My friend posted a cute meme of some anarchist types. I love those non-agents! Yes!
I told my friend who posted the meme, “You’re missing some muppets.”
Then Ming and I had a whole conversation about what the meme missed. We were on a long car ride, on the trip to my homeland. It was a good time for that style of conversation.
I love the trans / knows how to code. As if all trans people knew how to code automatically, a trans superpower. Wow, I would love that!
The super-social all activist knower, the very old person who shows up once in a blue moon, the proud antique book reader–yes, I know these people! But here are a few more types.
den mother
That would be me, cooking vegan soup for 30, making sure desert walkers have a hat, caring for protesters as they get out of jail. I do less of this in person these days, but the den mother attitude can also manifest as emotional labor in meetings, and doing radical mental health.
Den mothers are responsible, caring, enjoy feeding people, and keep shit together.
street medic
A different kind of care-er, the street medic is very handy to have around! People who can keep a cool head, deal with blood, know when to call an ambulance, carry narcan, and have studied police violence tactics at protests. Street Medics are indispensable, especially if they’re willing to train others.
Ming is a street medic, as you probably know. Great match with the den mother.
mic grabber
Person who likes to talk and isn’t afraid to grab the mic from a journalist to yell at the press and say abrasive things to all.
How will he be portrayed on the news, and how will the message be received? He’s not thinking about that. He’s angry and trying to make a point. The press will do with it what they will. His feelings are more important than the results of his actions.
serial relocating sexual assaulter
This person hurts people with sexual violence, uses deception, creates whole worlds of trauma and drama, destroys reputations and harms lives, then leaves town to do it again elsewhere. Itinerant recidivism at its yuckest.
pulled along partner
This person is not actually an anarchist at all, but their partner is an anarchist, so they come to events and feel bored mostly. They believe in the system because it works for them, pretty much. Secretly a Democrat.
trustafarian
Has a buncha money somehow, on a long trip seeing the world, trying out ideas, appropriating cultures, wearing a different costume from time to time. Irresponsible and somewhat lost, it may be hard to kick the trustafarian out of your house. Good luck with that.
May be simultaneously a serial relocating sexual assaulter. Yuck!
straight laced non-tenured professor
They could teach philosophy, English, history, or whatever. They live with ideas and might publish from time to time. Academia works out for them. They might run an anarchist book group or speak on a panel about some obscure zines and share the zoom link with you.
zinester
Oh yeah, of course.
anarchist types
What do you think–did I miss any anarchist types? Gun-loving prepper is a possibility. Unschooling permaculturist with lotsa chickens? Polyamorous autistic data hoarder–yes. How about anti-vaxer truther who invests in bitcoin on the dark web? Please comment with what you would add.
