Post-Leftism, Post-Left Anarchism, or Post-Left Anarchy, is an anarchist ideology that critiques the left from a more radical viewpoint, advocating for a range of ideas such as Insurrectionism, Anarcho-Individualism, Anarcho-Egoism, Accelerationism, Anti-Civilization, Post-Civilization, Political Nihilism, Eco-Nihilism, Anti-Work, Post-Feminism, Cyber-Nihilism, Post-Situationism, Post-Autonomism, Anarcho-Communization Post-Modernism, Post-Structuralism, Schizoanalysis, Self Theory as opposed to ideology, and others.
Post-Leftism may often follow many classical anarchist beliefs, mainly opposition towards centralized forms of government ( monarchy, fascism, marxism-leninism, liberal democracy), hierarchical economics ( capitalism, slavery, feudalism, state socialism), organized religion ( roman catholicism, fundamentalist Islam) and usually forms of discrimination (homophobia, patriarchy, racism). However, tend to disagree with other classical anarchist ideals on certain generic anarchist stances, which may or may not include the belief in objective morality, specific forms of (or even sometimes all) identity politics, forms of organization, etc. some post-leftist factions may even be opposed to the very idea of direct democracy that are widely accepted within mainstream anarchist circles, considering it to be another form of leviathan and oppression, and involuntary work.
In short, the term Post-Left Anarchism designates a form of anarchism which seeks to move away from traditional leftism, though the exact ideological stances between different post-left factions and ideologues may vary significantly between each other.
Theory
Rejection of Traditional Left
In essay Anarchy After Leftism Bob Black, one of Post-Left Anarchy creators said that anarchism minus marxism would be better. They criticize many part of leftist anarchism, for example:
- democracy - saw as another control system, where individual has no power compared to the masses, that is another example of dictatorship.
- Proletariat - many of them sees classes as something more complex than division between bourgeoisie and proletariat. They especially reject concept of dictatorship of the proletariat, and often inspired by Communization theory they want to replace capitalist social relations by socialist ones by insurrection.
Economics of Post Left Anarchy
They don't have specified idea for economics, like various classical anarchists have, but they are definitely anti-capitalist, abolitionist, and anti-state socialist. Some of them propose full communism, like anarchist communization or post-situationists, some of them are for agrarian barter based economics, primitivists want purely hunting-gathering, open to technology anarchists want some kind of economics based on nanofactory distribution, and some may even support non capitalist markets.
Constant Action
Various anarchists propose various methods and means of action. Communizers proposes replacing capitalist social relations by communist. Hakim Bey invented Temporary Autonomous Zones, that are about insurrection, temporary existence of these zones. They often take idea of unions of egoists invented by Max Stirner, that are affinity temporary and voluntary groups, without strong hierarchy, when egoists want to achieve mutual goal. They teach that instead of revolution there could be insurrection, that is unorganized act of rebellion against authority. Insurrectionary groups would also be based on affinity groups. Some of them accept agorist counter economics, squatting among peaceful action, and criminality and terrorism among violent actions.
Contemporary anarchists reject unionization and general strike as useful, because it requires authority's consent, and then reform, that is considered as bureaucratic and ineffective. They reject revolution in traditional sense, because revolutions ended as tyrannies, requires strong organization, end goal politics and utopian thinking. Especially they reject electoral politics and reform, and actions related to it like peaceful protesting, but not always they refuse to participate in protests
Work as Play
Culture War and Identity Politics
What about Nation and World
Conflict with Technology and Environment
History
Personality and Behaviour
He's often seen arguing with "traditional" LibLefts on the ground of their incapability to involve the poor in their politics, accusing them of essentialism and anti-lumpen sentiments. Sometimes he falls asleep out of boredom when listening to their outdated arguments and themes. When a capitalist(s) (insert capitalist here) demands that he has to get a job it’s either dead silence (usually paired with walking away or turning up the music that he’s listening to) or gives an in-depth explanation on how employers and bosses see free time as a time that someone should be working and the fact that corporations see the employee(s) as a replaceable cog in a machine ( which is why 2 week notices exist) but they ( the corporation) can fire on the spot.
(The person writing part of this is very Anti-work)
- Lazy (actually not lazy just enjoying life for in the grand scheme of the universe human life is short and should be used to it’s fullest)
- Doesn't want to work.
- Doesn't like being called a leftist.
- Hangs out with Anarcho-Egoism and calls things spooks.
How to Draw
- Draw a ball.
- Fill it with red,
- Draw a black curvy line going from the lower left to the upper right, staying above the diagonal and having some seaweed-like protrusions going upward.
- Fill with black the region below the line.
- Add the Stirner glasses, and you're done!
Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
---|---|---|---|
Red | #FF0000 | 255, 0, 0 | |
Black | #141414 | 20, 20, 20 |
Relationships
Friends
- Anarchism - Best aunt. But you should understand again, anarchy isn't a political system.
- Egoism - Free your ego.
- Ego-Communism - Look at me, brother.
- Illegalism - Steal things, fuck work.
- Insurrectionary Anarchism - Fight for your right to party! Just stop flirting with him so much.
- Anarcho-Individualism - I really appreciate your individuality, but still too much influence from classical liberalism.
- Soulism - Really cool, reminds me a lot of myself who transcend themselves above the traditional understanding of the modern and old left-wing ideology and doctrine, as well as the transhumanist influence which is pretty cool (when Anprim doesn't watch), with that aside, I personally don't want to be constantly stoned unless it personally suits me, and I am skeptical that your utopia like mind upload to a computer or transcending physical world and existence in astral plane can actually be realized.
- Post-Colonial Anarchism - While you do not share my full-out individualism, you are a fellow postie who fights for the self-determination of the colonized lumpenproletariat!
- Situationism - Weird older brother who dislikes work and quotes obscure philosophers as much as I do. Why do you idolize that old fart so much tho?
- Deep Ecology - Some of my followers are associated with your type of ecology. Though why the rejection of transhumanism, they can be based too, even if it requires strong organization (at least sometimes anyways).
- Xenofeminism - A decent feminist who refuses to submit to the living spook that is gender roles and is critical of the liberals of her movement.
Still kinda taking too much influence from idpol and transhumanism tho; post-feminism is still better at carrying my ideas into gender politics.
- Autonomism - The most tolerable form of Marxism. All others are collectivist, authoritarian, and dogmatic.
- Existentialist Anarchism - You're right on point about life, even if some thinkers like Sartre were Marxists.
- Post-Anarchism - Fellow deconstructor of traditional anarchism.
- Anarcho-Nihilism - You make good points about civilization, society, and insurrection, but atomization will not work.
- Deleuzoguattarianism - You have many interesting ideas, although I can't comprehend them at all.
Frenemies
- Accelerationism - I like your unconventional ideas, and some of your versions are absolutely based, as well as triggering liberals and radlibs with your ideas which is a very big plus, however, some of your factions seem too convinced of the possibility of a singularity rather than collapse, with some of their visions being very frightening, such as capital being some kind of god.
- Anarcho-Primitivism - Fellow Ted enjoyer but as always, your system cannot be applied universally without genocide.
- Queer Anarchism - I like your more nihilistic variants, but other than that most of you get way too caught up in identity politics for my liking. And your younger social media-obsessed followers are the very definition of cringe; I don't care if you "cancel" me for pointing that out, it's just true.
- Neoluddism - Weird distant adopted son that never calls. There's a reason he likes you so much. I am scared that your ideal society will not differ from Amish communes, where you can only work and pray.
- Anarcho-Communism - You're cool and all in theory, but I think that some of you are led by such dogma to the point of being against any true form of individualism or self-determination and just fall into the same pitfalls and authoritarian tendencies of most other leftists.
- Anarcho-Transhumanism - There is a lot of inner conflict between me on transhumanism in regards to my politics, and my children are split between extreme adoration or extreme abhorrence of you and I'm personally conflicted myself in regards to how I see you. Though either way I can say I see you as very influential for my outlook on politics regardless. Nanofactory based economy seems to be cool, because it will reduce amount of work and decentralize economy.
- Eco-Anarchism - I support your more deep ecological variants, but you're often too Bookchinite. I prefer to call it Green Anarchy.
- Radical Environmentalism - People like Ted Kaczynski are cool, but some of you rely on the state.
- Anarcha-Feminism - Why do you believe in 'rights'? Don't get me wrong, I hate misogynistic assholes as much as you do, but 'rights' just seem like artificial bullshit given by the state.
- Anarcho-Collectivism - I know the collectivism in your name isn't totally literal, but any kind of constant and organized society will never give you freedom. Though standing against the Marxists in the first Internationale for their authoritarianism was based.
- Agrarian Anarchism - Reject big cities, embrace small communities, but small peasant society itself is only a kind of primitive Leviathan.
- Anarcho-Frontierism - Maybe living on the frontier will give more freedom? And your point on technology is interesting, even if space will be dominated by corporations, I worry that you will eventually evolve into the new "Manifest Destiny".
- Communization Theory - You are far better than majority of leftists, but you still fall into their mistakes. I prefer anarchist variant of your thought.
- Nietzscheanism -
Enemies
- Capitalism - Supporters of capitalism are so brainwashed by actual capitalists, that they believe they have freedom of choice.
- Fascism - Nothing in the state, everything outside the state, everything against the state.
- Marxism–Leninism - When you make capitalism even more controlling by central planning, and you think that you liberated everyone.
- Libertarianism - You're just a conservative who does drugs.
- Anarcho-Capitalism - You can't call private mercenaries when I trespass on your property, because you are a nerdy kid who have no life outside the internet.
- Imperialism - Yes I prefer tribe over your Leviathan.
- Industrialism - The industrial revolution and it's consequences have been disaster for human race, and all races of animals.
- Corporatocracy - You embody everything I hate. Centralization, capitalism, consumerism, work, pollution, and idpol-based cultural policy.
- Corporatism - YOU'RE EVEN WORSE THAN THE CRONYIST ABOVE!!!
- Anti-Fascism - You are why I exist. You radlibs keep attacking everyone, even innocent bystanders, who disagree with you just because they don't buy your shitty pseudo-progressive identity politics and micro-statist worldviews. And to be honest much of the problems of the modern left can be boiled down to you.
- Revolutionary Progressivism - Literally the same reasons why I hate the guy above, if not worse, because is a terrorist and physically violent against anything that isn't him. Though the Yippies were pretty cool guys.
- Anarcho-Syndicalism - Culturally anarchist but fiscally statist. I hate how your supporters call themselves anarchists and your structuralism is cancer. Unions are bureaucracy and have nothing to do with anarchy, and your cult of workers makes me vomit.
- Platformism - Same kind of issues I have with AnSynd but worse. Your politics is just more decentralized vanguardism, and Makhnovia was simply decentralized military junta.
- Bookchin Communalism - I used to like you a lot and thought you were just making some traditional anarchist mistakes, but you're not even an anarchist, and your critique of "lifestylism" is laughable. I support the anarchy of lifestyle and the only thing you can do with it is sucking my dick.
- Ochlocracy - Don't care, didn't ask. Plus you're a dictatorship ruled by the many, so gtfo.
- Petersonism - Yeah, I like postmodernism, you got a problem with that?
- Avaritionism - I hate that greedy psychopaths like you make us anarchists look like bloodthirsty chaos-seeking warlords and rapists. The only people I support being killed are sadistic assholes like you.
- Enlightenment Thought - All you have done is create a new Leviathan with greater control over the individual.
- State Atheism - The only difference between you and them is that your worship of Leviathan is more direct and pure.
- National Anarchism - Your masked white-nationalist "pan-separatist" policies wouldn't fool even the most idiotic of ancoms, for once I agree with him, you are just a bunch of reactionaries trying to find an excuse to build your little "whites only" segregated communities.
- Anarcho-Fascism - You are somehow even dumber than the guy above you, and almost as psychotic as Avaritionism
- Marxism - Your vision of communism and freedom is outdated and simplistic. When will you realize we lumpenproletariats are just as exploited by capitalism as your followers are? AND STOP CALLING ME A LAZY PSEUDO-BOURGEOIS!
- Blanquism - At least you are honest in your disgust for us lumpenproletariats, unlike the above's backhanded pity. I still hate you just as much as him.
- Mediacracy - Goddamit Reddit, you just had to screw up in that interview, didn't you? This is why tyrannical and power-hungry jannies who do it for free can't be trusted to be a part of the insurrection.
- Conservative Socialism - While you may be a collectivist conservative socialist, we still share a mutual hatred towards identity politics and radlibs. Of course, for completely different reasons so I am not willing to compromise with you. You are just like any regular so-called "progressive" or "revolutionary" but simply honest about their deep-seated anachronistic, reactionary worldviews that are out of touch with reality.
- Fully Automated Gay Space Communism - Please take a break from the internet.
- Neoliberalism- Your presence is a good illustration of how the traditional left can help capitalism stabilize its rule.
- Dengism - Same as above.
- Anarcho-Conservatism - You are worse than them with all your social norms and traditions.
- Anarcho-Totalitarianism - Aren't you just platformist/ansynd/bookchinite again?
- Globalism - Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.
- Democracy - Oligarchy with a mask.
- Barracks Communism - This is what left wants!
- Capitalist Transhumanism - Worst kind of transhumanism, surveillance by corporations, and cyberpunk dystopia.
- Catholic Theocracy - Power, money, blood and rape hungry assholes who justify everything they do by some ancient stupid book.
- Libertarian Socialism - Just a palliative that doesn't really change anything, for example you still want to keep many parts of capitalism like the state and work, and decentralized planning is another unworkable leftist crap.
Further Information
For overlapping political theory see:
Literature
- Post-Left Reading List
- Left Unity: The Politics of a Soldier’s Grave by Dr.Bones
- Post-Left Anarchy : Leaving the Left Behind by Jason Mcquinn
- Anarchy After Leftism by Bob Black
- Anarchy in the Age of Dinosaurs by Curious George Brigade
- Willful Disobedience by Wolfi Landstreicher
- The Abolition of Work by Bob Black
- Let’s Destroy Work, Let’s Destroy the Economy by Alfredo M. Bonanno
- Anti-Oedipus by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari
- Armed Joy by Alfredo M. Bonanno
- The Unique and Its Property by Max Stirner
- Stirner’s Critics by Max Stirner
- Clarifying the Unique and Its Self-Creation by Jason McQuinn
- Nihilism as Egoism by Keiji Nishitani
- Mutual Utilization: Relationship and Revolt in Max Stirner by Massimo Passamani
- Max & I by An-ok Ta Chai
- Toward the Creative Nothing by Renzo Novatore
- Nihilism, Anarchy and the 21st Century by Aragorn!
- Blessed is the Flame by Serafinski
- Against His-story, Against Leviathan by Freddy Perlman
- Critical Self Theory & the non-ideological critique of ideology by Jason Mcquinn
Situationist/Post-Situationist
- It's Crazy How Many Things Don't Exist by Jean-Pierre Voyer
- The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord
- A Quick and Dirty Introduction to Accelerationism by Nick Land
- Gender Acceleration: A Blackpaper by Nyx Land
- Xenofeminism: A Politics for Alienation by Laboria Cuboniks
- Undoing Gender by Judith Butler
- No Future by Lee Edelman
- baedan — journal of queer nihilism — issue one by baedan
- Against the Gendered Nightmare by baedan
Wikipedia
Parties & Organizations
Videos
- Post-Left Anarchy: Leaving the Left Behind - Jason McQuinn Read by Desert Outpost.
- On the Post-Left and Egoism: Misconceptions and Explanations By ZeroNotes
- Anarchism and dealing with Leftism By Fizzy the Mutualist
- Desert by Anonymous Read by Audible Anarchist.
- HOW I LEFT THE LEFT | A GUIDE INTO POST LEFT ANARCHY By Diod
Channels
Online Communities.
- r/postleftanarchism
- r/antiwork (formerly)[Note 1]
- r/AmerExit
Notes
- ↑ While it originally started out as an explicitly anarchist sub, it has been overrun by reformists in more recent times. Eventually, it had been discovered that the subreddit was hijacked by the FBI with certain FBI agents being moderators likely due to the sheer influence it increasingly had over working people. Now it is more widely considered as mostly separate from its original radical origins, with most original mods and userbase either leaving or having been banned.
Gallery
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Credit: TheLegend2T, Source
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Original image
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Libertarian Unity - Sex, Drugs, and looking good in Thigh Highs | |
Moderate | |
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Main | Ultimate Ideal |
Self-Insert | File:FPCB Reform.png FreePCB Reformism • Zelligism |
Post-Left - Edgy leftist doomers | |
Main | Post-Left Anarchy, Insurrectionary Anarchism, Anarcho-Primitivism, Anarcho-Egoism, Anarcho-Nihilism, Ego-Communism, Anarcho-Transhumanism, Post-Anarchism, LesbiaNRx, Xenofeminism, Post-Civilization |
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Variants | Bonannoism Post-Situationism, Anarcho-Communization, Queer Nihilism, Insurrectionary Egoism, Dark Deleuzianism, Ontological Anarchy, Green Anarchism, Post-Mutualism, Eco-Nihilism, Camattism, Kaczynskism, Lacanian Anarchism, Gender Communism, Zerzanism |
Self inserts | Zelligism |
- ↑ While being a critic of anarcho-primitivism, Landstreicher has been labeled as one by theorists such as Bob Black.