STDIN

Readings for Monday December 1: Gabriella Coleman "Indymedia's Independence : From Activist Media to Free Software David Graeber "Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology"

The class discussed the relation between anarchism and hacking is filled with similarities: both group's rejection of the status quo, this implicit rejection to "normalcy". Anarchism and hacking both share a radical political philosophy, and while hackers may not always claim political intentions, the rejection of the current body and form of government seems to be an underlying theme in both groups. Many hackers don't call themselves anarchists in the traditional sense, however, there is a connection there because of idea of ruling consensus. Although hackers are comfortable with hierarchies, shown in the Fogel reading, there is still that radical element that remains embedded in the Free Software movement.

Another issue the class discussed, and this is where it became really interesting, is the acutal success of radical enterprises like Free Software and anarchistic communities. How far can these communities rise? Is widespread anarchism even possible? When focusing on the idea of communes, the class seemed to believe that if everyone shared that particular mentality, then it would be easier to walk away from--from a kind of co-op existence if that is all that is offered. You could just go start your own, new co-op. And while an anarchist philosophy might actually work in some domains of life, such as the journalism produced by Indymedia, can it really function in all aspects of life? Free Software is another area that seems able to function with the anarchistic perspective, where projects seem never to be completed only expanded. This is one of Graeber's arguments for skeptics of anarchism: while one may never be able to overthrow the top (capitalism), the peer to peer relationship of projects like Debian or Linux show that the expansion, the process of the project is important, although it may never be fully completed. The class discussed the idea of the individual within anarchism, as it functions as "the cult of the individual" and I think this plays well into the idea of hacking. Hackers unite within their culture, but it is ultimately an individual endeavor. Anarchism is based on the collective individual, and while it may be difficult to realize an anarchistic perspective, anarchism is all around us and changes can be instituted, as Indymedia has done.