How did you guys become anarchists?

I've been anti-authoritarian since elementary school. I was a troubled, angry kid, I lashed out constantly, and the school system just kept trying to get rid of me. I saw how they treat children as products because of this, with the defective or merely difficult being tossed away for the prisons or nuthouses to deal with. But I managed to, with help from a few good, honest teachers and my mother, stay in public school and recieve an excellent education, particularly in history, philosophy, and literature. I encountered rebellious books like Harrison Bergeron and The Giver in these formative years. Ironically enough, they were in the curriculum. True horror is the kind that requires no suspension of disbelief. Even back then hyper-totalitarianism wasn't that far-fetched. If I had any chance left of bending over and commiting myself to the herd, it was thankfully replaced with paranoia. I had a deep understanding of what was wrong with this world, and just what was at risk very early on. I spent the rest of my adolescence, having lost faith with the "responsible" way of life, trying to keep my sanity, find myself, meaning in life, and a plan. I read 1984 around this time. In addition to my hatred and fear of control, I found myself unwilling to make this world any worse than it already is, with a quiet, almost shy altruism. I hate the selfish, half-assed ways of capitalism, and have seen how, like disposable diapers, the byproducts of the cheap fixes to the world's problems pile up and poison everything around them. I realized that the very foundation of civilization must be changed, or else an Orwellian hell on earth will be the fate of humanity. I found hope and inspiration in Punk, and anarchism. Only those willing to abandon society can truly fight it, because they have no investment in it. And how can there be true freedom without abscence of authority?
TL; DR
1984 was a really scary book

 

Similarly to RememberGlencoe, I have had a seething distaste for authoritarianism since school. High School, in particular. I recognized that we were being crammed into this factory model of education; that we were being taught to memorize, regurgitate, and follow rules like good little worker bees rather than hone any higher form of intelligence. It was around this time that I found punk rock and anti-authoritarian literature such as 1984, Les Miserables, and Brave New World. I finally felt understood in my frustration.
I'm entering my third year of college now, and it isn't until quite recently that I began seriously studying the philosophy of anarchy, rather than merely flirting with it. Although I am just beginning to delve into it with any intellectual depth, I've been emotionally pulled to it for quite some time.

 

When did i become an anarchist?, i don't really have a date or a year really, but i think i first started labelling myself as an anarchist when i learned about the punk movement and about the anti authorthraian message behind it, i was sick of being ruled by people with conformity in my school and by my teacher and my family, yet at that time i dind't target hierachies and capitalism for that matter, that was much later, i was a chaos punk back then, looking back at it, i had no clue of what a system i had in mind, but one thing is for sure i dind't want people to conform in that way our society conformed people and how people are indirectly forced into boxes of conformity.

I first started getting into anarchism theory a year later, i first read a few chapters of the ABC of anarchism, and later finished a few months ago, since i am a lazy sod when it comes to reading, i must say my eyes opend when i read those chapters, how people were exploited and forced to live under those conditions capitalists has been set for us in years,

i then for some reason convinced myself that anarchism wasn't really a good idea, since without a state who would rule, and i began reading a biography of marx, which bored the hell out of me, i then found out about the squatter movement in denmark, and i think that made me think that another world is possible, with grassroots and social movements organizing a democratic revolution to overthrow capitalism and the state.
I later began to read the anarchist faq, and i later finished the abc of anarchism, i would describe myself as a social anarchist with both ancom tendencies and ansyn tendencies, leaning more to syndicalism today i guess.

 

I would also add that it allows for many opportunities that are otherwise unavailable. We wouldn't have anarchist folks like Noam Chomsky in positions of influence if he didn't go to school. Not that there aren't other routes to take, mind you, but doing well in school can open up many doors.

 

I was introduced to the concept of anarchism when I began listening to punk. At that time I was not interested in it. I thought we are all free and wtf .. yeah that was when I had 15 and believed everything in the news was true.
Later though, when I was more mature, I suddenly realized, that nothing is really alright with this world. Politicians lie, corporations pursue only profit, people don't care for each other, money is the real god .. yeah from that time I started to call myself an anarchist.

 

punk Rock music

 

punk rock

 

through punk rock to...but the question is if we only listen punk rock cause we like it and in the real life we act like a midle class capitalist with kids to raise ? and those values nowdays are just an utopia for angry teens ? i don't know...i'm a forty years old guy i believe in anarchy but i became one more number to the working class who is more and more opressed through this wild capitalism.

 

I don't know my exact ideology personally, i wouldn't call myself an anarchist anymore, and i'm not a facist by default, yet leftist ideology have become a victimhood olympics recently.I guess i'd be either an Anarchist-christian or Anarchist-capitalist with racial/gender essentialism, like the Amish or mormans but not strictly a theocracy nor a cult. So not Anarchism by this board's definition.

My very first experience of anarchism as an ideology was seeing a character on that 70's show who was some glamorized bad girl character with a red anarchism symbol on her bike. She said some anti-athority slogan like how love is made up to sell valentines.

My first experience with punk as a subculture would be from seeing punks downtown when i was a kid except i didn't know they were punks, just strangely dressed people. The first Punk music would listen to would sadly be the rarely fast songs from pop punk bands on the radio. Then street punk from friends (but i never liked the garrish look of street punk) and then crust punk from other friends.

 

Well, I'm living in Turkey and I think about anything and everything (unlike most of the other people) so when I started questioning politics I realized how idiot people are by believing what politicians say. And if you're aware of what's going on in Turkey, you wouldn't be surprised to see an anarchist. I don't hate my country or anything but the politics just drive me crazy. I don't know much about other countries but politicians' debates turns into fights in my country which is really annoying. It's pretty obvious that they are here just to show off and steal our money by taxes (money is capitalism's game anyway but that's another thing to discuss so I won't get into it now). And about the laws, they're written on the paper but not applied(is this the right word?). They put innocent people into jail and they release people who actually deserve to be in jail. And there's this law which says cigarettes and alcohol cannot be sold if the customer is under 18 yet you can get them from any market and even supermarkets(not all of them but some of them sale those to the people who are underage). And the referendums are hilarious. People vote but their votes are just on paper. There are a lot more things I'dd add but to sum it up, politics are just a play to make people another brick in the wall, politicians are big fat liars and they think we are their puppets. So that's why I am an anarchist.

 

Thatcher's Britain and Punk Rock..

 

I've become an anarchist because I always hated authority, I've been always against punishments (such as prisons or school punishments -which are pretty useless) and I've never liked any govern of my country. Also, since I got sometimes bullied for being antisocial and other things, I've opposed racism, bully and all that kind. I discovered about anarchism while I was seeking information about Green Day, I saw a curious word for me: "Anarcho-Punk", I wanted to see what was it about and learned a lot about Anarchy, since then I consider myself an anarchist, since I agree with everything it is for.

 

Ever since I was little I've always been a troublemaker but it wasn't ever a random chaotic type of trouble, I was always standing up to my parents who'd abuse me and the lame kids in church and my old rat teachers. Now that I'm older I just realized the label is me no matter what. I used to hate on anarchist when I was a kid cuz seeing the logo get commercialized I was like what the fuck, that shit's a trend. Now I realize it's a powerful ridiculous label that is an automatic fuck you to anyone who isn't an anarchist. And since I think all labels especially political ones are unnecessary and stupid I figured anarchist is truly the best label for me. Cuz fuck you! Also my true distaste for society, seeing things growing up where you're just thinking "that's not fucking ok" but people just laugh until it's almost conditioned into you to the point where you find yourself fake laughing just to appease them. I got sick of that. Thus I lost most of my friends. So yeah fuck society.

 

I wasn't technically an anarchist until recently. I live near St. Louis and went to a lot of punk shows and got into activism easily that way. I saw cops beat up my friends and mace them for being rowdy. I watched them beat up people for being black. I watched them beat up people for being in the streets and for standing on the side walk. I saw the cops after the Jason Stockley verdict and how they marched through the streets, chanting "Whose streets our streets!" It started with a hatred of cops before I realized the problem is much bigger than cops. It's capitalism that perpetuates systematic racism, destruction of this planet, and the kidnap and imprisonment of human beings and I felt anarchism didn't have all the answers to society's problems but most try to fix these problems by hurting as few people as possible.

 

My personal freedom has always been huge to me. Its why i left home very young why i got in alot of arguments and fights in my life. Everything ive ever seen the givernment do has been negative or fucking useless. Helping the well to do and hurting the vulnerable. So ive always been an anarchist. But punk rock is what really made me realize it i guess. That and some quotes from noteable anarchists. "the passion for distruction is also a creative passion" "what is property? Property is theft" Those were some quotes i had printed on my door as a kid. I guess i romanticized all of it as a kid too. It gave me something to believe in.

 

...Takin' time to break the laws,
And then I'll lick my dirty paws,
Dodging all the lies I'm fed,
I'll live my life and then I'm dead

Rock the 40oz - LOC

 

We all start as anarchists (no one is born with a deep belief in the state). The tricky question is "why or how did we become believers in state authority at any point?"

 

punk got me interested, then i started getting into leftist tumblr blogs and reading different arguments. as an immigrant, a lot of the whole "no more borders" shit really struck a chord. slowly began realizing all the bullshit around me. this last summer really pushed me to take action with all the fash rallies. now, here i am! a full anarchist