I’ve been involved in the anarcho-capitalist movement, off and on, for close to 5 years now. I’ve been involved with various ventures, including multiple incarnations of blogs, podcasts, projects, and social media groups. Through my experiences from those projects and the interactions I’ve had with the people involved in them, I’ve become a more well-adjusted individual and have come to understand the movement I have associated myself with. There are very strong and useful characteristics that my community, as a whole, has and utilizes very well in the fight against the state and those who advocate for it. They are very tech-savy, they pride themselves in being well-read and knowledgeable, and are extremely detail-oriented when it comes to analyzing anything.
However, when it comes to appealing to the masses and building a convincing case as to why people should become an anarcho-capitalist, they fail to do so, in a generalized capacity. I primarily attribute this to most of us placing our focus into that analytical, detail-oriented side that allows us to understand the philosophical, economic, and ethical facets of anarcho-capitalism and why it works to the benefit of humanity. What I also see as a major flaw in the movement is the one-on-one approach tactics taken not only by us AnCaps, but its also taken by most people who hold a “vocal” position on social media or on MSM/Alt-Media platforms. It’s the desire to take on the role of an evangelical preacher, explain why a certain person/people/ideal is wrong for their stance, and do so in an aggressive or holier-than-thou manner.
No matter what a person’s political affiliation, religious views, cultural backgrounds, or ethical stances are, no person alive likes being talked down to as if they were a Neanderthal. Even if you go on to explain what alternatives there are to their current views and principles, only those who actively seek to change themselves or are willing to change themselves will accept what you have to say without any reservations. If someone can’t or is unwilling to see the fault in what their beliefs are, their day-to-day behaviors, and how they process and rationalize things in their mind, how can someone truly adopt and live out what it is to be a true anarcho-capitalist? We present ourselves as an open, loving, truth-seeking, and freedom-loving community, yet there are those within our community who will openly demonize and berate others, for various reasons.
Despite all of this, the solution to this problem is a very simple one and all it takes is a slight change in approach. To convince people into adopting AnCap principles and ethics, we have to look into what is practical for our present situation and how to transition from our current situation, as a society, into a society that embodies our core values. It has to be understood that, even though we pride ourselves in our morality, we live in immoral circumstances and that the most practical solution to remove ourselves from those circumstances is not always the moral stance.
To label that as “advocating for the lesser of two evils” is a false dichotomy and a disservice to the intellect of those who would rather work to gradually weaken the power of the state. It’s not a matter of “putting the right person into office”, “sympathizing and advocating for minarchism”, or even “being a sellout to the AnCap cause”. It’s understanding that while people see a prominent state presence in their lives and draw upon the power of the state as a means of day-to-day living, no one can truly be convinced that what the state is doing is wrong. It’s the concept of, “Well, everyone else is doing it and it isn’t hurting them, so why shouldn’t I do it?” For instance, cripple or destroy the state’s ability to give out welfare “benefits”, and people will naturally turn to their neighbors and members of their community to help each other out. They’ll see that they never needed to rely on the state to provide themselves and their family with basic essentials and, in turn, will be more receptive to AnCap ideals.
In the end, the beauty of voluntarism and anarcho-capitalism is that even if you don’t want to openly advocate for voting on bills that might decriminalize certain things, support Libertarians or AnCaps within our local community or for Congress, or be involved in anything remotely related to the political system, you don’t have to be. You’re free to choose how you want to help people, strengthen the connection we have as community members, and your approach in how you choose to bring humanity closer into an Anarcho-Capitalistic world.
Just keep in mind that we should all be working towards a practical way of achieving this world, as well. Not working in abstracts, not winging things and hoping they work out, and not by playing the preacher, but by trying to work with others and by trying to create an open dialogue between you and the people you’re trying to reach. I guarantee by trying things that way, you’ll meet a lot less resistance, you’ll find yourself having more meaningful and gainful discussions, and will naturally bring people to view things in an AnCap light.
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