No Masters, No Mobs?

Another day, another question about anarchism! This one comes from one of my viewers on YouTube:

Hi Andrew, ❤ i really like your videos and you really got me interested in anarchy. I love the idea of voluntary association ❤❤ . I had a question for you how do you anarchism solve witch hunt /targeted attack /cancel culture of people??!

Firstly, thanks for the warm words, I’m glad my work could help.

I want to begin by getting to the heart of the question before delving into its specifics. How does anarchism solve xyz? is a very common line of questioning that I appreciate when asked earnestly. Such questions help me to think through and further refine my “anarchist consciousness” after years of hierarchical conditioning. But for all my thought experiments and tentative solutions, I can never set down a blueprint. Authorities may assert that their legal order adequately addresses harm. In reality, they merely set the standard of what is and isn’t considered “criminal,” excluding their own abuses from scrutiny or redress.

No philosophy or practice will “solve” our problems forevermore. Part of being an anarchist means accepting this uncertainty. There is no “one-and-done,” totalising solution to all harm everywhere. There is no authority in anarchy to “legitimise” harm or our responses to that harm. Responsibility lies always with us to choose how we act, who we associate with, and what we tolerate. We must keep working through these problems together, case by case, without giving up our freedom to choose.

With that said, how might anarchy deal with witch hunts and cancel culture?

On Witch Hunts

Witch hunts were historically quite tightly tied to hierarchy. Patriarchal, religious, and legal authorities validated spurious mob accusations through legitimate, formal procedures. Punishments were then enforced accordingly.

In anarchy, there is no individual, collective, or institution with the authority to legitimise mass hysteria or give punishments “official” backing. This doesn’t mean that fear, suspicion, and uncertainty will never give rise to wild accusations. They might even motivate collective action in the form of social pile-ons, ostracism, or violence in extreme cases. But these actions are never given a “stamp of approval” that makes them immune to consequences. On the contrary, they can and likely will be contested by others, especially in the more extreme cases. Escalating violence has the potential to destabilise or even breakdown the social networks that everyone relies on. Though this doesn’t guarantee that conflicts will never escalate, since people don’t always act in their own interests, it is in everyone’s interest to be well-measured in their responses to harm, whether that harm flows from individual to individual, individual to collective, or collective to individual.

On Cancel Culture

“Cancel culture” is a phenomenon where people criticise, withdraw support, or disassociate from an individual or organisation thought to have spoken or acted in a harmful or unacceptable manner.

In anarchy, individuals can freely choose who they associate and disassociate with. They can choose to stop interacting with someone or some group for any reason, “valid” or not. If someone is causing harm, people can distance themselves, and this response carries the risk of “snowballing” across the network. Equally, if someone is unfairly targeted, they can find solidarity elsewhere. But in any case, there is no authority to enforce inclusion or exclusion.

However, many anarchists also emphasise restorative approaches to harm through dialogue, accountability, and restitution. “Cancellation” need not be permanent. The restorative justice approach is not perfect, but it does equip us with the ability to engage with those who have wronged us or others without immediately resorting to social exile.

Anarchism cannot shield us from social dynamics of rumour, bias, or mob mentality. Those come with being human. Nor can it promise perfectly fair outcomes in every instance. What anarchism does offer is the dismantling of hierarchical structures that legitimise and amplify injustice, while preparing us for the messier but freer task of addressing harm and resolving conflicts together, without hiding behind hierarchy or surrendering our freedom.