The big buzz words of anarchism are that all should be radical and direct action. But often calling actions direct is just seen as identical to ‘anarchist’ or ‘if it’s illegal it must be radical’.
Radical means ‘from the root’.
And to know if things are radical we do not need to ask ourselves how illegal, unusual, loud or aggressive our actions are.
We need to ask ‘are they nurturing the roots of things we want and striking at the roots of things we want to destroy?
Often the opposite of radical action is Reformist action, aimed at making bad things less harmful without uprooting them.
Direct action means ‘creating direct change’ in a way that does not require a change of opinion on someone elses part
Again something is not direct action just because it is illegal, looks edgy, takes place in the street, etc. Something is direct action when it creates a change (which can also mean stopping something from happening).
Often the opposite of direct action is ‘raising awareness’ aimed at changing opinions rathet than realities.
But here’s a thing: anarchist actions do not need to be radical or direct to have value or to be truly anarchist. Anarchists do reform their own communities as well as groups that want to become more anarchist, and we do raise awareness when we feel that is needed.
We just know what we can’t and won’t reform and must destroy (capitalism, the state, cops, prisons, nations, borders, etc) and we know that raising awareness is useless if it is not followed by direct action.
QueerAnarchism 