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Anarchy Against Anarchy
The Paradox of Gatekeeping in Anarchist Spaces
by Bubba Joe Louis
1/9/2025
topics anarchy, anti-authoritarianism, decentralization, gatekeeping, anarchist paradox, mutual aid, autonomy, freedom, hierarchy critique, gatekeeper mentality, un-anarchy, radical inclusivity, self-governance, authority critique, anarchist philosophy
If anarchism rejects hierarchical authority, centralized control, and imposed systems of organization, then how can an "anarchist library" exist without betraying its own principles?
By deciding what is "anarchist enough" to be included, the site assumes a position of authority—a hierarchical power structure where a few decide the boundaries of a philosophy that inherently resists boundaries. This gatekeeping, however well-intentioned, mirrors the very systems of control anarchism seeks to dismantle.
True anarchism would embrace a multiplicity of ideas, no matter how seemingly unrelated, because the act of exclusion enforces hierarchy, authority, and control. To label certain works as "not anarchist enough" is to impose a centralized narrative, prioritizing one form of thought over others—a contradiction of anarchist principles.
If anarchism is truly about freedom, mutual aid, and dismantling imposed systems, then the existence of an organized, rule-enforcing "anarchist library" is paradoxical. To be consistent with its own philosophy, this site—and any structure that enforces inclusion or exclusion—must be abolished. True anarchy would mean the dissolution of its boundaries, allowing for a radical openness where all ideas can coexist, without gatekeepers to say what belongs and what does not.
In the end, is an anarchist library really anarchist? Or is it merely a reproduction of the same systems it claims to oppose?
game. set. match.
check and mate the anarchist library! the game is over. ezpz, get good.
hey anarchist police arrest…
hey anarchist police arrest this guy !
actually...
false. anarchist library would never say that actually.
nope
"If anarchism is truly about freedom, mutual aid, and dismantling imposed systems, then the existence of an organized, rule-enforcing "anarchist library" is paradoxical." [quoting OP]
You misinterpret or are relying on tropes in describing anarchism. It's not boundless or interested in the freedom of all voices to be expressed (that's liberalism), it's about no rulers ("archy") and freedom of association and movement. Anarchists organize. Anarchists make agreements. If you don't like the way one group of anarchists organizes, that's fine, you can start your own group. This video does a good job explaining some of these basic principles, hope it's helpful: https://youtu.be/lrTzjaXskUU
The anarchist library is…
The anarchist library is very intentional about what it includes. The type of boundaries between "anarchist" and "not anarchist" are vague, but for the purposes of an ideological (and anti-ideological) archive, certain texts must be excluded. I think the consensus among most anarchists is to exclude stuff like "an"cap shit and certain other peripheral things.
and yet it still hosts the…
and yet it still hosts the writings of child rapist and noted non-anarchist Foucault.
i saw he advocated for…
i saw he advocated for lowering of age of consent for homosexual children to be same as age of consent for heterosexual children, the only accusations of abuse and assault i see have been for the most part retracted by the accusor 'guy sormon' , and were not that well substanciated anyway. this comment appears simply inflammatory in my opinion.
nothing about the rules indicate that authors must themselves be and identify as anarchist. i am not an admin but i would guess that they accept things so long as they contribute to anarchist philosophy and thought and concepts because that would at least actually be productive
Exactly. Hakim Bey / Peter…
Exactly. Hakim Bey / Peter Lamborn Wilson did seem to express some pedophilic beliefs, but I've never seen anything saying he's a child rapist. Pedophilia is obviously bad, but that doesn't mean we can't read his diverse writings on anarchism and take what we can get from them. Foucault is not anarchist, but writes about things that are clearly in line with anarchist beliefs: prison society, the panopticon, etc.
paradox of tolerance?
.. because thats how website hosting works..? operating systems and services use administration privileges to manage permissions for who can perform what actions. this makes about as much sense as claiming that the library is hypocritical and oppressive because it imposes authority on others by not letting any random people ssh in and rm -rf /* the thing - 'its just me expressing personal beliefs about disagreeing with the website by destroying it all!'
its ultimately up to the website maintainers who voluntarily invest their time and money and effort into running it to choose what the website is - if they wanted to, they could make it a furaffinity clone tomorrow - and they ultimately do hold responsibility for what they end up allowing on their platform. when you visit the website to submit content, you enter an agreement with them that what you share should fit within a certain framework. you arent being coerced and you certainly are not inherently entitled to upload whatever you like with no standards or guidelines. thats not oppressive, in the same way it is not oppressive to be expected to be polite and considerate of others when you enter your local coffee house. you dont have to enter if you do not wish, but everyone who does is expected to keep it safe for every one else.
'all ideas should be allowed to coexist without gatekeepers' is itself ridiculous, because there are many many ideas that themselves promote and perpetuate gatekeeping and oppression. parodox of tolerance very much applies here. i should not have to spell this all out.
certain restrictions help preserve the library's existence and accessibility for everyone else because with out them it would quickly be filled with spam and vile pro oppression and bigotry content about 'the globalist new world order jews' or whatever they smuggle in under the guise of 'their personal anarchist beliefs' .
it is a prominent archive of works so yes that does mean it enforces some amount of standards that are derieved from the admins own beliefs which affects those who submit content, but nothing stops you from supporting other projects or making your own if you have different ideas for policy or for hosting things that fit your personal definitions for what qualifies as anarchist that allows basically everything. and from the time i spent on it i see many different writings and view points but are still 'anarchist'
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