustion engine, but it’s growing rapidly and faster than the combustion engine knowledge did. Outer space too. I remember seeing a Science/discovery type show where a Chinese man about 1000 years ago tried to fly into space strapping rockets onto a chair. He obviously didn’t know that in space there is no air to breath and he would freeze to death in an instant. This is common knowledge today. Once a generation discovers something, it becomes common knowledge to the next generation(s).
That same common knowledge passed on from generation to generation includes government. More people today understand the evil of government than the previous generations did. Where once there was only a voice or two here and there, today there are thousands, maybe even millions. Everyone’s favorite epitaph is: “you’re a nazi” or something similar. Humans learn.
So why is this knowledge taking so long to spread around the world? Why was it possible for the combustion engine to be common knowledge in 100 years and the evil of government taking thousands? There is resistance. Lots of people benefit from government. The government makes sure lots of people benefit, if only to a very small extent, so that the resistance remains high. Government makes it easy for people to turn the blind eye. Just like slavery. People benefited, so it took a lot longer to abolish than it should have.
The second reason is technology. Prior to today, knowledge spread very slowly. Today, the internet, airplane travel, other technology makes spreading information instantaneous. The spreading of ideas that once took years or hundreds of years now takes seconds. The ideas of anarchism are growing exponentially today.
What can we do to speed the process?
It is said that if you repeat a lie often enough people will believe it.
Why do people drink coke? It’s very unhealthy for you.
Have you seen the “support the troops” bumper stickers, ribbons, window placards, etc. at least 10,000 times?
It’s about marketing. Marketing is about getting the message out. “support the troops” is everywhere. “support the troops” is a marketing campaign. Pretty soon the mindless, seeing that phrase everywhere, start saying stupid things like, “thank you for your service”. They are bombarded with the message until it sinks into their heads. They will not resists that message until they have a reason to, such as a counter message or a distasteful event relating to supporting the troops.
“support the troops” is a grass roots marketing campaign. It may have been started by government sources, but it’s now fully bottom up. People are paying to spread the message. Buying bumper stickers. Buying placards. Repeating the phrase and similar ones in conversations.
Repetition, repetition, repetition. Did I mention repetition? People need to see messages of freedom everywhere, all the time. Not the stupid “freedom isn’t free” or even simply “freedom”. Those words have become almost meaningless because people actually think they are free. Messages that need to be spread are actual messages of freedom, such as: End the Fed, abolish government, abolish the state, Anarchy, Fiat currency is fraud, etc. Things that call for a specific action; end the fed. Or, things that bring awareness to a specific subject; fiat currency is fraud.
Think about how many U.S. flags people have hanging off their houses. Drive through your town and see. At the same time look for anarchy flags or pro freedom message flags. It will open your eyes. The statists are getting their message out. We are not.
We need to hang flags, put bumper stickers on our cars, put placards in our businesses. (businesses are delicate. You obviously don’t want to alienate customers or get boycotted for hanging an anarchy flag in your window. A simple “end the fed” or something similar.) People need to see these images and messages. Don’t use the gadsden flag, it has also been perverted.
Did I mention repetition already? I repeat it because repetition is the key. Lies are spread by repetition. Lousy products are sold by repetition. The thing is, lies and lousy products need a lot more repetition than truth. The repetition of truth is more powerful because it’s true. But, it still needs to be spread.
You don’t need to do anything as extravagant as Larken Rose’s five questions. Just get the message out. Sooner or later, EVERYONE will understand the evils of government. Let’s speed up the process.
