Noelle Mckinnon 9th Grade
IbelieveourcurrentAmericanversionof“democracy”andrepublicanismisoneofpurechaos.Ibelieve thereisnoorderinoursociety,noformofactualcommunicationorabilitytocooperateandwork togetherinanorganizedsystemofmutualefforts.Yet,this iswhatpeopleclaimanarchismtobe:chaotic anddisordered,withalackofmutualcooperation.Ibelieve oursocietyworksandfunctionsinan incrediblyoddway,onethatdoesn'tfunctioninthepeople’s lives,itisnotvisibleintheifeofasingle civilian;Americansocietyfunctionsmuchdifferentlythananactualfunctioninganarchistsociety.
Hereareexamples,mindyou,Iabsolutelylovetothrowouthypotheticalsandideasandrandom thoughtsbecauseIbelievetheycontributetoathoughtdevelopmentwhichcanbringonetoanincredible realizationprovingthemwrongpriortowhich.UnfortunatelyIseemtobetheonlyonewhoappreciates this,asmostpeopleabsolutelydespisethisandbelievethatwhenyouthrowanyideaoutintotheopen you'remakingastrictclaimaboutyourdefinitivebeliefandyouwillloseallyourstupidanti-intellectual “friends.”
Heck,I'mdoingitrightnow.Anyways,here'sanexample(oneofmany):“Thelawsofour societydonottrulycontrolus,theydonotstopanyonefromdoinganything,andwecanneverstop anyonefromdoinganything.Itisforthisreason,Ibelieve,thatifwetookdownourentirelawsystem andpoliceforce,hypothetically,ourcrimeratewouldnotincreaseordecreaseverymuchatall.”.Iclaim thisbecausefewpeoplerefrainfromcommittingcrimesoutof purefearofthelaw,andeveniftheydo, whywouldwewantpeoplelikethatinoursociety?Peoplecommitcrimesforpersonalreasons.For instance,theirlifesuckssotheyneedtorobthegrocerystore,orsomeoneisafraidofsomeoneelsedoing somethingtothemsotheyflipoutandmurderthem.Fewcrimes aredonepurelyoutofunnecessaryevil, likecrimesoutofpuresadisticpleasure(stillaproductof societalneglect).
Ifnolawsexisted,people'sliveswouldstillgothesameway, peoplewouldcontinuetocommit crimesbecausebeingpunisheddoesn'tchangethattheylivea terriblelife.Whywouldpeoplesuddenly feelincredibleurgestomurderpeoplesimplybecausetheycan?Asforthelastofthistrinity,peoplewho commitcrimesoutofpuresadisticpleasure,thesepeoplereallydon'texistinthewaywethinktheydo. Noonetrulydoessomethingtheybelieveiswrong,andifthey didthinkitwaswrong,theywouldn'tdo it.
Manyserialkillersandpeoplewhocommittedatrocitiesofmutilatingpeoplewereverymentally illpeople.“MentalillnesseshavebeenfoundinsomeoftheU.S.’smostloathsomekillersthroughout history,butit’simportanttonotethatmostpeoplesuffering fromtheseillnessesdonotcommitanyviolent offenses.Theseinstancesofmentaldisordersrepresentonlya smallfractionofpeoplediagnosedandthe majorityofpeopleafflicteddonotengageincriminalactivity,especiallyifgivenpropertreatmentand socialsupport.”-forensicscolleges.com.“AccordingtoWebMD,schizophrenia—awide-ranging(and oftenmisdiagnosed)mentalillness—listssymptomsrangingfromhallucinationanddelusionsto
emotionalflatnessandcatatonia.Itisoneofthemostcommonmentaldisordersdiagnosedamong criminals,especiallyserialkillers:DavidBerkowitz,betterknownasthe“SonofSam”killedsixpeople inthe1970sclaimingthathisneighbor’sdoghadtoldhimtodoit.Hewasdiagnosedwithparanoid schizophrenia.EdGein,gruesomeinspirationforfiction’sNormanBates,BuffaloBill,andLeatherface, murderedandmutilatedhisvictimsoftenkeepinggrisly“trophies.”RichardChase—”thevampireof Sacramento”—killedsixpeopleinCaliforniaanddranktheirblood.DavidGonzalezkilledfourpeoplein 2004andclaimedhe’dbeeninspiredby“NightmareonElmStreet.”JaredLeeLoughner,convictedof killingsixpeopleandwounding13includingU.S.RepresentativeGabrielleGiffordsin2011,was diagnosedwithparanoidschizophrenia.JamesEaganHolmes,currentlyontrialforthe2012“Batman murders”inAurora,hasbeendiagnosedwithschizophreniaby20doctors.”-forensicscolleges.com. I thinkitisclearhowsadisticcrimesarelinkedtohorriblechildhoods,mentalillnessthathasbeen undiagnosed,untreated,uncaredfor,andacarelesssocietythatdidn'thaveenoughdedicationtostop(or inbetterwordshelp)peoplelikethis.Imagineifsocietycouldworkbettertowardsstoppingthis.
GeorgeCarlinoncesaid(paraphrase):“...allproblemsintheworldcomefrompoor childhoods/parenting.”It'strue,humansareincrediblypowerfulandwecandogreatandbeautifulthings, butwecanalsodoheinousatrociousthings.Mostimportantly,wecanhelpeachother;wecanfindthe evilineachotherandstopit.Myownschooltalksofbetteringourselves,betteringeachother,and learningtocareforeachotherandworktogetherinbeautifulmutualcooperation.Thisisanincredibly anarchistideawhichadvocatesforthebody,mind,andsoulof ananarchistwithouteventrying.Ithink peopledon'trealizehowmuchpeoplecooperateeventhoughthere'snogunbeingpointedattheirhead sayingtheycan'tdosomething.Evenwhenpeopleareconstantlycooperatingwithpeoplewithoutpolice enforcement,theystillcondemnanarchismwithlittlethought.
Butwhy?Theyoftenbelievethatpeoplewouldnotcooperateordotheirjobsinananarchist system,theythinkpeoplewouldnotworktogether,sowhatwouldkeeptheanarchistsocietyinone piece?Whynotshapesocietyintosomethingelse?Well,whydoesn'tourdemocracyturnintoafascism? Ithinkwecanallagreewedon'twantthat,andforthosewhodowantthatyouwillbestoppedbyboth militaryandsocietyifnecessary.Inananarchistsociety,everyoneknowsanarchism,theyunderstandwhy theywantitandtheypracticeit.EveryonebelievesinanarchismaseveryChristianbelievesin Christianity.Sowhywouldtheirchildrensuddenlynotwant tofollowanarchism?Thepointofanarchism istoguidetheyoung,careforthem,lovethem,seegreatness inthem,andshowthemtheway.Itis incrediblyunlikelythiscouldfalterandcauseafascistto suddenlypoofintoexistence,andifasecondary ideologywereformeditwouldbeconsideredanddebatedover,notnecessarilycrushedunderfoot instantly.Theoutcomedependsontheversionofanarchismpracticedandwhereitsitsonthespectrum.
Ithinkweallareveryselfcenteredinourculturalunderstandinginthatwedon'tunderstandhow othercountriesandculturescouldbesodifferentfromourown.Forinstance,hereinAmericawesay thingslike“don'ttakeridesfromstrangersbecauseyoucannevertrustthosekindsofpeople''whilein othercountriestheysaythingslike“youshouldalwaystake ridesfromstrangers,becauseitisacost efficientwaytogetaround.”Don'tgetmewrong,Iwouldn'ttakearidefromastranger,howeverIaman American,bornandraisedinAmerica,Ifearstrangersforthepossibilitytheyarepedophilesor somethingofthesort.MypointisnotthatAmericaisdumband othercountriesarereallycool,butthat wemustunderstandsocietiesdon'talwayshavethesameculturalbehaviors,fears,oreventhesamekinds ofpeople.
Wecanhaveasocietywherepeopleloveeachotherandtrusteachotherwithoutfearingthat theirneighborisacreepthatyoumustkeepyourchildrenfrom.Thisishowananarchistsystemwould work,freeofdistrustbetweenpeople,asocietywherebecauseofthetrustbetweenpeople,wecanwork togetherasonetogetthingsdonecollectively,inamutualistmanner.Peopleseemtonotunderstandthat apoliticalideologyimpliestheexistenceofacertainkindofsociety.Democracy,forinstance,impliesa culturewherepeopledesiretomakechoicesforthemselvesandbeabletohaveasayinwhathappens, whereasamonarchyimpliesthatthepeopleneedguidanceand thatasinglepersoncanhaveallpower andwisdomtoguidemanypeople.Anarchismimpliesthatpeoplecanworktogetherandcooperate,no differentofanecessitythandemocracy,monarchism,orany otherideology.
Ithink,however,thatsometimespeopledoconsiderourowncountryandwhereitsitsonthe spectrumofcultureandideologies,sogettingbacktotheseparatecountryidea,IwillconsiderAmerica anditspeople.Tobehonest,IagreethatAmericawouldn'tfunctionwellinananarchistsystem,however that'shonestlyjustanotherinsulttoinjuryforoursociety. PeoplemightthinkthatAmerica'ssocietynot functioningwellinananarchistsocietyisaninsulttoanarchism,howeveritreallyjustlooksbadforthe country.Inmyopinion,everysocietyshouldbeabletofunctioninananarchistsystem,becauseifthey canthenitmeansthattheyareasocietyofkindpeoplewhounderstandtheirimportanceand responsibilityasmembersofthehumanrace.However,ifasocietycan'tfunctioninananarchistsystem thenitmeansthatit'sfullofpeoplewhocan'ttrusteachother, can'tunderstandthemselvesorothers,nor understandtheirimportanceinsociety.Ifyou'regoingtocriticizeanythingaboutasocietynotfunctioning inananarchistsystemthenIbelieveweshouldinsteadstepback andlookatthebiggerpicture.Maybe weshouldn'tjustsay,“it'sbadthatanarchismdoesn'tfunctionwellinAmerica,”butinsteadsay,“it'sbad howthepeopleofoursocietycan'tfunctioncorrectlywithoneanother,andhowwelacksomuch connectioninourworld.”
Irememberoncebeingtold,“workerswhodealwithdangerous chemicalsthatcancauseharmto themshouldhavetobesuppliedwithworkingsafetygear.”Ithenrememberhowmybrothersaid,“maybe
weshouldnotjustconsiderhowthesepeopleneedsafetygearbuthowmaybethiscorporationthatmakes peopledealwithdangerouschemicalsshouldn'texist,thusmaybenocorporationshouldexistfortheyall causesomuchharm,thusweneedtorethinkhumanity,howwework,howwebehave,andwhoweare asaspecies.
https://www.forensicscolleges.com/blog/resources/dangerous-minds-criminal-mental-illness
SOURCESIRECOMMEND:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/31/arts/dawn-of-everything-graeber-wengrow.html
"TheDawnofEverything"byDavidWengrowandDavidGraeber(whichtheabovearticleisabout).The firstchapteralonehasgreatpoints/lines.
Prime Suspects
By: Ari Landando
12th Grade
Part one of two.
Red fox
By: Pearl Koepke
6th Grade
ChilledChatterboxes
ChairsandWildfoxes
Inanotherotherplace,aroundthetimeSerlyaandCovearriveinBlimchim
“TheIvyChair,howlongithasbeen.”
“Areyouserious?”
“Doyouevenneedmetoanswer?”
“Isupposenot.Wellthen,howlongdoIhave?”
“Anywherebetweenafewhoursandafewdays.”
“Ohyou’vegottobejoking…Ican’tpreparethatinafewhours.”
“Whatchoicedowehave?”
“Now this isoneyouknowtheanswerto.”
“It'snottheanswerthat’stheproblem,it’swhatthatanswerrequires.”
“Butthefirestillcalls.”
“Anditneverstops.”
Ontheboat,aroundmidnight,asitarrivesinBlimchim
Theportwascoldandcoverediniceasthepassengersrosefromtheirdrowsynapsand moseyedintothesmalltownsurroundingtheBlimchimseaport.Itwasonlyaroundanhour's wagonridetothemaincitybutnoonewouldbewillingtogiveridesatthishour.Mostpeople wenttoaninnorifyouwerelucky,rememberedthatyouwereallowedtostayintheboatuntil thenextnoon.CoveandIwerenotoneofthoseluckyfew,instead,wehadn’tevenwokenup.
***
Thefollowingmorningwasonparwiththetypicalwinterintermsofweather,theground wasnolongerfrozensolidbutnowcloudscoatedtheentireskyandthedirtpathswerereduced tolittlemorethanmudpuddles.Luckily,thetownsfolkwere usedtothiskindofweatherand werestillofferingridestothemaincitygates;theywereprettycheaptoo.Itwasamonotonous trip,butthedriverwasveryfriendlyandhadseveralheavyblanketsandmugsofhotcidersoit wasinallhonestlyprettyrelaxing.Atthegates,CoveandItookourbagsandwavedtothe
driverastheyslowlymadetheirwaydownthesteeppathbacktowardtheport.Afterthat,the citywasourstoexplore.
Therewasalargelackofpeopleaswewalkedalongthemainstreettowardwherewe assumedRoyalishRecordswaslocated.Theonlyhumaninteractionwasafewshopkeepers andpassersbythatgaveusdisapprovingstares,buttheydid nothingofharm.Thestoneroads wereslickandcold,theskyheavy,andthebuildingsdarkand looming.RoyalishRecordswas justthesame,tallandchilling.
Covetappedmyshoulderandspoke. “YoureadySerlya?”
“Ofcourse,andyou?”Isaidback,softlyelbowingCove.
Covenodded,andweentered.Theinteriorfeltliketheinsideofafireplace,thebooks radiatedheatasifitwereahotsunnyafternooninthemiddle ofsummer.Therewereseveraloil lampshaphazardlyplacedaroundthemanystacksandpilesof books,scrolls,andoverflowing foldersreachingallthewaytotheceiling.Theyemittedbarelyenoughlighttoseethetitlesof thebooks.Atthefarendoftheoneandonlyroom,someonewaslayingononeofthebook piles.Theywerelyingontheirbackandwerestaringintentlyatusasweentered,theireyes almostglowing.Theyhadlongflowinghairthatwasthecolor ofcharcoalthatalmostreached thefloor,andwerewearingabaggyjacketthatlayaroundthem.Theyrolledoverandletouta cracklinglaugh,thenspoke.
“Heyheyhey!Whatdowehavehere?!Somehumanscomelookingforhelpagain?Well, scram!TheyalreadymadeadealwithmesoIwon’tbegivingthe chairtoyou!” Their voiceboomedaroundthewallsastheyspoke.
“Pardonus,wearelookingforinformation.Wedon’tneedachair,”Isaid,ascalmlyasIcould.
“Whatdoyoumeanyoudon’twantthechair?!WhyamIherethen?Damnitthatstupid mage!Fine,I’llgetyour‘book’foryou.YouwantExright?”
Asthepersonjumpeddownfromthestackofbooks,thelightshoneabitbrighter,their appearancebecameabitclearer.Underneaththesaggyjacketwasathin,oversizedt-shirt,and theywerewearingshortsdowntotheirknees.Itwashardtotellfromthedimlightbuttheirskin wasdarkredwithhintsofforestgreen;itwaseasytoseethat theywereademon.Thedemon sighed,turnedaround,andwalkedintothestackofbooks.As theypassedthroughthe seeminglysolidobjects,theroomrippledandthelampsdisappeared.Largewindowspierced throughthedarkroomandalayerofdustsettledaroundtheroom.
“Headupstairs…Waitbythechair…Makesureitdoesn’teatyou…” Thedemon'svoice echoedaroundtheroom, “Anddon’tdisappointEx,they’vewaitedtoolongforthis.”
Covelookedatme,IlookedatCove.Therewasamomentofsilenceasweboth processedwhathadjusthappened.
“Wherearethestairs?” Coveaskedquietly.
“Damn,”Imutteredinresponse,“howisfindingtheupstairs goingtobethehardestthingwe’ve encountered?Thisseemslikepoorplanningtome…”
