‘Anarchists’ Destroy Surveillance Cameras

So-called anarchists, dressed in black, have begun an effort they call Camover, whereby they record themselves destroying surveillance cameras and then post the footage. Naturally, they make no distinction between government surveillance and private surveillance, so cameras intended to prevent shoplifting are also considered targets. The problem is “cameras,” apparently.

Anonymous

Traditional anarchists (anarchist socialists) give anarcho-capitalists a bad name. They oppose not just the state, but taking from Chomsky they claim to be against all forms of hierarchy. All? Really? As if there is not, especially in the sense of the way that a traditional anarchist may define the term, a hierarchy between the voting majority and voting minority? Between also those who actually vote and those who choose to abstain (for whatever reason)?

It seems to stem from their theory of value. Mythical surplus value and the ‘exploitation’ by the boss, ergo you’re a wage slave, ergo all employment is illegitimate, ergo to be ‘logically consistent’ I have to say all ‘hierarchies’ are illegitimate, ergo head explode.

This is why Lew Rockwell has made a terrible marketing decision in using the traditional anarchist symbol with black and red colors. People rightly fear it. He should use the “V for Voluntary” symbol and black and yellow colors.
Joshua Park

To be logically consistant, so-called anarchists wound reject the brain as the master of the body. Doesn’t the mind control and enslave the hand? Rise up and labor as slaves no more, you hands and feet of the revolution!

As to marketing, I completely agree. When Tom solicited feedback on some logo designs on the radio show, I suggested using black and yellow instead of black and red (as some of the designs were). Symbolism is important when you have a split second to communicate an idea with a logo.

Incidentally, shouldn’t we call the an-cap colors “black and gold” instead of black and yellow? Gold, obviously, as a shorthand for real market money. Yellow has conotations of cowardice and we can’t afford that mental presupposition if we’re to reach the warmongers with a message of peace and prosperity.
http://twitter.com/CODScumBags Scum Bag

They should stick to only destroying government cameras.
Chris Barcelo

It really does suck when people are so close, yet so far. What’s even worse is when others think they’re close…
Anonymous

This is why I’m not entirely comfortable calling myself an anarchist, because the public associates that word with lawlessness and chaos, as these Camover folks are demonstrating with their failure to respect property rights.
Anonymous

Yeah, black and gold is right. I just had the “Black and Yellow” AnCap remix in my head, lol: http://youtu.be/38K9X5PMLRU
John Dougan

While I doubt any of the Camover groups are this sophisticated in their reasoning, it should be remembered that, thanks to pliant courts, private cameras are effectively also government cameras.
Franklin

Indeed. I don’t understand why “libertarian” wasn’t good enough.
Joel Poindexter

“Libertarian” isn’t good enough for some people for the same reason that “liberal” doesn’t work — it was hijacked, so to speak, by non-libertarians. Take the Libertarian Party’s nominee, Gary Johnson, he’s not libertarian at all, as he either fails to grasp the NAP or he rejects it outright.
A number of mainstream libertarians aren’t really libertarian, either. Browse through some of the writing found on the CATO or Reason websites and you’ll see what I mean.
I still think it works, though, for what it’s worth.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Benjamin-Allen-Whetham/727059078 Benjamin Allen Whetham

Exactly, if they were just destroying government cameras they would have a lot of sympathy from others who would not report their activities if they observed them. By destroying even private cameras they alienate a great many people who would otherwise silently support them.

I have cameras on my house for my own security. The government doesn’t have direct access to them.
Dave Carroll

“As if there is not, especially in the sense of the way that a traditional anarchist may define the term, a hierarchy between the voting majority and voting minority? Between also those who actually vote and those who choose to abstain (for whatever reason)?”

I actually was a sympathizer with anarcho-socialism for a while years back when I just hadn’t read enough and this was the point that turned me away from it. Because I thought how can one say that they oppose hierarchy and support majoritarian democracy when that itself is a hierarchy of the majority over the minority. That’s when I realized that private property was the most decentralized and just way to divide authority among people so that there are no absolute rulers.
Dave Carroll

They won’t though. They’re dead set against private property, even more so than government. Ultimately they do believe in government, just a government run by them that’s not officially called a government, but ‘governs’ just the same, through violence.
Dave Carroll

How can you say that Gary Johnson isn’t libertarian at all? He’s for completely deregulated free markets, ending all the major wars, ending the drug war, all the worthless departments, etc. In fact he was for drastically cutting the government in his first year to a greater degree than even Ron Paul was. Johnson’s proposed cuts for his first year were 1.7 trillion dollars, as opposed to Ron’s respectable 1 trillion. If you want to argue that Johnson is not a perfect libertarian and that he lacks in some areas fine, but to say he’s not libertarian at all?