Anarchy Works.pdf - Infoshop.org

economy
Anarchy Works
specialized support. It said that it would have been
impossible for anyone without previous training to
operate the radios in such a short amount of time,
because the equipment is too sophisticated for just
anyone to use. They were wrong.37
Who will take out the trash?
If everyone is free to work as they choose, who will take out the
trash or perform other undesirable jobs? Fortunately, in a localized,
anti-capitalist economy, we could not externalize, or hide, the costs
of our lifestyle by paing someone else to clean up after us. We would
have to pay for the consequences of all our own actions-rather than,
for example, paying China to take our toxic waste. If a necessary
service like garbage disposal were being neglected, the community
would quickly notice and have to decide how to handle the problem.
People could agree to reward such work with small perks-nothing
that translates into power or authority, but something like getting
to be first in line when exotic goods come into town, receiving a
massage or a cake or simply the recognition and gratitude for being
a stand-up member of the community. Ultimately, in a cooperative
society, haVing a good reputation and being seen by your peers as
responsible are more compelling than any material incentives.
Or the community could decide that everyone should involve
themselves in these tasks on a rotating basis. In an anti-capitalist
economy, an activity like garbage collection does not have to define
anyone's worklife. Necessary tasks no one wants to perform can
be shared by everyone. So instead of a few people having to sort
through garbage their entire lives, everyone who was physically
able would do it for just a couple hours each month.
The Christiania "free state" is a quarter in Copenhagen,
37 Ditto, interview with Francisco.
Denmark, that has been squatted since 1971. Its 850 inhabitants are
autonomous within their 85 acres. They have been taking out their
own trash for over thirty years. The fact that they receive about
one million visitors a year makes their achievement all the more
impressive. The streets, buildings, restaurants, public toilets, and
public showers are all reasonably clean-especially for hippiesl The
body of water that runs through Christiania is not the cleanest, but
considering that Christiania is tree-covered and automobile-free
one suspects most of the pollution comes from the surrounding city
that shares the waterway.
Residents have built dozens of the houses now standing in
Christiania using innovative eco-designs. They also use
solar power, wind power, composting and a whole
host of other eco-friendly innovations. A method of
filtering sewage through reed beds, which means
water coming out of Christiania is as clean as that
coming out from the rest of Copenhagen's treatment
plants, has helped the commune be shortlisted for a
pan-Scandinavian award for ecological living.33
Different people interviewed had different conceptions of how
Christiania was kept clean, suggesting a sort of dual system. A
newcomer said that you cleaned up after yourself, and when you
felt like doing some extra picking up, you did. An old-time resident
who was more involved in decision-making explained there was
a garbage committee, answerable to the "Common Meeting,"
responsible for the bottom-line of keeping Christiania clean, though
clearly voluntary assistance and cleanliness by all the residents was
the first line of defense.
38 Cahal Milmo, "On the Barricades: Trouble in a Hippie Paradise," The
Independent, May 31, 2007.
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