How to Tell Your Mother You're an Anarchist

The label "anarchist" has a lot of unfortunate, inaccurate connotations. For most people, the word brings to mind images of violent, bomb-throwing terrorists who want to abolish all government and replace it with chaos, lawlessness and survival-of-the-fittest. Those of us who are anarchists know better, but how can you explain your ideology to Mom (or for that matter, anyone else close to you) without freaking her out?

Refer to yourself as a "classical anarchist." There are a lot of people out there calling themselves "anarchists" who really DO subscribe to the violent, bomb-throwing rebellious lot, and that's not you. Making this distinction will signal to Mom that what you are has nothing to do with her preconceptions about what the word means.

Speak Greek. Explain that the word "anarchism" comes from the Greek "anarcho" and means "without rulers." Launch from this into the basic definition of anarchy: a governing system based on real equality, where systems are set up in such a way that no one has power over anyone else.

Give her a brief history lesson. Explain that the word "anarchy" being commonly used to mean "chaos" actually came about as a result of the anarchist movement of the 1800s, both because people weren't ready to imagine equality without pandemonium, and because enemies of the anarchist movement worked to push this definition.

Tell her that contrary to popular belief, anarchists don't actually want to set up a society that's free of rules and laws or even free of government - we just want the laws and government to be determined by and serve the people completely,

Explain about the best parts of what anarchism promotes: freedom, equality, liberty, and community, taking care of, defending, and looking out for each other, and letting everyone live the lives of their choosing. Explain to her that anarchists want racial, sex, and GLBT equality, are devoted to environmentalism and ending poverty, and want to see all people provided with the things they need. (You can either drop the "communism" bomb now, later, or never, depending on what you know about your mother.)

List some examples of prominent anarchists living today. If Mom thinks that anarchists are all crazy terrorist kids, imagine how her opinion of our ideology will change when you tell her that some of the prominent subscribers to our ideology include a famous professor of linguistics (Noam Chomsky), a renowned classical composer and former assistant to John Cage (Andrew Culver) and a martial arts fighting champion with a masters in psychology (Jeff Monson).

Promise your mother that you don't want to or plan to hurt anyone or blow up anything, because this is not only a violation of your principles, it's completely counterproductive. Explain that the current goals of the anarchist movement are mostly centered around helping people, fighting oppression, and educating about what "anarchism" is really about. Tell her some of the good things you plan to do and want to do.

Give your mother some of your favorite materials to read and encourage her to learn more.