CrimethInc. Convergence - Pittsburgh - July 20

[ianfernite]

I'll probably be at the G-20 as well. Pitt is an odd place for that, though.

 

[LovelyAcorns]

I need to go to G20, I've gotten too good at making excuses to skip and need a chance to take myself way too seriously.

 

[kushycrizzak]

I wonder how many anarchists and the like will stick around after the convergence for some hell raisin the month after... hopefully the spirit of seattle will spark up again!

 

[finn]

The spirit of Seattle? You have got to be kidding. The times were hella different back then- it was almost an entire decade ago! You're too young to be living in the past. Anyway, I might get myself up to P-burg if people need help for a medic training, or some other workshops, else I probably won't bother, since I'm not all about marching or chanting or screaming at riot police.

Now if you want a lot of damage to take place, get in a load of sports hooligans...

ps. this has got to be the most rhetoric-filled discussion ever, hopefully there won't be too many more like this...

 

[kushycrizzak]

living in the past? your misunderstood, I'm living in hope of insurrection!

 

[Arapala]

I dont understand when poverty has became revolutionary...

Everyone keeps on raging on them for having trust funds. I dont know anyone involved with crimethinc. that has a trust fund. Its just some rumour people have started to make them look better than the people in it.

Its like finally anarchists that are at least doing something, and everyone bashes them? I dont get it. I would rather be friends with a some p.c. anarchist who has a trust fund than someone ith just a trust fund...

 

[ianfernite]

I think that the trust fund anarchist is a myth.

And I wouldn't say that poverty is revolutionary, but revolutions are generally based on class, which is generally based on money.

 

[finn]

I think that the trust fund anarchist is a myth...

Not a myth. Trust me on this. They aren't very common though.

 

[Arapala]

You are right Ian. I just mean some of this p.c. douche bags think they are the shit because they are poor. Its not even about what class they are in or raging a class war.

 

[Avon Drunquist]

Damn, stirred up a hornet's nest with this thread! I can definitely agree that Crimethinc had become must less hopelessly idealistic in recent times, i.e coming up with some real "strategies" and whatnot. I've never really met any "trust fund" kids, but hardly any of them that I've met grew up in a trailer park or the hood. I just find it all a little bit cheesy, Crimethinc might peak my interest more if they had a cold steel, militant, gun-toting kind of vibe...but if that were true there would be no Crimethinc, I suppose. However, I'd definitely visit a convergence before a rainbow gathering, haha.

 

[macks]

Finn is right, anarcho trust fund kids do exist! You don't have to be poor to know what's up (although most of the time it helps). It's none of my business how much cash someone has although it does peev me when people complain about being poor and pretend to be 'a vagabond' then show me their 5000$ account balance on a receipt and fly home the next day. That guy was an idiot.

Anyway - you don't need money to get shit done but it sure does help. Climbing gear, chains, cement, goggles, etc.. all costs money. Well, it doesn't have to but lifting enough stuff for a treesit would be pretty tough. Not working for 'the man' and being a dirty crusty anarcho traveler is well and good, but there's a lot of really significant things that get done with money that wasn't spanged for.

 

[LovelyAcorns]

Damn, stirred up a hornet's nest with this thread! I can definitely agree that Crimethinc had become must less hopelessly idealistic in recent times, i.e coming up with some real "strategies" and whatnot. I've never really met any "trust fund" kids, but hardly any of them that I've met grew up in a trailer park or the hood. I just find it all a little bit cheesy, Crimethinc might peak my interest more if they had a cold steel, militant, gun-toting kind of vibe...but if that were true there would be no Crimethinc, I suppose. However, I'd definitely visit a convergence before a rainbow gathering, haha.

I'm trailer trash. Wouldn't call myself a crimethincer, but they were definitely the ones who go me interested and have had an impact on my views.

However, thats kind of irrelevant. From what I can gather, most anarchists in general aren't coming from the trailer park or the hood. For those of you thats a concern for, why not spend more time finding ways to radicalize those communities and less figuring out which comrades to blame?

 

[ianfernite]

I spent a few years in a trailer park! Haha.
It's interesting how deeply money affects even anti-capitalistic communities. It's always the 'haves' vs. the 'have-nots'; a class war within a class war! Ha. I guess the issue of 'trust fund anarchists' and 'poverty=punx' won't be resolved until there is no more money.

Hopefully we can work around that.

 

[Arapala]

I laughed so hard when i read this. I think i would rather be accused of being a girl instead of someone not knowing what sex i am. Hahaha, i mean come on, what kind of freedom is this? Isn't that what anarchy is all about in the end? Shit, they wont even let you address a person as youd like..

Pronouns: Part of respecting each other means respecting our varied and infinite gender identities. In the pursuit of making this convergence a safer space for people of all genders, its vitally important to respect one another’s pronouns. The world of gender is a huge and complicated terrain, but it can be more easily navigable with some simple guidelines: Don’t assume someone’s gender simply based on your perception. Ask! People will be glad you did. Make sure to refer to people by their chosen gender (or non-gendered) pronouns. If you mess up, apologize and work on that in the future. If in doubt, “they” works wonders.

 

[macks]

Hm, not sure about that one. A little wordy but it's all about respecting people. I don't think I'd ask every time I met someone how they identified but I try my best to use gender neutral pronouns ('y'all' instead of 'you guys' for example) and try to address someone how they want. I mean, you wouldn't want someone calling you 'Stewie' if you liked being called 'Stewart' right? Maybe a bad example, but you get the idea.

 

[LovelyAcorns]

i would rather be accused of being a girl

Noted. =)



But its not referring to someone's sex but rather their gender. Gender being the social construct blah blah blah, there's enough information out there that I don't want to try and retype it. Crimethinc has taken a fairly strong genderqueer (Isn't it the Fighting For Our Lives that states choosing to identify with a gender is analogous to choosing your master?) I've known enough genderqueers, trans, and people who you really can't tell their sex from a distance that I tend to use gender neutral pronouns automatically. Its not oppressive or anything to do so, you're really just changing one set of grammar rules for another. But yeah, no reason why you'd need to run around asking people their gender, what the hell are you talking to strangers about where gender is required?

 

[ianfernite]

I don't think anyone would get offended by being referred to by an unwanted pronoun; if their gender is that ambiguous, they probably get it a lot.

I found the consent thing funny, though.

I guess you won't be able to talk to anyone until you ask for their consent and their preferred pronouns.

 

[veggieguy12]

This is just proof that agreeing with enough CrimthInc'ing to attend a conf. doesn't mean swallowing it all.
I certainly don't agree with normalizing the idea of surgical trans-sexuality.

 

[RnJ]

Is panning somehow done out of a better ethic than using a trust fund?

 

[Angela]

Is panning somehow done out of a better ethic than using a trust fund?

Probably not. Their really much more similar than lots of folks want to admit. And although the mythical "trust fund anarchists" do exist they don't seem to be nearly as prevalent as some folks would like to think.