J. Neil Schulman
@ Agorist.com
@ Agorist.com
I came up with this during a discussion at Libertopia this past weekend. — JNS
Creating, expanding, and securing Agorist markets has a fundamental problem built in: how do you promote to a customer base products and services which by their nature require anonymity, stealth, and secrecy, all the while providing the reputations for honest dealing that businesses require to acquire customer accounts?
I think I’ve come up with a robust solution to that problem: divide Agorists into two categories, each at arm’s length from the other.
AU is the chemical symbol for gold, so I played with those letters in Alongside Night to create the concept of Agorist Undergrounds — AU‘s.
I’m going to use those two letters again, but this time with a slash between them, to define a new strategic Agorist vision.
A = Aboveground
U = Underground
Agorism Poster by thorsmitersaw
The “A” Agorists will live openly visible to the current political-economic system, and will be as compliant to laws and regulations as is possible given that many of these laws and regulations are virtually impossible to comply with — they’re too complex, confusing, and burdensome. But the “A” Agorists will protest only by word, not by deed. We will use the remnants of free expression to educate the public on Agorist theory and practice while not practicing it ourselves. We will be known by our real names and reputations and not anonymous. We will be writers, speakers, and entertainers. We will be the visible face of Agorism while being openly clear that looking to us for illegal activities is a dry well.
The “U” Agorists will be building and expanding the underground markets. They will be anonymous, masked, hidden, encrypted, and stealthy. They will not comply with laws and regulations that violate liberty as defined in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and other documents that have been the foundation for post-Enlightenment individual freedom. The “U” Agorists will practice what the “A” Agorists can only preach.
The “A” Agorists will have no contact with the “U” Agorists so authorities seeking to use the “A”‘s to trace the “U”‘s will find that a dead end.
We will live in different worlds until that day when the “U”‘s are successful enough to open the marketplaces to a visible aboveground free economy.
I am an “A” Agorist.
J. Neil Schulman
October 16, 2012
October 16, 2012 - 5:35 pm
I discussed ideas along these lines with SEKIII, but he was pretty hostile. I say even the “U”s must have an A side. . .
October 16, 2012 - 6:30 pm
I will continue not worrying about activism because I don’t need to get laid or profess a mystical religion. I will buy things I want, where I can find them, with whatever currency people will accept from me. I will not worry about the mindless, jungle-psychology driven cretins whom I have no pity or sympathy for as they are getting just what they are stupid and herdish enough to ask for. I will continue to not give two shits about what happens in some imaginary future world after I am long dead, because the vast majority human race are just another group of grunting apes – also, because it’s not my problem. Dead people don’t have problems.
Libertarianism is immature nihilism.
October 17, 2012 - 7:28 am
Once active with the defunct Lassiez faire city (LFC)group, a strong believer in ideas behind the Lodgings for Wayfaring Men book of years past, do like your idea and think there is potential.
Anyone know of existing or planned networks above or below ground for use today? Would love to promote and make happen. Any ideas
Noel
October 19, 2012 - 4:53 pm
Can’t fully agree with this. While it’s pretty clear that well-known public persons shouldn’t do too many risky counter-economic actions as well as high-profit counter-economists shouldn’t be too public – just for their own and each other’s safety (at least on early revolutionary stages and near enough fascistic state) i have two objections.
1) Theory w/o practice is blind, practice w/o theory is silly. Some theoretic things can’t be discovered w/o practice, some practial things can’t be practiced w/o PR, promotion, education etc.
2) How, being agorist theorist and agitator, one can stop oneself from entering counter-economic freedom here and now? At least partly, in not risky way. How, being libertarian-educated counter-economist (isn’t word ‘agorist’ means this too?), one can stop oneself from promoting liberty for one’s own long-term profit? At least anonymously, using secure means.
November 9, 2012 - 1:46 am
If one tries to be one or the other, it is problematic. If one tries to be both, it is problematic. Since counter-economics can be done by a business rather than a person, it is much easier to be one person with two businesses, preferably in the same or similar fields. This is actually done in practice by independent service industry folk when the have a “legit” business but do some jobs “under the table”. For goods and services which can be delivered anonymously and paid for anonymously, it is even easier. One website is a public face of the legit biz, and the other can be a tor page, a product or service via loom, or the second realm or whatever other catacomb phone book you list in. It does require some careful planning to make sure that one cannot be traced to the other.
May 6, 2014 - 6:42 pm
Pseudonymity is the concept of having alternative names and identities that we reveal as they are needed, that are attached to their own histories and reputations. We have to break free of our need for the “one true identity”. We are different entities under different circumstances so lets embrace it. People could have completely different and unconnected identities underground and above ground. For detailed practical tips for establishing free market counter-society with its own subculture of liberty and its own internal systems of security and justice, check this out:
http://anarplex.net/hosted/files/secondrealm/secondrealm.pdf
May 6, 2014 - 7:01 pm
Slow-decay nihilism, as you describe it.
There are plenty of historical cases where really bad people reform and redeem themselves with works of salvation. The slave ship captain who repented his evil and wrote the song “Amazing Grace” — John Newton — is my favorite example.
I wouldn’t expect anyone who believes in death to share this view with me, but the everlasting life seems long enough in my opinion to count up all the times one has been a prick or an asshole and decide to stop doing that.