A is for......

Sylvia was an excellent tour guide of Athens. As an archeology student, she was informative in showing me the sights, but she also gave me a chance to see a different side of Athens. After seeing various ruins and temples during the day, I was told that we were going to a "squat" at night. Having no idea what to expect, I decided to wait till we got there. On the way, I noticed some garbage cans were on fire on the sidewalks and I asked Sylvia what was going on. She simply said "we'll find out when we get there".

When we showed up at the squat, an abandoned public school building, we were handed beers as we walked into the courtyard and sat down in some chairs that were laid out. The Anarchist shadow puppet show was about to begin. I don't know many Anarchists, but the image of dudes with mohawks, piercings, and combat boots holding puppets made me smile on the inside. The theme of the show, best as I could tell, was about how authority pressures individuals into squealing on others or turning their innocent friends over as suspects of terrorism. The squat, as I came to learn, is very popular among the sizeable Anarchist population of Athens. The school we were at has been abandoned for over 10 years, so they believe that people have the right to occupy or at least organize in such unused public space. Some made their own apartments within, and there is also a cafe and bar inside. There is seemingly little enforcement, nobody pays rent, yet they somehow manage to have water and electricity.

In Athens, there is also a less sizeable Fascist population, sometimes they cross paths, but the Anarchists are relatively peaceful despite images and stereotypes. One night at a big Anarchist Punk rock festival, I witnessed mosh pit style slam dancing and stage diving while people had smiles on their faces. Fans throw beer cans at musicians, sometimes hitting them in the head. I think it is a sign of affection, the musicians seem to enjoy it, perhaps understanding the rebellious spirit inherent in such an act.

Late one night we were seated at an outdoor bar where I was very obviously the lone capitalist pig. I have always had a special gift for pushing the buttons of friends and family during discussions or debates, and I wasn't about to let that talent go to waste here. We took turns arranging peanuts from a bowl on the table. They came to represent the 5% of the population that controls 95% of the wealth or vice versa, or several other things such as poverty, opportunity, incentives for ingenuity.

We came to no conclusion or common ground, but Sylvia asked me a question that stuck with me. "How many people do you think have their own independent thoughts, thoughts that aren't manufactured from TV or news or other people?" I thought silently for a while and admitted that I have certainly been guilty of regurgitating the ideas of others that I agree with and adopting them as my own. In fact, it may be one of the very reasons I have become disenfranchised from the American political scene. The Republican Party, which had long been the defender of states rights, was so willing to write a federal law to ban gay marraige. The Democratic Party, which was most vocal about racial profiling, was the most vocal against the Dubai Ports deal. Say what you will about Anarchists, at least they have principles.

A few politicians (or special interests or think tanks) come up with an idea, a few others come up with another idea. We stand by the idea of our party affiliation no matter how much it deviates from the party line. We accept these ideas as our own in arguments. Sometimes we scream and yell, take things personally, hold grudges, and occasionally refuse to talk about politics with anyone. Rarely do we, do I, stop to think, "hey, why am I getting so worked up over an idea that wasn't mine to begin with?" Differences in lawlessness aside, we are not much different than gang members, blindly following at all costs without questioning leaders. The fact that we so willingly accept 2 ideas as the best 2 ideas out there drives home Sylvia's question. If I sound critical here, believe me, it's because I love America and want it to be a place of leaders, not followers.

I never did find out why the garbage cans were set on fire. I just assumed that garbage cans represented some authoritarian measure of public order to keep the streets clean. I continue to use them. I can't think of anything better to do with my garbage.