I consider myself a revolutionary individualist. Revolutionary means the desire to overturn political and cultural institutions by any acceptable means. As an individualist, my acceptable means can not initiate force upon another individual. Individualism does not mean atomization or the promotion of self above others. It is the recognition of each person as unique and possessing the right to do anything that does not violate the equal rights of another individual. It is the desire to see individuals empowered and liberated. The ties one makes to other individuals and groups are to be determined entirely by oneself and acted upon in a voluntary manner.

In strictly political terms, I am a libertarian, more specifically a market anarchist. My path to this was a matter of increasing consistency more than it was change of principles. I remember deciding I believed that “everyone has the right to do anything that does not harm another person” in middle school. Unfortunately it took several years for the more specific “initiate force upon” to define “harm.” In 1998 the online babble of conservatives attracted me, as they satisfied many of my psychological needs as an insecure and lonely 13 year old from a rural suburbanish area (I believe this to be the method by which most political allegiances are made). Fortunately, libertarians like Vin Suprynowicz and old HD Thoreau steered me in the right direction, and by the 2000 election I favored Harry Browne. For most of college I vacillated between minarchism and anarchism. My general feeling was “we do the right thing and see where it leads us,” i.e. when taxation is rightly regarded as theft, and secession is a protected right, government will either survive on a voluntary basis or perish if it is unable to adapt. Though I wasn’t really an anarchist (since advocating no-government was not something I did) I was closer to the anarchist position than I was to the wannabe-mainstream minarchist one. I did make sure that the market anarchist position was not ostracized when I was chair of the (small in number) Rutgers Libertarians.

I have since used logic to see where doing the right thing will lead us. Any organizations that can survive in an environment where the initiation of force is not tolerated must necessarily be voluntary market organizations. Since the central role of government is to claim authority over an area and authority does not permit disobedience, government can never be a voluntary market organization.

My realization that the legal system and the military, things minarchy always allows government to do, are the two most harmful arms of the state also helped get me here.

The M or A question does matter as it helps to define one’s position and clarify attitudes toward existing political problems. Market anarchism, a state of affairs in which people are free to do as they will with themselves and their justly acquired property is the label that best fits with the political goals of revolutionary individualism. “Free market,” “freed market,” or “liberated market” are better terms for its economics than “capitalism,” which allows for state involvement. I find agorism to be a very useful way to think about the problems we face today and the solutions to them.

And everything follows from that.

Though I was involved in electoral politics in college, I have lately been accepting the fact that the LP is not an efficient use of my time. Unfortunately since there is no larger public face for libertarianism, what the LP does still matters. But when they actually nominate two of the least libertarian potentials to run for president, that is it. It’s over and it’s not worth saving. Now begins the campaign to distinguish libertarianism from the geeky wing of conservativism. Agora! Anarchy! Action!

Into Battle

I am sore after an awesome show last night. Of course it’s difficult to imagine a combination of kilts, pipes, and amps being anything but awesome. Four bands that I haven’t taken the time to get really into ripped the shit out of BB King’s in NYC last night. I missed most of Tyr because the venue claimed to be out of tickets and didn’t let me in until after they started, but they had a good sound. But Eluveitie absolutely blew me away. I didn’t have a good view at first because the place was freakin’ packed. No problem – a huge pit opened up and I moshed my way to several good spots during the set. The combination of folk music and metal was perfectly executed for a great show. Bonus points were picked up for two females on stage. Turisas then emerged in warpaint and furs to bring a most Viking onslaught. It was great dancing music – the kind of dancing that knocks you on the floor. Their amazing cover of Rasputin was alone worth the trip. Bonus points were picked up for having a woman on the accordion. Ensiferum, though not as folky as the previous bands, were insanely good. I had great fun with “Into Battle” and “Lai Lai Hei” as well as the section of Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” they played at the end. They also picked up female bonus points. So there are definitely some bands I need to listen to more. If you don’t listen to folk metal, you really gotta fix that.

The books are in stock and ready to ship. I have about an hour until the official release date. Sounds like it’s Bring a Gun to School Day to me!

I am now a self-published author. I’ve got a good product; now I just need to promote it like crazy. No rest for the wicked.

If you buy the book directly from Arise Press, you will pay minimal shipping cost and receive the book quickly. And I might sign it. So do that and support innovative literature.

“This is an important debut work by a talented storyteller and social commentator.” – Jim Lesczynski

I guess the first post on a blog is supposed to be special. I’ll introduce my new site then. If you haven’t seen it, DarianWorden.com is the homepage. I hope to add entertaining and informative updates at least once a week, and hopefully more frequently as I gain readers. The front page picture will be changed often. Elsewhere you can find my new book, this blog, archives of my articles and pictures, news on my fiction, and a link to my store The Department of Horrible Stuff. I still have some work to do on the site. If you have any comments or suggestions about content or design, comment here or send an email to darianworden(at)gmail.com. Enjoy!