An Argument for Anarcho-Communism

A friend of mine was shot a few months ago.

It was the opening day of a bazaar that he had opened. He owns a clothing store, but felt that the small town of Tzfat needed a bazaar, which is true. He borrowed 100,000 NIS to open the bazaar.

That day a young woman who had worked for him in his store came running to him. She told him that an ex-boyfriend was pursuing her and that he was nuts with jealousy. She was obviously scared.

My friend told the man that if he didn't leave the young woman alone he'd call the police.

As he turned the man shot him in the back - five times.

My friend lived. He's a big, healthy and burly man of about 40.

I walked past his store yesterday evening and saw that it was open. My first thought was that he was recovered to the point of being back in the store and I was delighted. I went in and found his sister in the store.

I inquired as to how my friend is doing. His sister told me that he is still in a wheelchair and undergoing intensive physical therapy after numerous operations. I asked what the prognosis is. She told me that the doctors won't commit to a prognosis.

She told me that my friend could have easily overcome the small, slight man who shot him, but he didn't try to use force. Instead he told the man he'd call the police, as a "good citizen" is supposed to do.

She told me that the man who shot him said in his defense in court that he was "insulted".

I told her that I thought it might be my friend when I saw the store open.

She explained that she is opening the store because the bank is making trouble for her brother. He owes them 100,000 NIS and they couldn't care less if he's in a wheelchair. They want their money.

At this point I was so enraged that my head began to swim.

I can see this whole story going down entirely differently were there not a state, so that my friend could have just jumped the guy before he got a chance to pull the gun and wouldn't have needed to warn him that he'd call the police.

My friend is in a wheelchair because he acted in accordance with the law.

He is now facing the prospect of the bank using the same state that he relied on to take care of a situation he could have handled now at the behest of the bank.

There is no reason why a man should go into debt in order to provide a public service, which is what the bazaar was intended to be. He was making enough money from his store, but he wanted to do better for this sleepy, out of the way town.

There is no reason why he should be being treated as a criminal by the state as he is trying to recover from being shot in the back five times.

I do not see how this scene would be any different under AnCap. There would still be a plutocracy. There would still be loans. There would still be police forces to back up repayment of the loans. There would be no more compassion under Anarcho-Capitalism.

The argument that Anarcho-Communists are anti-Capitalism and not anti-State is simply propaganda. It is not true. We understand that the state works at the behest of the rich and that there will always be some brute force that will be required to do that job so long as there is capital and the accumulation thereof.

Under Anarcho-Communism someone who thought the community would be benefited by a bazaar would come to a general meeting with the idea. Either he would find that the community did not agree, or they'd give him a big thanks and the go-ahead.

The community would provide the necessary materials to open the bazaar. No loans. No banks.

If some maniac were to come along, no one would have to waste time threatening him with the police. They'd just jump his ass and be done with it.

Refute my argument if you can.

Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com