anargeek.net

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I am an anargeek. An anarchogeek. An anarchist and a geek, among others.

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I'm a geek, because I can be considered part of those who like to use, understand and alter those weird machines we call computers.

I'm a geek, then, because I am curious about the way they function. I wonder about what to do with their programs. And I feel excited, sometimes, by some of those uses that have not yet been explored or thought of.

I'm a geek, because these machines are part of my daily life. I use them as clocks, as sound devices, as libraries, as typewriters, as coffee machines, as phones or memorandums. But on top of all, they're wide playgrounds. A support for communication, discoveries, creativity.

I'm a geek, also because I have embedded digital communication at some point. Almost everyday, if not many times a day, I do read my e-mail, administrate some Internet servers, look after the network I'm sharing, inform myself, learn and exchange through forums, mailing-lists and miscellaneous websites, chat and meet through IRC.

I'm a geek, still, because I like the term. It has first been an insult. But then, it's been reclaimed by those it mentions, turned positive and set the roots for a community, as some other "cultural minorities" did.

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I'm an anarchist, because I reject a society that's based upon domination. I'm convinced that self-empowerment and mutual respect are not only possible together and desirable, but that they can be achieved through equality, solidarity and self-management.

I'm an anarchist, then, because I am outraged by those social structures which cause mass exploitation, sufferings and deaths on a permanent basis. I want to contribute in putting this system down, by participating in social struggles and being involved in radical grassroots collectives.

I'm an anarchist, because I see my daily life as an opportunity to experiment my principles. I'm willing to break with social norms, by refusing calls to consumption and competition; reject alienation, by deconstructing oppressive & dominant behaviours, by developing collective & egalitarian alternatives.

I'm an anarchist, also because I tend to feel skeptical towards "official" information, I want to be critical towards mainstream and institutionnal media, since they format our vision with omissions, lies and misinformation. Rejecting self-proclaimed objectivity, I'm seeking for other means of informing and educating myself, for alternative tools to generate and spread the news.

I'm an anarchist, still, because I stand against the paranoia that seizes society, thanks to the manipulation of peoples' fears. I refuse the criminalisation, personal data collection and repression processes which are being launched by authorities against the poor, lower class and activists. Needless to say we have to resist.

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I'm an anargeek, because I'm willing to bring together technological creativity and computer know-how with ethical considerations and political practices. While thought provides practice with meaning and direction, practice enhances thought and offers ideas a concrete expression.

I'm an anargeek, then, because I wish to live in a society based upon self-determination, free cooperation and collective intelligence. Thus I endorse the free software movement, which comes as the result of the worldwide volunteer collaboration of thousands, allowing anyone not only to share and understand, but also to modify and distribute computer programs.

I'm an anargeek, because I refuse to be enslaved by either a political system or a computer system. While states impose laws upon citizens, proprietary software force standards upon users. While authorities prevent agitation through repression, the companies attempt to kill alternatives through patents. I want to be able to self-manage my life, just as I want to be able to understand, modify or create the tools I use.

I'm an anargeek, also because I want to resist the never-ending consumption enforced by capitalism, that keeps on producing goods, throwing away and wasting resources, while manipulating peoples' minds, always. I recycle hardware that's considered obsolete, re-animate it with spare parts, liberate it with free software. I like reaching the limits of out-dated machines, creating rather than consuming, in an attempt to mix imagination and politics altogether.

I'm an anargeek, because I feel the need to disrupt some attitudes that stick to the communities I'm involved with. I wish the radical-left political and alternative computer cultures to get to know each other for a number of reasons: it is essential to challenge the strong sexist culture that lies within geekism and to critically assess the high specialisation that goes with computer science, as it is necessary to have militant movements understand digital potentials.

I'm an anargeek, also because computing happens to be an excellent medium for producing and spreading independent information. So do I participate to counter-information networks such as Indymedia: an autonomous media that is spread around the world and open to all, that breaks the borders between actors/spectators/journalists and raises issues mainstream media cautiously ignore or disinform about.

I am an anargeek, because I don't want to stay dumb, a know-nothing; or refuse to learn more, a know-everything. I want to remain open towards knowledge, learn and teach, share & discover skills I've never heard of, look beyond the rim of my teacup. I refuse to adhere to the traditional hierarchy which pretends that elders and superiors know better in any field of endeavour, just because they are older.

I'm an anargeek, still, because if computers do facilitate social control and domination, I do believe they can also be used as instruments of self-empowerment, communication and sedition. Since knowledge is more useful when shared rather than kept to oneself, I participate in skill-sharing workshops, or get involved in setting up collective non-commercial tools and "services" such as autonomous servers, free Internet access points, websites or hardware solidarity projects...

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This "manifesto" does not aim at speaking up for you. You're free to partly adopt it, fully endorse it, totally reject it. And because there's just as many anargeeks as individuals, I encourage everyone to write and execute her/his manifesto, experiment his/her ideas, draw her graffiti or his ASCII!

Starification, leadership and passivity? No thanks! Everyone can invent and re-program him/herself!

December 2002,
darkveggy.

English translation
by darkveggy,
June 2004.

Mirabile contributed
a paragraph to v1.1,
March 2005.

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Translation note: anargeek stands for anarchogeek. While anargeek is not very verbose in English, it instantly makes sense in French, provided the reader knows about the terms anarchist and geek (anar being short for anarchist). Since anarchogeek is already known as a blog (rabble's, from Indymedia - anarchogeek.com), anargeek was kept.

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