Practical Anarchy - A Guide to Self Determination

This playlist presents the main video series based on Practical Anarchy – A Guide to Self-Determination. Taken together, these episodes form a connected, cumulative argument rather than a collection of standalone videos. Each part builds on what came before, gradually dismantling familiar assumptions about power, authority, money, work, democracy, punishment, technology and control. Rather than treating anarchism as a political identity or future blueprint, the series approaches it as a practical method of analysis. It asks how authority is normalised, how obedience is learned, and how social systems that present themselves as natural or necessary are historically contingent and actively maintained. The series moves from critique to construction. Early sections expose the myths that underpin the State, markets and hierarchy. Later chapters explore how people already organise life outside those frameworks through mutual aid, informal cooperation, shared resources and non-coercive forms of accountability. The emphasis throughout is on understanding why existing systems fail before asking what might replace them. These videos are designed to be watched in sequence. They assume attention, patience and a willingness to question deeply held beliefs. The aim is not persuasion or recruitment, but clarity – offering tools for thinking about freedom, responsibility and social organisation without rulers.

Curated by: Dicky Dread's mixes and books (67 videos)

Currently Playing: The Democratic Illusion: Why Voting Doesn’t Change Power (Practical Anarchy Part 14)

Part 14 is here - and today we pull apart one of society’s most sacred myths: democracy. We’re told voting is freedom. We’re told elections hold leaders accountable. But the reality is far different. In this episode we explore how parliamentary democracy manages dissent, legitimises domination, and protects the interests of State and capital - regardless of who wins. 26. THE DEMOCRATIC ILLUSION 27. THE STATE AND CAPITALISM – POWER AND PROFIT ENTWINED Case study – The Anarchist Cookbook 🔍 In this part we cover: • Why voting rarely changes the underlying structure of power • How all major parties operate inside the same framework • UK politics from Thatcher to Starmer — different faces, same system • What the Post Office Horizon scandal reveals about accountability • Why the ritual of elections manufactures consent • The US system: billion-dollar campaigns, tiny policy differences • Why proportional representation still leaves State power intact • How non-voting can be an act of refusal, not apathy • The deeper forces: donors, media, markets, lobbyists • Why elections limit imagination rather than expanding it • How democracy acts as a mask for State–corporate power Anarchists have long argued that real power lives in communities, assemblies, mutual aid and direct action — not in the ballot box every few years. As Emma Goldman said: “If voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal.” If you’re getting something out of this series, leaving a comment genuinely helps more people find it. ► Full playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDT6pJU3_gViYVxWUTl8PcR29sW0GAcQK&si=mwI-OwKKJRUbLzoD ► Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1864387554451463/ ► Buy the book: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=9dOIqr4EMtGT3x43Y9bhrmDaCPKCIzif4Y1dUjMvxgr ✊ Part 15 tomorrow.

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