Recipes for Disaster: an anarchist cookbook

ever similar their rhetoric may be, are as likely to be at odds in fundamental ways as each is to have desires in common with others who put less stock in self-categorization. Unruly youth whose hatred of restraints is derived from their daily lives, irate housecleaners who've never heard of anarcho-syndicalism, local religious communities that share your ethics if not your cosmological views, these are potential allies with much to offer to a hberation struggle, even if they don't frame that struggle the way you do. Besides, if you really are fighting for universal liberation, you'll do well to get experience working with people of all walks of Hfe, learning in the process what liberation means to each of them.

Getting Started So you're convinced that there are worthwhile goals that cannot be achieved by affinity groups alone, and you're ready to link up with other groups and communities. But with whom will you form your coalition? How do you find the allies you need?

One way to do so is to become an ally to others. Find out what projects and campaigns others in your area are working on, pick the ones you want to support, and inquire as to how you and your friends or your group can help (see Solidarity, pg. 489). Especially in the case of people from demographics more marginalized, impoverished, or oppressed than your own, you may have access to resources that can be of great use in their struggle. There's a lot to be said for following the leads of those who suffer the inequalities and iniquities of the capitalist system more immediately than you, whenever they take action to resist it. And who knows?if you offer meaningful, consistent support, they may eventually take an interest in supporting your projects in return, especially if what you're doing is actually relevant to their lives.

To learn what other activists are doing in your area, you'll probably have to look beyond the forums and media with which you are most familiar. Just as the predominantly

Coalition Building white anarchist scene has word-of-mouth and email networks that are fairly self-con-184 tained, other commxmities have their own channels of communication. If you're orga-

nizing on the campus of a private school, for example, and you're not aware of any radical homeless activists in your town, that doesn't mean there are none?^you just aren't looking where they are.

Approach groups and individuals that are already active with whom you can establish common goals. These could range from short-term goals, such as getting a racist sheriff fired, to broader goals like abolishing warfare, exchange economics, and fluorescent lighting once and for all. Find starting places, points of unity on which to base your cooperation, and open a dialogue about what you can do together. Remember how much you can learn from established local organizers: they probably have valuable organizing skills and knowledge about the lay of the land. Older activists in particular may have been doing what they do in their community for a lot longer than you have.

At the same time, don't limit yourself to seeking out alliances with other self-professed activists! You probably know many different circles of people who have never thought of themselves as being politically committed or active, with whom you can accomplish great things if the right opportunity comes up. The regulars at the local bar might be glad to join you in driving fascists out of their neighborhood (see Antifascist Action, pg. 35); a local pottery-making group might jump at the chance to share their wares or offer instruction at a Really Really Free Market (see Festivals, pg. 241); a local graffiti crew might be willing to help you spread an announcement (see Graffiti, pg. 258),

Stay abreast of what people are doing in different social circles, and brainstorm about how their activities cotdd be connected to overtly or subtly radical projects. Cross-pollinating is the essence of coalition building; the more you can mix divergent social milieus and perspectives, the better. Don't lament the limitations of your local radical network while ignoring the other communities to which you are connected: everyone is linked to others in a variety of ways?spatial, cultural, occupational, familial?and so has a variety of starting places for finding unexpected allies. If you once played on a

If quitting your job leaves you with more time on your hands than you know what to do with, you can babysit for single parents. If you have a circle of dependable volunteers, you could organize an alternative day care collective?there's a real shortage of those these days.

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Attitude and Approach

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