Witzgall
29-01-2005, 19:54
The Fuhrer of Witzgall, Joseph Pimmlot, approaches the wooden podium in full military officer dress, with a red beret. His bodyguards wear their standard black uniforms and wield M4 carbines, slung across their chest. Instead of the usual insignia of the "Neo Gestapo", as his bodyguards have been nicknamed, they instead wear a red spear across a black and torn heart.
Pimmlot stands, hands on the podium, and looks into the gathering crowd. He moves his head left to right, eyeing the civilians and news crews. He watches as reporters set up the story for the viewers at home, even though many of the houses are empty and the occupants are in the streets, listening intently to their courageous leader.
"Citizens of Witzgall and the rest of the world! Those occupants of the international community, of the "Free World." Listen to my words!" the Fuhrer shouts, grabbing the attention of the world and clenching it into his iron fists.
"Imagine a biologist announces that cancer is forever so we should stop trying to cure it. Imagine a political analyst says capitalism is forever. Many people, including you at home or those of you who are here, alive, today, believe that society is at its peak, its prime. You are not happy, you are not smiling. You are saddened by your belief in this truth. I am here to break the comformation of society, to abolish such beliefs."
"If we change international relations to benefit the poor and weak, persistent capitalism will soon roll back our victory. What we build up, will eventually just tumble back down. Changing one for the better changes one for the worse."
Pimmlot stopped, pausing himself in the heat of the moment. His bodyguards stood, without emotion. Possibly not even listening to what their leader was saying. A recession of all government, of all oppression.
"I am instating a new world. A new world based on the belief of equality without oppression. I am instating a new era. A new era based on reason, not faith or fantasy."
"Viewed with one disposition, history has so far been a horrible accumulation of oppression and suffering. Viewed with another disposition, however, history has chronicled humans discovering their own finer potentials and together mounting heroic offensives to attain them -- against monarchy, feudalism, slavery, Jim Crow racism, apartheid, sexual subjugation, second class citizenship, sexism, heterosexism, dictatorship, one party rule, capitalism, and coordinatorism -- and seeking, in their place, equity, justice, and freedom. This is what I wish for, this is...the new world order."
The Fuhrer leaned back, lifting his clenched hands off of the podium and standing upright. His bodyguards still showed absolute coldness, no emotional signs whatsoever. As if they didn't care.
"The problems that we face today cannot be traced to class conflict alone. It is not merely a question of the ruling class profiting at the expense of the proletariat, for we have seen that the profit that those with capital do make does not make their lives any more fulfilling. It does not matter whether a woman is buried alive in a prison, in a reform school, in a sweatshop, in a ghetto, in a prestigious university, in a condominium bought on credit, or in a mansion with a private swimming pool and tennis courts, so long as she is buried alive. Everyone suffers from today's status quo, albeit differently; but whether a man is starving on his minimum wage salary, exhausted by his repetitive responsibilities at the office, or befuddled by the curious feeling of emptiness that accompanies the undirected acquisition of material wealth, he has a stake in fighting for change. So we all, rich and poor, must band together to consider our situation and struggle to alter it.”
The crowd was silent still. Not a soul moved from their standing position. Those at home watched and listened to Pimmlot, awaiting his speech to continue onwards.
“And this struggle presupposes participants who are fighting for themselves, to see and feel change and improvement in the course of their own lives—as we shall see… Whatever solution, whatever revolution, we propose, must be present-oriented rather than future-oriented if it is to be genuinely revolutionary. We must fight as a whole to disband this oppression we see in our everyday lives, we must work together.”
Still silence lurked in the crowd, all awaiting for the Fuhrer to continue. His speech was odd: he was getting rid of what made him one of the most powerful humans in the world, he was disbanding his own power in such a way that would be considered ritualistic political suicide.
“The past and the present are both full of examples which indicate this. To consider one: Christianity demands of its followers that they delay gratification until they enter the next world, when they will supposedly be rewarded for their proper conduct; in doing so it assumes that this proper conduct is not fulfilling enough in itself to be worthwhile unless it is rewarded. This kind of thinking reflects a dire misunderstanding of the nature of human happiness; for happiness is to be found in activity, in activities that are exciting and satisfying in and of themselves, rather than in passively awaiting rewards for unsatisfying activities. Traditional Marxism takes the Christian mistake one step further by asking its adherents to work towards a revolution they will probably never live to see—that is, in the Marxist "faith," gratification is delayed beyond the reach of human experience.
Accordingly, our “revolution” must be an immediate revolution in our daily lives; anything else is not a revolution but a demand that once again people do what they do not want to do and hope that this time, somehow, the compensation will be enough. Those who assume, often unconsciously, that it is impossible to achieve their own desires—and thus, that it is futile to fight for themselves—often end up fighting for an ideal or cause instead.
Our revolution must be above all a revolution in the ways we live and think. We should fight for these goals not out of servitude to a doctrine or cause, but because it is exciting and invigorating today to strive for difficult and worthy objectives. We must band together, sticking with each other. We must “rise up” and take what we hold for granted.
Even from here, here at this podium of political and cultural power, I can taste the question already on the tip of your tongue: isn't this utopian? Of course it is. Do you know what everyone’s greatest fear, whether it be subconscious or otherwise, is? It is that all of your dreams, your ideas, your visions of romanticism or of utopia, will one day come true. That the world as we know it will suddenly change, giving your wishes a belonging in the society of truthfulness.
Perhaps this world is just setting itself up for failure, for catastrophe on a massive scale. Maybe sitting back and letting things happen is a safer idea. But what if? What if we could change all of this now, instate a new order and change the world for the better, on a wide purpose scale? Perhaps the world will never become perfectly molded into our ideas of peace and prosperity. People will die young, diseases will dance around us. Married couples will divorce. People will drink themselves into a mindless oblivion.”
The Fuhrer looked out into the massive crowd. Everyone stared into his eyes, into his mind. Listening with a clear mind, clear ears. The crowd was stolen.
“It doesn't have to be true that men and women waste their lives away working to serve the hollow greed of a few rich men, just to survive. It doesn't have to be the case that we never dare to tell each other what we really want, to share ourselves honestly, to use our talents and capabilities to make life more bearable, let alone more beautiful. That's unnecessary tragedy, stupid tragedy, pathetic and pointless. It's not even utopian to demand that we put an end to farces like these.
“If we could bring ourselves to believe, to really feel, the possibility that we are invincible and can accomplish whatever we want in this world, it wouldn't seem out of our reach at all to correct such absurdities. What I am begging you to do here is not to put faith in the impossible, but have the courage to face that terrible possibility that our lives really are in our own hands, and to act accordingly: to not settle for every misery fate and humanity have heaped upon us, but to push back, to see which ones can be shaken off. Nothing could be more tragic, and more ridiculous, than to live out a whole life in reach of heaven without ever stretching out your arms.”
The Fuhrer bowed his head downwards, and the crowd was silent. This was an annoucement of recession of the government, of all powers to be. No more instating one society to replace another, just to differentiate nothing but the names.
Witzgall had entered itself into an age of order. Surely most would think that the era was insane, that it would never work. When the word “anarchy” is used, it is used with joking and without a thought at all. For the better, for the worse. Anarchy can stop the cultural machines that kill and maim life as we know it. Most think Anarchy is a bad idea, an “idiot’s race”.
Anarchism is the political philosophy of people seeking a society in which all individuals have the greatest choice in the way they live their lives. Therefore, we work towards the creation of a global network of communities formed by voluntary agreements based on co-operation and respect for the freedom of others. We oppose all forms of oppression, including sexism, racism, religious intolerance, discrimination on the basis of sexuality, class structures, the governing of one person by another and any other form of authoritarianism or hierarchy that might happen along. Therefore, we support the empowerment of individuals and communities working towards freedom, we support the genuine resistance to authority. We are not the slightest bit interested in those who merely seek to replace one authoritarian system with another. Some of us like olives, some of us don’t.
Pimmlot stands, hands on the podium, and looks into the gathering crowd. He moves his head left to right, eyeing the civilians and news crews. He watches as reporters set up the story for the viewers at home, even though many of the houses are empty and the occupants are in the streets, listening intently to their courageous leader.
"Citizens of Witzgall and the rest of the world! Those occupants of the international community, of the "Free World." Listen to my words!" the Fuhrer shouts, grabbing the attention of the world and clenching it into his iron fists.
"Imagine a biologist announces that cancer is forever so we should stop trying to cure it. Imagine a political analyst says capitalism is forever. Many people, including you at home or those of you who are here, alive, today, believe that society is at its peak, its prime. You are not happy, you are not smiling. You are saddened by your belief in this truth. I am here to break the comformation of society, to abolish such beliefs."
"If we change international relations to benefit the poor and weak, persistent capitalism will soon roll back our victory. What we build up, will eventually just tumble back down. Changing one for the better changes one for the worse."
Pimmlot stopped, pausing himself in the heat of the moment. His bodyguards stood, without emotion. Possibly not even listening to what their leader was saying. A recession of all government, of all oppression.
"I am instating a new world. A new world based on the belief of equality without oppression. I am instating a new era. A new era based on reason, not faith or fantasy."
"Viewed with one disposition, history has so far been a horrible accumulation of oppression and suffering. Viewed with another disposition, however, history has chronicled humans discovering their own finer potentials and together mounting heroic offensives to attain them -- against monarchy, feudalism, slavery, Jim Crow racism, apartheid, sexual subjugation, second class citizenship, sexism, heterosexism, dictatorship, one party rule, capitalism, and coordinatorism -- and seeking, in their place, equity, justice, and freedom. This is what I wish for, this is...the new world order."
The Fuhrer leaned back, lifting his clenched hands off of the podium and standing upright. His bodyguards still showed absolute coldness, no emotional signs whatsoever. As if they didn't care.
"The problems that we face today cannot be traced to class conflict alone. It is not merely a question of the ruling class profiting at the expense of the proletariat, for we have seen that the profit that those with capital do make does not make their lives any more fulfilling. It does not matter whether a woman is buried alive in a prison, in a reform school, in a sweatshop, in a ghetto, in a prestigious university, in a condominium bought on credit, or in a mansion with a private swimming pool and tennis courts, so long as she is buried alive. Everyone suffers from today's status quo, albeit differently; but whether a man is starving on his minimum wage salary, exhausted by his repetitive responsibilities at the office, or befuddled by the curious feeling of emptiness that accompanies the undirected acquisition of material wealth, he has a stake in fighting for change. So we all, rich and poor, must band together to consider our situation and struggle to alter it.”
The crowd was silent still. Not a soul moved from their standing position. Those at home watched and listened to Pimmlot, awaiting his speech to continue onwards.
“And this struggle presupposes participants who are fighting for themselves, to see and feel change and improvement in the course of their own lives—as we shall see… Whatever solution, whatever revolution, we propose, must be present-oriented rather than future-oriented if it is to be genuinely revolutionary. We must fight as a whole to disband this oppression we see in our everyday lives, we must work together.”
Still silence lurked in the crowd, all awaiting for the Fuhrer to continue. His speech was odd: he was getting rid of what made him one of the most powerful humans in the world, he was disbanding his own power in such a way that would be considered ritualistic political suicide.
“The past and the present are both full of examples which indicate this. To consider one: Christianity demands of its followers that they delay gratification until they enter the next world, when they will supposedly be rewarded for their proper conduct; in doing so it assumes that this proper conduct is not fulfilling enough in itself to be worthwhile unless it is rewarded. This kind of thinking reflects a dire misunderstanding of the nature of human happiness; for happiness is to be found in activity, in activities that are exciting and satisfying in and of themselves, rather than in passively awaiting rewards for unsatisfying activities. Traditional Marxism takes the Christian mistake one step further by asking its adherents to work towards a revolution they will probably never live to see—that is, in the Marxist "faith," gratification is delayed beyond the reach of human experience.
Accordingly, our “revolution” must be an immediate revolution in our daily lives; anything else is not a revolution but a demand that once again people do what they do not want to do and hope that this time, somehow, the compensation will be enough. Those who assume, often unconsciously, that it is impossible to achieve their own desires—and thus, that it is futile to fight for themselves—often end up fighting for an ideal or cause instead.
Our revolution must be above all a revolution in the ways we live and think. We should fight for these goals not out of servitude to a doctrine or cause, but because it is exciting and invigorating today to strive for difficult and worthy objectives. We must band together, sticking with each other. We must “rise up” and take what we hold for granted.
Even from here, here at this podium of political and cultural power, I can taste the question already on the tip of your tongue: isn't this utopian? Of course it is. Do you know what everyone’s greatest fear, whether it be subconscious or otherwise, is? It is that all of your dreams, your ideas, your visions of romanticism or of utopia, will one day come true. That the world as we know it will suddenly change, giving your wishes a belonging in the society of truthfulness.
Perhaps this world is just setting itself up for failure, for catastrophe on a massive scale. Maybe sitting back and letting things happen is a safer idea. But what if? What if we could change all of this now, instate a new order and change the world for the better, on a wide purpose scale? Perhaps the world will never become perfectly molded into our ideas of peace and prosperity. People will die young, diseases will dance around us. Married couples will divorce. People will drink themselves into a mindless oblivion.”
The Fuhrer looked out into the massive crowd. Everyone stared into his eyes, into his mind. Listening with a clear mind, clear ears. The crowd was stolen.
“It doesn't have to be true that men and women waste their lives away working to serve the hollow greed of a few rich men, just to survive. It doesn't have to be the case that we never dare to tell each other what we really want, to share ourselves honestly, to use our talents and capabilities to make life more bearable, let alone more beautiful. That's unnecessary tragedy, stupid tragedy, pathetic and pointless. It's not even utopian to demand that we put an end to farces like these.
“If we could bring ourselves to believe, to really feel, the possibility that we are invincible and can accomplish whatever we want in this world, it wouldn't seem out of our reach at all to correct such absurdities. What I am begging you to do here is not to put faith in the impossible, but have the courage to face that terrible possibility that our lives really are in our own hands, and to act accordingly: to not settle for every misery fate and humanity have heaped upon us, but to push back, to see which ones can be shaken off. Nothing could be more tragic, and more ridiculous, than to live out a whole life in reach of heaven without ever stretching out your arms.”
The Fuhrer bowed his head downwards, and the crowd was silent. This was an annoucement of recession of the government, of all powers to be. No more instating one society to replace another, just to differentiate nothing but the names.
Witzgall had entered itself into an age of order. Surely most would think that the era was insane, that it would never work. When the word “anarchy” is used, it is used with joking and without a thought at all. For the better, for the worse. Anarchy can stop the cultural machines that kill and maim life as we know it. Most think Anarchy is a bad idea, an “idiot’s race”.
Anarchism is the political philosophy of people seeking a society in which all individuals have the greatest choice in the way they live their lives. Therefore, we work towards the creation of a global network of communities formed by voluntary agreements based on co-operation and respect for the freedom of others. We oppose all forms of oppression, including sexism, racism, religious intolerance, discrimination on the basis of sexuality, class structures, the governing of one person by another and any other form of authoritarianism or hierarchy that might happen along. Therefore, we support the empowerment of individuals and communities working towards freedom, we support the genuine resistance to authority. We are not the slightest bit interested in those who merely seek to replace one authoritarian system with another. Some of us like olives, some of us don’t.