The Black Bloc Anarchists

This might help explain a small corner of the news.

There are many kinds of anarchists, including Christian anarchists, nonviolent anarchists and so on. Anarchism is a set of theories, some of which are brilliant. For example, the idea that each child should have her educational needs met on an individual basis is an anarchist educational theory. The theory works--if your goal is for children to learn rapidly and happily.

If you pay attention to political demonstrations, you have probably noticed a relatively small bunch of guys in the major marches who attack buildings and smash things. Those are the Black Bloc anarchists. Groups like them have long been evident--I first met them in marches in the 1960s. They were the ones who broke windows as we marched and got us teargassed.

The Black Bloc anarchists are what Chris Hedges has called "the cancer of the Occupy movement." They are the dudes dressed in black who, after using the more positive Occupy people as human shields, break loose, attack property and confront the police. Of course the 1% savor this gift, this excuse to crack down on the 99%.

The point Hedges emphasizes is that the Black Bloc is deliberately destroying the Occupy Movement because they consider all organized movements on the Left as sell-outs. What the Black Bloc favors is petty vandalism, which they find romantic and revolutionary. Meanwhile they denounce unions, environmental organizations, Noam Chomsky (well, I denounce Chomsky but do not claim that he's a sell-out), etc. They praise the Unabomber's insane manifesto. The Black Bloc rioters lack common sense. They're like teenage boys doing 60 in a 25 mile zone, only what they kill is hope of change.