Libcom is shit because…

Although sectarianism isn’t as bad within the anarchist movement as it is on the left, it’s still a bit of a problem. One website that tries to unite them, or at least cover it up is Libcom. Libcom has a library of texts from the likes of Bakunin, Kropotkin, Goldman and Malatesta, a heavily active forum and news items, which makes it a lot better than Indymedia. It’s also explicitly libertarian communist, hence its name.

However, the site has a lot of problems. The forums are full of in-jokes about cake. It’s run exclusively by people in South London, so any issues that happen elsewhere in the UK aren’t covered as well as those nearer to them. If you’re not a regular poster, you can feel isolated, as I have done on there.

Something that made me not want to post on there was a thread critiquing Manchester Pride. One poster came out with something that was so transphobic that they made Ahmedinejad look pro-trans. Elsewhere, there was a lot of disagreement with the bulletin published by the Anarchist Federation because it mentioned class, and that transphobic poster wasn’t shot down by everyone.

I really can’t be arsed with that site, and hopefully many others will feel the same.

Anarchoaspie

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Autism Speaks and the National Autistic Society can fuck off – I can speak for myself

A few months ago, Autism Speaks threatened to sue an autistic blogger for saying that they don’t speak for them. As a result, there has rightfully been a lot of anger within the autistic community because of the charity’s actions. Later on, they threatened to sue someone else for selling this clever T-shirt:

 

 

 

 

So why are AS stifling free speech? Because all they want to do is keep this stereotype of the ‘helpless aspie’ going, so that they still have something to talk about. The National Autistic Society use similar tactics, by only focusing on a handful of low-functioning autistics to help maintain the stereotype.

What AS and the NAS don’t realise is that most people on the autistic spectrum are capable of thinking for themselves, and don’t need to be told what to do by self appointed leaders. If they like that so much, they might as well join a political party instead.

We in the autistic community don’t need leaders. Many of us rightly question authority, and seek to abolish it. We’re not the fuckwits that the like to think we are. We don’t like being told what to do or think, and we don’t want to put up with the problems of unemployment, being prescribed the wrong medication, loneliness and bullying, but while they still carry on as they are, we’re fucked.

Kevin McCloud And The Big Pat On The Head Of The Poor Northerners To Show How Much We Pretend To Care About Them In The Media…

Having watched the first of the four-episode series on Channel 4’s Castleford Project last night, I wasn’t surprised to find that it was basically the twat off Grand Designs patronising people from the town, repeatedly calling Cas a ‘failing town’ and saying that it really needs regeneration.

I lived in Cas (well, Whitwood, but it’s practically the same place) for five years, and I didn’t like it. However, there are other towns that need regeneration more. If McCloud and his filming team went just a few miles further east along the M62, they will have seen Knottingley, a place that doesn’t even have a town centre to speak of (a row of shops and a Morrison’s doesn’t count).

The first episode was all about the £1.1m footbridge that was recently opened connecting the town centre with Duck Island, the area of Cas where Lock Lane is. To the dozens of people in the South watching, they didn’t know what happened, but a large chunk of the audience will aready know that bridge was built, and hasn’t collapsed yet.

I’ll watch the next episode, although I get the feeling that McCloud will still pat random people on the head going through the town, look down on everyone and will only do pieces-to-camera at 5am when all the shops are closed, just to give the impression that there’s no shops there. Also, they’ll probably conveniently ignore Glasshoughton and Cas Tigers’ new stadium.

Anarchoaspie

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