Proudhon's On Government

[Da Skinna]

To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place[d] under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.


So what would this be: half-empty or half-full?

[Maverick]

To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place[d] under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.


So what would this be: half-empty or half-full?

Where do you live? My government is a little more subtle than all that. I
wish it was that easy. It's much easier to resist force than beurocracy, much easier to fight a single autocrat than a democracy where people show their contempt by inaction--not voting instead of active protest.

[Zenith Darksea]

Would you prefer not to be governed, though? I wouldn't.

[Thanatos]

Sigh... the problem is that people forget that the government is made to SERVE them, not to rule them.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Sigh... the problem is that people forget that the government is made to SERVE them, not to rule them.

Exactly.

When the people neglects the government, inevitably they'll all suffer from the burden of their own indifference.

[HopliteElite]

Government is the best institution ever derived from mankind's desire to cooperate. Certainly not all governments are great but most are adequate. We, as regular people, need some sort of institutionalized authority to not control, but direct our behavior. I love how anarchists want no government considering the fact that without government you have no law, which means chaos. When we are able to create a utopian society that requires no law because every citizen has been conditioned to behave, I will agree, but that day is LONG off if not impossibly off. The best thing for humans is a strong, even-handed government that stresses order and equality.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

Sigh... the problem is that people forget that the government is made to SERVE them, not to rule them.

[Da Skinna]

Sigh... the problem is that people forget that the government is made to SERVE them, not to rule them.

That's in theory at least. Not every people are fortunate enough to fully realize this.

[Kiljan Arslan]

Well if you don't want to be governed please go live in Somalia.

[scottishranger]

Government is but the lesser of two evils. Either some sort of order, or anarchy.

Your pick.

[Da Skinna]

Lol, I never said anything about supporting the statement. Proudhon also apparently inspired Marx, and "fathered" anarchism. I was merely passing it on.

Anyways, those kids that spray the A sign with the circle around need to visit West Africa if they wanna see how anarchism works.


Is Proudhon so wrong though? When a people let their government, the above is what they do? Might make sense why anarchism, or no government, would make sense to Proudhon...

[TheKwas]

[QUOTE=Da Skinna;2767795]
Anyways, those kids that spray the A sign with the circle around need to visit West Africa if they wanna see how anarchism works.
QUOTE]

West Africa isn't anarchy in the sense Proudhon uses the term. I suggest reading more than just one quote of his.

At any rate, here are some examples of 'anarchist' societies/communities which are closer to Proudhon's ideals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_an...st_communities

[Da Skinna]

It was a joke. I meant it in the context that those punk kids that spray A's would think West Africa is complete anarchy. Might sour their view a bit sorta thing.

Cool list of anarchist communities though.

Look at this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania