Anarchy Works.pdf - Infoshop.org

economy
Anarchy Works
automobile, and semiconductor industries. Salaries are determined
collectively, no one has titles, there is no formal management
structure, and differentiation between employees is minimized.
By all capitalist standards of performance-employee turnover,
profitability, product reputation, lists of best companies to work
for-Gore is a success.
An important factor in their success is adherence to what
some academics call the Rule of 150. Based on the observation that
hunter-gatherer groups around the world-as well as successful
communities and intentional communes-seem to keep their size
between one hundred and one hundred fifty people, the theory is
that the hwnan brain is best equipped to navigate webs of personal
relationships of up to one hundred fifty. Maintaining intimate
relationships, remembering names and social status and established
codes of conduct and communication-all this takes up mental
space;just as other primates tend to live in groups up to a certain
size, hwnan beings are probably best suited to keep up with a
certain number of companions. All Gore factories keep their size
below one hundred fifty employees, so each plant can be entirely
self-managing, not just on the factory floor but also including the
people responsible for marketing, research, and other tasks,34
skeptics often dismiss the anarchistic example of small-scale 50-
called primitive societies by arguing that it's no longer possible to
organize on such a small scale, given the huge population. But there is
nothing to stop a large society from organizing itself in many smaller
units. Small-scale organization is eminently possible. Even within a
high-tech industry; Gore factories can coordinate with one another
and with suppliers and conswners while maintaining their small scale
organizational structure. Just as each unit is capable of organizing its
internal relations, each is capable of organizing its external relations.
of course, the example of a factory producing successfully
within the capitalist system leaves much to be desired. Most
anarchists would sooner see all factories burned to the ground
than anti-authoritarian forms of organization used to sugarcoat
capitalism. But this example should at least demonstrate that even
within a large and complex society, self-organization works.
Some of the ways that the example of Gore is still problematic
include the lack of ownership by the workers, and the fact that
formal management could be reimposed at any time by the company
owners. Anarchists theorize that the problems of capitalism do
not exist only in the relationship between workers and owners,
but also between workers and managers, and that as long as the
manager-worker relationship persists, capitalism can reemerge.
This theory is certainly born out by the Mondrag6n example, where
over time managers gained more pay and power and renewed the
unequal, profit-focused dynamics typical of capitalism. Taking this
into account, several anarchists have designed an outline (called
parecon) for a "participatory economy," though no one has yet had
the opportunity to set up such an economy on any considerable
scale. Among other things, parecon emphasizes the importance of
empowering all workers by mixing tasks that are creative and rote,
mental and manual, thus creating "balanced job complexes" that will
prevent the emergence of a managerial class."
During the rebellion in Oaxaca in 2006, people without prior
experience organized themselves to run occupied radio and
television stations. They were motivated by the social need for
free means of communication. The March of Pots and Pans, the
legendary women's march on August 1, 2006, culminated with
thousands of women spontaneously taking over the state-run
television station. Inspired by the sudden sense of power they
34 Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big
Difference. New York: Little, Brov.'ll, and Company, 2002, pp. 183-187.
35 Michael Albert, Parecon: Life After Capitalism, New York: Verso, 2003,
pp. 104-105.
86
87