0:00:09.780,0:00:15.720
Modern industrial civilization is an astonishing[br]testament to the power and capacity of organization.

0:00:19.420,0:00:24.460
The world that we inhabit today is the product[br]of countless generations of planning, innovation

0:00:24.460,0:00:29.130
and collective human activity, harnessed and[br]channelled towards the ceaseless pursuit of

0:00:29.130,0:00:30.960
productivity and growth.

0:00:33.500,0:00:38.600
Every day, the global economy structures and[br]coordinates the labour of billions of people.

0:00:38.600,0:00:44.010
A dizzying array of commodities are engineered,[br]manufactured, transported to regional distribution

0:00:44.010,0:00:49.200
centres and shipped out to retail outlets[br]and people’s doorsteps all around the world.

0:00:49.240,0:00:54.000
International supply chains cut across borders[br]and continents, connecting garment workers

0:00:54.000,0:00:58.280
in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam to Wal-Mart shoppers[br]in Scottsdale, Arizona.

0:01:00.500,0:01:06.280
Within this interconnected system, each metropolis forms a teeming hub of activity made up of dozens of

0:01:06.280,0:01:11.080
neighborhoods. These distinct regions are linked together by an intricately designed maze of

0:01:11.080,0:01:13.280
transportation and telecommunication

0:01:13.290,0:01:18.080
infrastructure, as well as the electrical,[br]water and sewage grids that help ensure the

0:01:18.080,0:01:21.240
sanitation and daily survival of millions[br]of people.

0:01:21.860,0:01:26.130
And yet despite all the meticulous planning[br]and the vast quantities of human skill and

0:01:26.130,0:01:32.280
toil marshalled towards its execution, more[br]than a billion people live in squalid, overcrowded

0:01:32.280,0:01:38.660
slums, favelas and makeshift refugee camps[br]– many of which lack basic access to electricity

0:01:38.670,0:01:45.040
or running water. This growing population[br]draws little benefit from the way society is organized.

0:01:45.040,0:01:50.380
And this is by design as their impoverishment and desperation is integral to the machine's

0:01:50.380,0:01:56.640
smooth functioning.To the architects of progress, they are the grease that keeps the gears moving.

0:02:00.220,0:02:04.990
The same could be said, to varying degrees,[br]for the entirety of the global working class,

0:02:04.990,0:02:10.250
particularly migrant labourers and all those[br]working in the informal, low-wage sectors

0:02:10.250,0:02:17.060
of the so-called “gig economy”. Because[br]this world is not organized around the principle

0:02:17.060,0:02:21.840
of satisfying people’s needs, but around[br]the endless accumulation of capital.

0:02:23.060,0:02:28.890
This organizational imperative is firmly rooted[br]in ruling-class institutions and in the ideologies

0:02:28.890,0:02:35.829
and structural violence that underpin them.[br]This dynamic means that sweeping social transformations

0:02:35.829,0:02:41.249
are contingent on political crises that can[br]shake and ultimately uproot the entire social

0:02:41.249,0:02:48.139
order. Yet even when this sort of revolutionary[br]change may seem far off, it’s always possible

0:02:48.139,0:02:55.079
to change our conditions for the better. This[br]is where autonomous, grass-roots organizing comes in.

0:02:55.079,0:02:59.329
Over the next thirty minutes, we’ll take[br]a closer look at what this sort of organizing

0:02:59.329,0:03:04.180
looks like for anarchists. Along the way,[br]we’ll talk to a number of individuals as

0:03:04.180,0:03:08.879
they share their own experiences of bringing[br]people together, coming up with strategies,

0:03:08.900,0:03:13.100
hitting the streets... and making a whole[br]lot of trouble.

0:03:41.100,0:03:46.780
When we're talking about organzing, we're[br]essentially talking about weaponizing human

0:03:46.780,0:03:50.980
relatonships. The relationships that you and I[br]and people in our broader community that are

0:03:50.980,0:03:54.779
affected by things, that live together, that[br]work together, that go to school together..

0:03:54.779,0:03:59.209
Weaponizing those relationships, and then[br]using those relationships to go out and do

0:03:59.209,0:04:04.779
something and figuring out how people can[br]physically put themselves together as material force.

0:04:07.280,0:04:09.420
With that in mind, it's important to understand

0:04:09.420,0:04:15.960
that this takes time, it takes a lot of trust,[br]a lot of love, a lot of passion. It takes

0:04:15.960,0:04:21.680
time for folks to kind of come together and[br]to start pinpointing what are the issues,

0:04:22.180,0:04:25.200
what are the struggles here within my neighborhood,[br]within my community?

0:04:35.000,0:04:38.340
Organizing is, it's a process of building

0:04:38.340,0:04:43.340
up your collective strength and your collective power

0:04:45.840,0:04:47.840
The first step of organizing is to sort of

0:04:47.840,0:04:54.180
break through that social barrier and isolation[br]that divides us and often this can be as simple

0:04:54.190,0:04:58.390
as getting a bunch of people into a room together[br]and starting to talk about the things that

0:04:58.390,0:05:03.890
we have in common, the problems that we share,[br]and from there through the course of talking

0:05:03.890,0:05:08.200
about these things we start to come to the[br]realization that by working together we're

0:05:08.200,0:05:15.330
in a better position to change things. Organizing[br]is a process that should be transformative.

0:05:16.840,0:05:22.100
During the process of organizing[br]new bonds of solidarity are formed through

0:05:22.100,0:05:23.560
the course of struggle.

0:05:25.840,0:05:29.840
I think the first thing is to [br]find a group of people,

0:05:29.840,0:05:32.400
a community,

0:05:33.560,0:05:35.360
or people in your area

0:05:35.360,0:05:39.180
that have a conflict in common.

0:05:41.120,0:05:43.860
And based on that conflict,

0:05:44.680,0:05:49.000
to agree to organize among [br]these people to achieve an objective.

0:05:53.160,0:05:58.420
Organizing is more of an approach to engaging in struggle

0:05:58.420,0:06:04.500
People talk about organizing and being an organizer more related to building relationships with

0:06:05.100,0:06:11.340
people and focusing on specific groups of people, it could be tenants or students or workers.

0:06:11.340,0:06:14.340
But in this case the central focus is more on building those relationships

0:06:15.460,0:06:21.700
Rather than just on one singular issue and often working to like build power with those people

0:06:23.780,0:06:30.400
"After every anarchist attack, a wordy communique - Anarchist graffiti - A Greek anarchist group has attacked

0:06:30.400,0:06:33.240
- an anarchist group - anarchist community - these are anarchists!"

0:06:34.040,0:06:40.100
I think there are a variety of different characteristics that differentiate anarchist organizing from other

0:06:40.100,0:06:45.830
types of organizing. I think some[br]of them entail the scope of the type of organizing

0:06:45.830,0:06:51.620
anarchists engage in. I think by default of[br]being an increadibly diverse politics that has

0:06:51.620,0:06:59.340
a critique of domination and systems of power[br]that is so total, means that anarchists focus

0:06:59.340,0:07:05.340
on a very broad range of different issues[br]and organize amongst many different people.

0:07:07.440,0:07:13.420
What distinguishes anarchist organizing primarily[br]is the goals of that organizing. So, it's

0:07:13.420,0:07:20.420
the type of world that anarchists are trying[br]to bring about. Anarchists oppose states and

0:07:20.420,0:07:28.960
capitalism and all forms of illegitimate authority.[br]So, the process of anarchist organizing is

0:07:28.960,0:07:35.310
one that builds opposition to the insitutions,[br]groups and individuals that reproduce these

0:07:35.310,0:07:37.920
forms of hierarchy in society.

0:07:39.060,0:07:41.440
Anarchists engage in a really wide spectrum

0:07:41.440,0:07:47.790
of different types of activities. From things[br]that are illegal to things that are very legal,

0:07:47.790,0:07:52.160
things that are very like non-violent to sometimes[br]things that could potentially be violent.

0:07:52.160,0:07:56.920
Constructive, destructive, that sort of thing.[br]I think, part of what makes anarchism unique

0:07:57.000,0:08:02.180
is there's no assumption that legality equals[br]morality.

0:08:04.580,0:08:07.280
Any party based organization

0:08:07.280,0:08:10.700
from the most left-leaning[br]to the furthest right-wing

0:08:10.700,0:08:17.300
utilizes a hierarchical structure [br]in its form of organizing.

0:08:18.340,0:08:23.500
They also form part of [br]the political circus,

0:08:23.540,0:08:25.940
the spectacle.

0:08:27.360,0:08:33.160
There's just a lot of people that are fed[br]up with politics as usual. They're fed up

0:08:33.169,0:08:38.669
with the economic system that really just[br]is ringing them out to dry. They're fed up

0:08:38.669,0:08:40.580
with elections.

0:08:41.820,0:08:46.900
In the face of capitalist catastrophe, [br]in the face of the capitalist devastation,

0:08:46.900,0:08:48.840
it is necessary to have this energy.

0:08:48.840,0:08:51.680
There are those of us who can't

0:08:51.680,0:08:58.900
- there are many people who can't [br]stay calm and continue life

0:08:58.900,0:09:00.460
in this "normality"

0:09:00.460,0:09:08.480
when it is evident that [br]they are exterminating our future.

0:09:21.199,0:09:27.290
In popular discourse, the word anarchy is[br]commonly used to describe the absence of organization.

0:09:27.290,0:09:33.640
It’s the spectre of chaos that fills the[br]vacuum formed by a sudden breakdown of order.

0:09:33.640,0:09:38.300
A violent free-for-all, where the strong take[br]advantage of the absence of rules to prey

0:09:38.300,0:09:44.340
upon the weak. This vision of anarchy has[br]long been a useful projection for the ruling

0:09:44.350,0:09:49.399
classes, and every paranoid authoritarian[br]unwilling to distinguish between order and

0:09:49.399,0:09:55.920
submission. But it’s a far cry from what[br]anarchists actually believe in, and the world

0:09:55.920,0:09:58.100
that we’re fighting for.

0:09:59.260,0:10:04.800
The reality is that anarchists take many different[br]approaches and hold a multiplicity of views

0:10:04.809,0:10:10.759
when it comes to the role of organization[br]and its relationship to struggle. This lack

0:10:10.759,0:10:16.200
of orthodoxy has historically set anarchism[br]apart from other revolutionary traditions,

0:10:16.200,0:10:21.199
such as Marxist-Leninism, whose multiple competing[br]schools of thought generally agree on the

0:10:21.200,0:10:26.880
need for a centrally-organized party... just[br]disagree about who should lead it.

0:10:27.420,0:10:33.380
For more than 150 years, anarchists have experimented[br]with a wide range of different organizational

0:10:33.389,0:10:39.019
forms – from syndicalist trade unions with[br]over a million dues-paying members, to informal

0:10:39.019,0:10:44.850
networks of small affinity groups; from federations,[br]committees and assemblies, to tightly knit

0:10:44.850,0:10:49.560
cells and loosely-structured associations[br]of autonomous individuals. This process of

0:10:49.560,0:10:52.860
experimentation continues to this day.

0:11:09.200,0:11:14.860
One of the beautiful things about Anarchism[br]is that there's not one set blueprint. It's

0:11:14.860,0:11:19.160
a tension and it's striving towards freedom.

0:11:21.760,0:11:24.280
Anarchists hold a lot of different views on

0:11:24.280,0:11:29.519
organization and the role that organizations[br]play in struggle. I think this relates to

0:11:29.519,0:11:34.910
different positions people hold and things[br]around thinking things happen more spontaneously

0:11:34.910,0:11:39.720
to folks who want a higher level of coordination.

0:11:41.300,0:11:44.140
The main split within anarchism over this

0:11:44.200,0:11:51.640
question is between individualist anarchists[br]or egoists and collectivists. Individualist

0:11:51.649,0:11:59.269
anarchists oppose most forms of organization,[br]their focus is on building up the autonomy

0:11:59.280,0:12:04.020
of the individual. and they basically see[br]organizations as a hinderance on individual

0:12:04.040,0:12:12.100
autonomy. And then collectivists basically[br]believe in organizing collectively and organizations

0:12:12.120,0:12:14.340
are often a big component of that.

0:12:16.180,0:12:18.340
This also goes hand in hand with different

0:12:18.340,0:12:24.040
opinions on the basis of how people are organizing[br]and interacting with each other with some

0:12:24.040,0:12:31.329
anarchists being in favor of more formal organizing[br]and organizations that sort of have a clear

0:12:31.329,0:12:36.920
and defined membership usually specific sort[br]of bylaws or different things that like govern

0:12:36.920,0:12:45.339
them. Other anarchists can be quite critical[br]of organizations and prefer more informal

0:12:45.339,0:12:50.350
organizing methods sometimes this can entail[br]still having organizations or groups but having

0:12:50.350,0:12:56.780
them form for only one specific purpose or[br]one specific type of activity then having

0:12:56.780,0:12:58.200
them dissolve.

0:12:58.640,0:13:01.160
There are obviously pluses and minuses with

0:13:01.170,0:13:06.269
both formal, so for instance federations or[br]labor unions and informal things like affinity

0:13:06.269,0:13:11.800
groups and cells and stuff like that. But[br]I think that there are also really key questions

0:13:11.800,0:13:16.730
for anarchists in the 21st century, how we[br]interact with the public and how people come

0:13:16.730,0:13:22.040
into anarchism beyond this supposed dynamic[br]of formal vs informal.

0:13:23.420,0:13:25.000
There are different positions.

0:13:25.000,0:13:27.420
So from more anti-social tendencies,

0:13:27.420,0:13:29.080
more insurrectionary,

0:13:29.080,0:13:33.520
there isn't really much of [br]a call or direct invitation

0:13:33.520,0:13:37.820
for people to join up or [br]to start believing in anarchist ideas.

0:13:37.820,0:13:39.460
More than being convinced,

0:13:39.460,0:13:43.660
those groups have participants [br]because of their own ideas and feelings.

0:13:45.880,0:13:50.420
But there are comrades [br]whose political work is more social,

0:13:50.420,0:13:53.220
more based in people-power, [br]who believe in organizing from below

0:13:53.220,0:13:54.780
and neighborhood organizing.

0:13:55.540,0:14:00.920
During the insurrectionary period in the United[br]States from like 2008 and 2009 on, a lot of

0:14:00.920,0:14:06.790
us kind of glommed on to this idea that quality[br]is better than quantity, which I would fundamentally

0:14:06.790,0:14:12.329
agree with, but at the same time, we need[br]to find a way to actually meet people where

0:14:12.329,0:14:17.050
they're at, engage them and bring them into[br]our projects and our movements so we actually

0:14:17.050,0:14:23.139
can grow. You know in the past couple decades,[br]people were coming into anarchism through

0:14:23.139,0:14:27.559
things like punk rock or other subcultures[br]or from different movements such as like animal

0:14:27.559,0:14:32.320
rights and things like that. And in the post[br]anti-globalization era, anarchists have also

0:14:32.320,0:14:36.009
- at least in the United States, have really[br]depended on kind of new cycles of struggle

0:14:36.009,0:14:40.100
to bring people in. So there's the anti-war[br]movement, you get a new generation of anarchists,

0:14:40.100,0:14:44.769
there's "Occupy" there's the Ferguson rebellion,[br]you get a new generation coming in. We can't

0:14:44.769,0:14:50.480
always depend on something popping off and[br]then benefiting from that wave of new people.

0:14:51.400,0:14:55.160
I think here in Chile, [br]we've had a chance to experience

0:14:55.160,0:14:59.280
a broad range of anarchist and [br]anti-authoritarian practices and tactics.

0:14:59.280,0:15:02.820
Between territorial assemblies, [br]between affinity groups,

0:15:02.820,0:15:06.180
between liberated spaces and squats,

0:15:06.180,0:15:09.440
between labor unions, [br]between independant workers,

0:15:09.440,0:15:14.540
among professionals [br]and among people who live on the streets.

0:15:15.920,0:15:22.000
Anarchism happens in subtle ways all the time.[br]And we may not think of it that way because

0:15:22.000,0:15:26.100
like it's not the concept that we're used[br]to thinking, but it's still anarchism. When

0:15:26.100,0:15:32.880
people think of anarchism they have this Eurocentric[br]idea of what it is, the word itself, it hasn't

0:15:32.880,0:15:37.460
been around for that long but if you go by[br]the textbook definition of what anarchism

0:15:37.460,0:15:42.580
is, indigenous people have been practicing[br]anarchism and mutual aid for fuckin thousands

0:15:42.580,0:15:44.240
of years.

0:15:47.100,0:15:54.760
In these territories we are fortunate that[br]many, many of us have Mapuche ancestry.

0:15:54.760,0:15:56.860
We also have that duality,

0:15:56.860,0:16:00.840
or that ability to position[br]ourselves politically like this.

0:16:00.840,0:16:02.620
From the point of view of anarchists

0:16:02.620,0:16:05.580
- but at the same time not forgetting[br]that we have our own history.

0:16:05.580,0:16:07.660
That we have our own individuality.

0:16:07.660,0:16:09.140
That we are from this territory.

0:16:09.520,0:16:11.920
That we come from a colonized territory.

0:16:12.500,0:16:16.257
That our history and our practices[br]and our visions of anarchism

0:16:16.260,0:16:19.400
aren't going to be 100% the same [br]as the anarchist comrades

0:16:19.400,0:16:23.800
from Palestine, [br]Rojava, or Europe,

0:16:24.340,0:16:27.280
or from other parts of Latin America.

0:16:29.120,0:16:33.160
You know when people are faced with really[br]horrible things in their everyday life, whether

0:16:33.170,0:16:37.739
it's eviction, watching people be deported,[br]stuff that's happening on their job, a pipeline

0:16:37.739,0:16:42.360
going through their land... We really want[br]to have people know that there's a community

0:16:42.360,0:16:46.939
of people in revolt that they can turn to,[br]that they can then organize with to fight

0:16:46.939,0:16:51.449
back and to really hurt their enemies to the[br]point at least where they're not able to do

0:16:51.449,0:16:53.140
what they're trying to do.

0:17:00.520,0:17:07.080
A good organizer has many tools in their toolbox.[br]The trick is to know which tool to use when,

0:17:07.080,0:17:13.260
and to replace them when they stop working.[br]This applies just as much to anarchists as

0:17:13.260,0:17:19.440
it does any other type of organizer. The main[br]difference is what we’re trying to build.

0:17:20.060,0:17:25.740
Anarchism is based on the principle of self-organization.[br]This is directly connected to the type of

0:17:25.740,0:17:30.500
world that anarchists seek to create. A world[br]in which people can come

0:17:30.500,0:17:37.100
to collective decisions and take action autonomously,[br]without waiting for orders or permission from above.

0:17:37.100,0:17:43.280
Anarchist organizing begins with the fostering[br]of self-directed struggle. It involves agitating

0:17:43.280,0:17:48.380
and encouraging people to to take action directly[br]to solve their problems. Without appealing to those

0:17:48.380,0:17:51.780
higher up the social ladder. From this starting

0:17:51.780,0:17:56.840
point, there are many different paths that[br]you can take. Wherever you decide to go, the

0:17:56.840,0:17:59.460
most important step is your first.

0:18:04.780,0:18:10.200
Strategy and tactics are intimately connected,[br]yet separate things.

0:18:10.200,0:18:16.030
You start off with a specific goal or a vision.[br]Something that you want to accomplish, or

0:18:16.030,0:18:21.540
achieve, or want to challenge. And then your[br]strategy is your plan of how you want to achieve

0:18:21.540,0:18:27.900
that goal. And then the tactics would be all[br]the specific actions, activities and approaches

0:18:27.900,0:18:31.210
that would sort of come together to help you[br]in meeting that goal.

0:18:31.460,0:18:36.360
The strategy that you choose will determine[br]the type of activity that you engage in. When

0:18:36.360,0:18:41.910
your tactics are successful, or if they repeatedly[br]fail, go back and make adjustments to your

0:18:41.910,0:18:45.830
strategy. Once you’ve made those adjustments[br]to your strategy, you will then try to come

0:18:45.830,0:18:47.600
up with different tactics.

0:18:47.960,0:18:52.230
These things have to reinforce each other,[br]and we have to also constantly be evaluating

0:18:52.230,0:18:53.560
back and forth.

0:18:53.720,0:18:58.980
You have to just do it. You gotta do it. You[br]gotta kind of be there on the front lines,

0:18:58.980,0:19:00.960
putting in that work.

0:19:00.900,0:19:05.140
On the one hand, we visualize, [br]theorize, develop our politics,

0:19:05.140,0:19:07.640
basically thinking on what it is we want[br]- what we're seeking.

0:19:08.100,0:19:10.500
On the other hand, [br]we start taking action

0:19:10.500,0:19:14.120
and we see how specifically [br]we can make those ideas real.

0:19:19.080,0:19:23.500
We're all individuals. [br]But everyone has their role.

0:19:24.020,0:19:26.240
In Chile we're lucky,

0:19:26.240,0:19:28.080
somewhat ironically,

0:19:28.080,0:19:30.340
that we have a history full of conflict.

0:19:30.340,0:19:33.000
A history of political persecution

0:19:33.000,0:19:34.400
and of riots.

0:19:34.880,0:19:37.351
So conflicts and objectives [br]have always been present.

0:19:37.360,0:19:40.940
The strategies and tactics [br]that have been used in general

0:19:40.940,0:19:42.660
have been pretty broad.

0:19:43.340,0:19:47.219
The tactics that are winning these days[br]can be inspired by other struggles.

0:19:47.220,0:19:53.160
For example the tactics [br]inspired by the conflict in Hong Kong.

0:19:53.160,0:19:55.000
The idea of using lasers

0:19:55.000,0:19:58.780
and of using water jugs [br]to put out tear gas cannisters.

0:19:58.780,0:20:03.660
These are internationally used[br]resistance and street fighting practices.

0:20:03.660,0:20:06.080
Then there's blocking the street.

0:20:06.080,0:20:08.820
There are barricades [br]- different kinds too.

0:20:08.820,0:20:11.560
There's barricades of fire, [br]or barricades of stones.

0:20:11.560,0:20:17.200
There are comrades who rescue[br]and help those who are injured.

0:20:32.580,0:20:38.370
The world that we live in, how we engage with[br]things, even how we come to think about things

0:20:38.370,0:20:45.060
is going to necessarily be influenced by the[br]material conditions that we exist in.

0:20:47.560,0:20:54.340
The kind of classic Marxist quote: “People change[br]history, but not in the conditions of their

0:20:54.340,0:21:00.790
own choosing.” That it is these conditions,[br]these material realities, that impact not

0:21:00.790,0:21:07.130
only people’s lives, but also their consciousness.[br]And that you can’t just think your way outside

0:21:07.130,0:21:11.260
of those things–or that there is no outside[br]of it.

0:21:12.000,0:21:17.740
Capitalism is constantly changing the face[br]of work, of social life, of the way people

0:21:17.740,0:21:21.900
are alienated from each other. So we need[br]to be constantly kind of reevaluating, y’know...

0:21:21.900,0:21:26.820
‘what is life like?’ And what are the[br]possibilities for revolt against the kind

0:21:26.820,0:21:29.500
of lives that we’re forced to lead?

0:21:32.200,0:21:37.780
How can we really get to the nitty gritty[br]of, like, alright... what’s going on here?

0:21:37.780,0:21:39.410
How are we gonna fix it?

0:21:39.410,0:21:45.240
People change the world around them through[br]their actions. And so we can have an effect

0:21:45.240,0:21:51.450
on our material conditions, and we can change[br]them—through struggle. The flip-side to

0:21:51.450,0:21:58.440
that is that the state can change conditions[br]in order to remove the fuel for struggles.

0:21:58.440,0:22:05.960
I think it’s important to understand how[br]power is organized, and the specifics of how

0:22:05.960,0:22:07.740
it operates.

0:22:09.180,0:22:13.290
The kind of world that we want doesn’t exist[br]yet. It can only be built on the ashes of

0:22:13.290,0:22:19.830
this one. But at the same time, we’re trying[br]to create new ways of relating to each other.

0:22:19.830,0:22:24.090
New ways of solving problems, new ways of[br]engaging in action, new ways of carrying out

0:22:24.090,0:22:31.440
things like work that look towards the possibilities[br]of new forms of life that don’t exist yet.

0:22:32.380,0:22:37.940
If you want a future society that is free[br]form hierarchy and domination, if you want

0:22:37.940,0:22:43.790
a future society where people have autonomy[br]and are treated equally, how you’re engaging

0:22:43.790,0:22:47.320
today has to reflect these values.

0:22:48.940,0:22:54.120
Sometimes we kinda have to take these chances[br]and these risks, and try these alternative

0:22:54.140,0:22:55.600
ways of doing things.

0:22:55.740,0:23:01.940
Follow conflicts around the world[br]that can also serve as inspiration.

0:23:01.940,0:23:05.740
So that we can have new experiences.[br]New ways of attacking.

0:23:05.740,0:23:09.980
New forms of resistance [br]within the territories in conflict.

0:23:12.220,0:23:21.020
To the extent possible, revolutionary movements[br]should be creating a counter-society and removing

0:23:21.020,0:23:24.360
themselves from state and capitalist institutions[br]as much as possible.

0:23:25.840,0:23:32.400
Basically what we can do is orient our efforts[br]towards building competing centres of legitimacy

0:23:32.400,0:23:38.360
that are communal. That exist in opposition[br]to the state, to the police and to capital.

0:23:39.200,0:23:43.780
We wanna prefigure the world that we wanna[br]see and the relationships that we’re building.

0:23:43.790,0:23:47.720
Both in terms either of, y’know, building[br]some sort of dual power or autonomous power

0:23:47.720,0:23:52.020
from the ground-up to meet our everyday needs,[br]but also in terms of the struggles that we’re

0:23:52.020,0:23:56.000
engaging in. You know, those relationships[br]should prefigure a different kind of mode

0:23:56.000,0:24:00.970
of life. And also, y’know, bring people[br]into new ways of engaging with each other,

0:24:00.970,0:24:07.160
new ways of talking, new ways of solving problems.[br]Insurrection and dual power of course need

0:24:07.160,0:24:11.350
each other. As the saying goes, ‘the force[br]of insurrection is social, not military.’

0:24:11.350,0:24:15.350
And to create a social force requires, y’know,[br]real infrastructure and space that we can

0:24:15.350,0:24:19.200
call our own. And the ability to use that[br]space in order to fight back.

0:24:28.230,0:24:34.380
On December 1st, 2019, a 55 year old resident[br]of Hubei province walked into a hospital in

0:24:34.380,0:24:39.760
Wuhan with an apparent case of pneumonia.[br]This was the first documented instance of

0:24:39.760,0:24:45.730
COVID-19, a novel strain of Corona Virus that[br]has since swept across the globe and turned

0:24:45.730,0:24:48.640
daily life upside-down for billions of people.

0:24:51.120,0:24:53.200
At the time these words are being written,

0:24:53.210,0:24:57.830
we appear to be at the precipice of a mass[br]social and economic breakdown on a scale not

0:24:57.830,0:25:04.910
seen in the past century. If nothing else,[br]this pandemic has exposed the myth of capitalism’s

0:25:04.910,0:25:11.530
infallibility and laid its weaknesses bare.[br]It has also demonstrated the need to be able

0:25:11.530,0:25:17.560
to quickly adapt our strategies and tactics[br]to confront rapidly changing realities. Slowly

0:25:17.560,0:25:24.830
at first, and then all of a sudden, our mobility[br]and ability to associate have been curtailed,

0:25:24.830,0:25:30.360
and time-honoured tactics such as rallies,[br]marches, door-knocking and even handing out

0:25:30.360,0:25:32.420
flyers have been taken away.

0:25:33.860,0:25:39.370
But as the saying goes, necessity is the mother[br]of invention. In times of social and political

0:25:39.370,0:25:44.760
upheaval, hold fast to your principles. Rid[br]yourself of dogmatism. Keep your eyes on the

0:25:44.760,0:25:49.660
prize. And brace yourself to meet whatever[br]challenges come your way.

0:25:53.780,0:25:59.340
Anarchism is a beautiful, amazing thing and[br]has done a lot of great things historically.

0:25:59.340,0:26:06.600
Also, it's often something that fails. And,[br]I think failure is okay, and there is often

0:26:06.600,0:26:11.140
a lot of value in things that I’ve come[br]to take away even in times there has been

0:26:11.140,0:26:16.580
big failures or struggles. Saying you’re[br]anarchist, and you’re getting involved in

0:26:16.580,0:26:21.830
anarchist organizing and struggle, whatever[br]that looks like, you are declaring yourself

0:26:21.830,0:26:27.700
to be very openly against many of the things[br]that currently exist, like the state, the

0:26:27.700,0:26:33.130
police and capitalism. And, you should just[br]realize from the beginning that that sometimes

0:26:33.130,0:26:35.100
has consequences.

0:26:38.520,0:26:44.320
Take yourself seriously. Once you declare[br]yourself an enemy of the state, the state

0:26:44.320,0:26:48.740
will take that very seriously as a threat.[br]Jail sucks and once you have a criminal record

0:26:48.740,0:26:53.680
it makes things more difficult for you in[br]the future, so you should take adequate steps

0:26:53.680,0:26:57.390
to try to protect yourself and avoid unnecessary[br]arrests.

0:26:58.380,0:27:01.960
What are the major things going around that[br]you could actually impact with people that

0:27:01.970,0:27:05.710
you're close to, that you have a relationship[br]with. And whether that’s at your workplace

0:27:05.710,0:27:08.780
or that’s at your school, whether that’s[br]in the neighbourhood, you know something going

0:27:08.780,0:27:12.980
with the police, something going on with massive[br]amounts of gentrification, whether there’s

0:27:12.980,0:27:17.300
a resource extraction project happening on[br]the land base that you’re on. From that

0:27:17.300,0:27:22.130
understanding that analysis, then going about[br]how would you begin to organize and bring

0:27:22.130,0:27:26.930
people together and begin to act and begin[br]to engage in such a way that begins to push

0:27:26.930,0:27:32.310
back that, you know, puts your own interest[br]forward and starts to attack those of the

0:27:32.380,0:27:33.980
dominant class.

0:27:35.540,0:27:39.360
The Police

0:27:39.360,0:27:42.760
The Judges

0:27:42.760,0:27:46.180
The State

0:27:46.180,0:27:50.260
The President

0:27:50.260,0:27:57.560
The oppressive state is the rapist

0:27:57.560,0:28:01.020
The rapist is you

0:28:05.340,0:28:11.200
Certain groups want to assert their power[br]and ownership over you, and over your body,

0:28:11.200,0:28:17.680
what you have to say. This is not about ownership,[br]this is not about who owns the revolution,

0:28:17.680,0:28:21.500
or who owns the struggle, like were all in[br]this shit together. And if somebody is not

0:28:21.520,0:28:25.060
willing to struggle it out, like let’s say[br]you’re calling them out on patriarchy or

0:28:25.060,0:28:29.840
whatever the fuck it is, if they’re not[br]willing to struggle it out with you than that

0:28:30.840,0:28:35.500
shows that obviously that individual or that[br]entity or whatever… like, they don’t give

0:28:35.500,0:28:42.340
a fuck. If people are truly invested in the[br]struggle than when shit comes about you’re

0:28:42.340,0:28:47.460
going to be able to struggle it out. Even[br]if it takes time, even if you have to stop

0:28:47.520,0:28:51.380
organizing for a bit until you work shit out.

0:28:53.840,0:29:01.000
I would invite fellow anarchist comrades

0:29:01.000,0:29:04.460
to realize that we have the potential[br]to organize ourselves,

0:29:04.460,0:29:09.420
to hold positions and politics[br]that are intersectional

0:29:09.420,0:29:13.360
with people who may not [br]necessarily be anarchists.

0:29:14.000,0:29:18.120
To those who embrace [br]anti-speciesist ideas.

0:29:18.120,0:29:20.560
To those who embrace [br]anti-patriarchal ideas.

0:29:20.560,0:29:22.620
To those who embrace [br]ideas and spirituality.

0:29:22.620,0:29:29.080
To those who rescue some of the ancestry[br]lost to these centuries of colonization

0:29:29.080,0:29:36.100
that European, western, white[br]hetero-patriarchy has imposed on us

0:29:36.100,0:29:37.220
- has snatched.

0:29:37.740,0:29:41.460
You’re saying you’re against all these[br]things, and you’re going to be fighting

0:29:41.480,0:29:45.880
against all these things. Obviously, sometimes,[br]there’s pushback, and there’s difficulties

0:29:45.880,0:29:48.720
and stuff in your life that you’re going[br]to have to push through.

0:29:48.960,0:29:53.180
After you do an action, you know, take some[br]time with your comrades and sit down and reflect

0:29:53.190,0:29:57.190
critically on what you did well, and what[br]you could have done better. And then, try

0:29:57.190,0:30:01.730
to incorporate the lessons you’ve learned[br]through your own experiences into your future

0:30:01.730,0:30:02.730
organizing.

0:30:02.730,0:30:07.640
And we really got to think about, like, “okay,[br]when we do this, how do we actually win?

0:30:11.880,0:30:16.140
Like, we wanna actually be able to do damage against[br]people that are hurting us, we wanna be able

0:30:16.140,0:30:21.320
hit back in such a way that expands our influence,[br]our confidence, you know, the spaces that

0:30:21.320,0:30:26.460
we hold. We need to actually find ways of[br]intersecting with people that are interested

0:30:26.460,0:30:30.710
and then bringing them on board, involve them[br]in struggle, and have them be forced to pick

0:30:30.710,0:30:36.400
a side that literally supports illegal, anti-capitalist[br]modes of action, and gets people thinking

0:30:36.400,0:30:40.740
about the possibilities of what they could[br]do if there was a movement behind them to

0:30:40.740,0:30:43.600
better their own lives and conditions.

0:30:53.640,0:31:00.010
We live in a time when despair comes easily.[br]A steady flow of bad news keeps us constantly

0:31:00.010,0:31:06.330
on edge. Massive fires ravage Australia for[br]months on end. Police departments outfit their

0:31:06.330,0:31:13.250
body cameras with AI-driven facial recognition[br]software. A family in Idlib freezes to death

0:31:13.250,0:31:19.620
after their makeshift refugee camp is bombed.[br]Emergency ordinances outlaw all public gatherings

0:31:19.620,0:31:26.140
of three or more people. Confronted with all[br]this, there’s no shortage of reasons why

0:31:26.140,0:31:32.020
any rational person might feel viscerally[br]discouraged and utterly depressed. And that

0:31:32.020,0:31:37.309
is especially true for revolutionaries who[br]consistently find our hopeful idealism swallowed

0:31:37.309,0:31:40.690
up by feelings of bitter resignation and defeat.

0:31:40.690,0:31:46.460
But when this despair comes, it is important[br]to remember that we are not alone. That there

0:31:46.460,0:31:51.290
are many other people who share our sense[br]of grief, anxiety... and most importantly,

0:31:51.290,0:31:57.210
outrage. That we are part of a long and proud[br]lineage of struggle. And that victories are

0:31:57.210,0:32:02.850
still possible. Armed with this knowledge,[br]and conscious of our own capabilities, opportunities

0:32:02.850,0:32:08.920
and limitations, we can turn our attention[br]back to the task at hand, which is, as always,

0:32:08.920,0:32:12.850
to build our collective power, and increase[br]our shared capacity to resist.

0:32:13.460,0:32:17.100
So at this point, we’d like to remind you[br]that Trouble is intended to be to be used

0:32:17.100,0:32:22.090
as a resource to promote discussion and collective[br]organizing. Are you interested in stepping

0:32:22.090,0:32:26.510
up your organizing game? Looking to launch[br]a new initiative, but not quite sure where

0:32:26.510,0:32:31.840
to begin? Consider connecting with some comrades,[br]organizing an online viewing party of this

0:32:31.840,0:32:34.560
film, and discussing where to get started.

0:32:35.420,0:32:39.620
Interested in running regular screenings of[br]Trouble at your campus, infoshop, community

0:32:39.660,0:32:45.220
centre, or even just at home with friends?[br]Well don’t! We appreciate the support, but

0:32:45.220,0:32:50.140
that’s probably not a great idea right now.[br]Instead, why not set up a discussion group

0:32:50.140,0:32:54.480
with some friends, each watch the episode[br]on your own screens at home, and then go through

0:32:54.480,0:32:59.540
the online screening kit on our website for[br]links to additional resources, and some questions

0:32:59.540,0:33:01.560
to help frame your conversation.

0:33:02.900,0:33:08.260
Also just a reminder that here at subMedia,[br]we depend entirely on donations from our viewers

0:33:08.260,0:33:12.740
to keep things going... so if you’re able[br]to pitch in to help support us, please do

0:33:12.740,0:33:19.141
so at sub.media/donate. If you can’t afford[br]to support us financially, no worries! You

0:33:19.141,0:33:25.560
can stream and/or download all our content[br]for free off our website: sub.media/trouble.

0:33:26.920,0:33:32.220
This episode would not have been possible[br]without the generous support of Josh, Murph,

0:33:32.220,0:33:36.730
Sam, Tal, La Conxa, and the good folks at[br]IGD.

0:33:36.730,0:33:40.680
Lastly, we’re sad to announce that this[br]will be the last episode of Trouble for the

0:33:40.680,0:33:45.610
foreseeable future. It’s been an awesome[br]run, but the subMedia crew has decided that

0:33:45.610,0:33:50.120
it’s time to move onto new projects. And[br]to make that possible, we’ve decided to

0:33:50.120,0:33:55.960
pull the plug on Trouble. Given that we can’t[br]meet up in person for the foreseeable future,

0:33:55.960,0:34:01.290
it seems like the perfect time to make this[br]change. We want to assure all you Troublemakers

0:34:01.290,0:34:05.900
out there that we have some exciting new plans[br]in the works that we think you’re going

0:34:05.900,0:34:10.950
to love... so stay tuned! And to everyone[br]who has organized screenings, sent us ideas

0:34:10.950,0:34:15.639
for show topics, constructive criticism or[br]positive feedback about the show... thank

0:34:15.639,0:34:20.740
you from the bottom of our hearts! Your support[br]has been truly humbling, and we hope that

0:34:20.740,0:34:24.920
the 24 episodes that we’ve cranked out will[br]continue to serve as useful organizing tools

0:34:24.920,0:34:26.210
for years to come.

0:34:26.210,0:34:29.300
Now get out there…. and make some trouble!