1
00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:30,240
Representation is a broad concept that 
relates to many different spheres of daily life:  

2
00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:42,240
language, media, economics, politics, culture 
and social identity itself. Understanding the  

3
00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:47,200
different ways that representation functions is 
crucial to understanding the operation of power.  

4
00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:54,320
When wielded by states and capitalists, 
representation can be a powerful tool of  

5
00:00:54,320 --> 00:01:00,960
manipulation, disenfranchisement, and oppression. 

6
00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:11,120
Representation is most commonly understood 
as a visual, written, or audio depiction  

7
00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:18,160
of something, or someone. It can refer broadly 
to what images mean, and how they come to take  

8
00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:23,920
on those meanings. It can also refer to the 
process of how an individual comes to serve  

9
00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:33,280
as a stand-in for a given community, political 
party, or ideology. The concept of representation  

10
00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:37,840
is important for anarchism because of the 
fundamental role it plays in producing and  

11
00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:44,000
reproducing social and political hierarchies. 
Anti-authoritarian perspectives analyze and  

12
00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,840
understand how representation sets the 
terms for what is considered truth,  

13
00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:50,010
what is deemed normal,  

14
00:01:50,544 --> 00:01:52,012
 what we should think of 
others,

15
00:01:53,013 --> 00:01:55,015
and what we should think about ourselves.

16
00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,520
The use of representation as a form 
of power and a means of control  

17
00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:01,422
has been around for centuries.  

18
00:02:02,423 --> 00:02:05,359
 Powerful  nations have always maintained their status  

19
00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,028
not just through the deployment of military 
force,   

20
00:02:08,128 --> 00:02:11,680
but through the spread of ideology. 

21
00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:17,071
And one of the most successful ways of spreading 
ideology has been through the idea of  representation.

22
00:02:18,105 --> 00:02:22,800
The history of colonialism is not 
just a series of military conquests.  

23
00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,040
It is also a history of religious 
decrees, fictional literature,  

24
00:02:27,503 --> 00:02:29,693
academic writings,

25
00:02:29,950 --> 00:02:32,052
scientific reporting

26
00:02:32,052 --> 00:02:33,153
museum exhibitions

27
00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:41,772
Western european countries painted the picture of "the 
other" to describe individuals, communities,  

28
00:02:41,772 --> 00:02:46,137
and entire nations who didn't belong to the 
dominant group, and were therefore different in  

29
00:02:46,137 --> 00:02:48,011
some fundamental way.

30
00:02:48,714 --> 00:02:53,011
 In other words, people 
became marked as distinct from "the norm"  

31
00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,200
or made out to be more prized or vile, 
based on how they were represented.  

32
00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:02,423
The longterm subjugation of colonized 
people through this racist system of  

33
00:03:02,423 --> 00:03:05,700
representation lies at the very foundation of 


34
00:03:05,700 --> 00:03:08,781
settler-colonial cultures and political systems.

35
00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:14,320
 Colonial depictions of certain ethnic and 
racial groupings are bound tightly to other forms  

36
00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:15,864
of oppression, 

37
00:03:15,864 --> 00:03:17,943
such as white supremacy 

38
00:03:17,943 --> 00:03:21,420
and patriarchal concepts of gender.   

39
00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:27,040
The ruling classes maintain their control 
by creating images and tropes of common enemies.  

40
00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:33,040
Whether this enemy is represented as the figure 
of the terrorist, immigrant, homosexual, or  

41
00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:38,800
anarchist, it can be used to help corral patriotic 
sentiments and develop a sense of us vs. them,  

42
00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,680
binding a segment of the people to their rulers 
through the shared bonds of identity. 

43
00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:49,200
This use of representation was foundational 
to the formation of nation-states.   

44
00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:51,897
And to this day, 

45
00:03:52,377 --> 00:03:57,458
dehumanizing representations of 
internal and external enemies permeate popular culture.

46
00:03:57,561 --> 00:04:00,368
It shapes societies' collective psyche, 

47
00:04:00,368 --> 00:04:04,284
and forges new forms of reactionary allegiance.

48
00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,680
Representation is the life blood of politics.  

49
00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,089
It is at play every time political actors advocate 
policy    

50
00:04:12,158 --> 00:04:15,316
or act on others' behalf in the political arena

51
00:04:15,505 --> 00:04:19,360
In liberal democracies, elected 
representatives are understood to reflect the  

52
00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:24,960
will of the majority. These politicians claim to 
represent their constituents' interests, thereby  

53
00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,840
ensuring that they have a voice 
in public policy-making. 

54
00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,510
This is a lie that fools fewer people every year. 

55
00:04:33,986 --> 00:04:37,067
Whether a state is ruled by liberal democratic  institutions, 

56
00:04:37,067 --> 00:04:39,018
 military dictatorships, 

57
00:04:39,018 --> 00:04:41,018
one-party rule, 

58
00:04:41,018 --> 00:04:42,800
 or hereditary dynasties,  

59
00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,747
representation is key to the maintenance 
of legitimacy and power.  

60
00:04:46,747 --> 00:04:48,747
Behind the  scenes, 

61
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,000
 bartering, 

62
00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:50,901
optics

63
00:04:50,901 --> 00:04:52,180
competition,

64
00:04:52,180 --> 00:04:53,264
manipulation

65
00:04:53,264 --> 00:04:54,423
  nepotism

66
00:04:54,496 --> 00:04:57,110
and an array of underlying social dynamics  

67
00:04:57,110 --> 00:05:01,736
always factor into how authority is upheld and maintained.

68
00:05:02,674 --> 00:05:04,110
But to the public, 

69
00:05:04,110 --> 00:05:07,518
sacred state institutions 
and charismatic leaders are represented  

70
00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:12,800
as a stand in for abstract concepts 
like majority rule and a nation's freedom. 

71
00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:19,120
Representative democracy promotes the 
idea that our only way of wielding power  

72
00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,201
is by choosing who will represent us. 

73
00:05:22,201 --> 00:05:27,514
This  discourages us from learning how to wield power for ourselves.

74
00:05:27,711 --> 00:05:33,161
Democracy is not alone in this, 
even if it may be more effective in its illusions.  

75
00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:38,966
All governing institutions constrain 
individuals into passivity and subjugation,  

76
00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:45,040
then rely on the language of representation 
to maintain hierarchies and divisions that  

77
00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:47,520
disempower people from 
taking collective action.  

78
00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:53,760
The idea that common people are active participants 
in a well-meaning political system is a   

79
00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:55,115
comforting lie,

80
00:05:55,115 --> 00:05:59,357
 which serves to hide 
the fact that we are, more or less,  

81
00:05:59,357 --> 00:06:05,840
merely spectators of a rat race 
between the people in charge. 

82
00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:13,670
We must understand and confront how various 
institutions use representation  

83
00:06:13,841 --> 00:06:14,824
to keep us divided, weak 

84
00:06:14,824 --> 00:06:16,824
and tied to the dominant 
system. 

85
00:06:16,824 --> 00:06:22,061
Politicians, corporations, media outlets  

86
00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:28,160
organized religions, and non-profits continue 
to spread dangerous ideologies that result  

87
00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:34,237
in widespread marginalization, subjugation, 
prejudice, micro-aggressions, 

88
00:06:34,786 --> 00:06:36,786
and even death.   

89
00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,840
The detrimental effects of mainstream 
representation around race,  

90
00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:47,844
gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and 
more cannot be ignored. 

91
00:06:47,844 --> 00:06:50,000
At the same time,  

92
00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,920
we must not fall prey to the myth 
that being represented in more  

93
00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:58,720
positive ways equates to social, 
political and economic liberation.

94
00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:04,400
The ways in which people are seen, and they 
ways they see themselves are   

95
00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,888
essentialcomponents of revolutionary struggle. 

96
00:07:08,060 --> 00:07:10,757
But under liberal democratic capitalist regimes,  

97
00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:16,240
notions of equality are often conflated 
with, and swallowed up, by representation.  

98
00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:21,067
By co-opting ideas around how historical radical 
grassroots movements 

99
00:07:21,170 --> 00:07:23,590
have addressed their own oppression, 

100
00:07:23,590 --> 00:07:28,080
major corporations, non-profit 
organizations and academic institutions have  

101
00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:33,120
attempted to prioritize reformist, non-violent 
steps towards more progressive representation.  

102
00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:38,960
This common political tactic coincided neatly 
with the rise of neoliberal globalization,  

103
00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:42,374
and its increased focus on individualism. 


104
00:07:42,374 --> 00:07:45,129
Neoliberalism has restructured the global market 

105
00:07:45,129 --> 00:07:47,769
into a worldwide labor pool. 


106
00:07:47,769 --> 00:07:49,897
It's been accompanied by an ideology 

107
00:07:49,897 --> 00:07:55,420
that places heavy emphasis on privatization and 
individual responsibility. 

108
00:07:55,986 --> 00:07:57,360
Under this system,  

109
00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:02,720
states and capital have used representation to 
weave together the illusion of a global community;  

110
00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:08,428
they point to increased diversity within the 
ruling classes to support the idea that  

111
00:08:08,428 --> 00:08:10,000
"free and open" markets

112
00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:15,274
 are evidence of how "democratic" 
and "tolerant" the neoliberal order is.  

113
00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:22,160
Neoliberalism has transformed political 
representation from a framework to address  

114
00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:26,800
racism, sexism, and all other forms of 
injustice that thrive within capitalism 

115
00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,850
into a demand to diversify the political and 
economic elite 

116
00:08:30,850 --> 00:08:32,560
without addressing the massive  

117
00:08:32,560 --> 00:08:36,480
wealth and income inequalities that form 
the material foundation of oppression.  

118
00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:42,240
As a result, a new kind of 
multicultural universalism has prospered,  

119
00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:47,600
one that lionizes difference, even as 
it ignores real-world, systemic issues. 

120
00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:50,000
Today, 

121
00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,760
capitalisms ability to profit 
from the representation of marginalized  

122
00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:56,556
communities is more evident than ever. 

123
00:08:57,139 --> 00:08:59,562
The internet encourages the creation and constant  

124
00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:04,880
shaping of multiple accounts and identities, 
suggesting that our social media profiles can  

125
00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,960
portray different sides of ourselves 
to the outside world, in all sorts of  

126
00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,224
unique, endlessly customizable ways.

127
00:09:12,224 --> 00:09:15,760
 So-called 'late capitalism' skews our perception  

128
00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:17,943
of representation's power. 

129
00:09:17,943 --> 00:09:20,094
Instead of being granted equality, 

130
00:09:20,094 --> 00:09:22,207
we are being sold a product:  

131
00:09:22,412 --> 00:09:27,200
a representation of "equality" from 
the very systems that make us unequal. 

132
00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,986
Representation not only shapes what our culture 
looks like.  

133
00:09:33,986 --> 00:09:36,484
It impacts our sense of reality. 

134
00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:42,560
And it is the people who are creating mass systems 
of representation who end up defining what reality is. 

135
00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:48,800
This keeps us all locked in a 
never-ending spectacle, without honestly  

136
00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:52,802
confronting our systemic disenfranchisement and 
alienation; 

137
00:09:53,249 --> 00:09:55,249
it is a constantly shifting trap   

138
00:09:55,249 --> 00:10:00,160
for maintaining a status quo that will never 
address the root of structural inequality. 

139
00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:07,200
We must reject increased representation as the 
ceiling and litmus test for social change.  

140
00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:13,258
Instead, we should focus on building new ways 
to celebrate our diversity  

141
00:10:13,258 --> 00:10:17,565
and promote our own means of artistic and cultural production.

142
00:10:17,565 --> 00:10:21,230
 This means that any representation we do take part in 

143
00:10:21,230 --> 00:10:24,885
should prioritize authenticity, community empowerment, 

144
00:10:24,885 --> 00:10:29,142
and an explicit  drive to build a new, more liberatory 
world, 

145
00:10:29,142 --> 00:10:34,296
all while challenging the current world order. 

146
00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:41,760
Anarchism rejects the idea that anyone can 
genuinely represent another person's real needs.  

147
00:10:42,606 --> 00:10:47,568
It rejects the idea that those in power 
should coordinate people's desires and interests.

148
00:10:48,477 --> 00:10:52,880
 At the base of anarchist philosophy 
lies a deep desire for an interdependent,  

149
00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:54,823
ungovernable world. 

150
00:10:54,823 --> 00:10:59,337
No representation or  representatives inside a mass system will  

151
00:10:59,337 --> 00:11:02,322
ever help us build that world.  

152
00:11:02,322 --> 00:11:06,313
We must do it for ourselves.