Building a bridge to the anarcho-socialists is probably a doomed endeavor, given that they tend to be so dogmatic, vicious, and unwilling to listen. But not entirely doomed. You see, despite significant values and theoretical differences, a lot of the conflict is due to misunderstanding. This is because both ansocs and market anarchists use the same terms to mean different things. Hence, the two groups talk past one another. To get on the same page, you must learn to communicate so that they will understand you. This means framing your issues within their worldview, and refraining from language that sends up their red flags.

You may argue, why should you bend over backwards to change the way you say things? Why shouldn't they meet you halfway? They should, but they probably won't. If you want any genuine communication to take place, you'll need to heed my advice, or else don't bother trying. You see, ansocs view their lives and politics as a large-scale struggle of the poor masses fighting to end their enslavement by the rich few. Due to this context, and since they believe this struggle can only be won by organizing into large groups, political theory is to them another kind of street barricade, and discourse another kind of molotov. To stray from the flock isn't just an individual doing their own thing, but weakens the group, which compromises the group's ability to struggle, which in turn threatens the entire future of the human race!

Their fear, stemming from their belief that every thought carries extremely high stakes, is why they tend to denounce others based on who they're associated with rather than what they say, and why they lump all their enemies together, drawing no distinction between market anarchists, Republicans, and Klansmen, calling them all, "fascists". To an ansoc, seeing the enemy as complex and nuanced is a waste of time, and giving an enemy the benefit of the doubt gives them a dangerous inroad into your mind, which they will use to confuse and beguile you. But only the hard-core theory-heads are like that. Some ansocs just casually show up at protests or events, maybe casually pick up some literature, and leave it at that. The latter are likely to be much more open to your ideas. Unfortunately, you're less likely to find the latter discussing theory online.

As a recovering ansoc myself, let me tell you how to build a bridge to the ansocs:

1. Don't assume each and every ansoc is an authoritarian would-be tyrant. Many of them are, while many are not. Mostly, they're just not aware of the difference. Some of these anarchists are just (non-classical) liberal reformists who like living-wage laws and punk rock and hate cops. Some are militant versions of Green Party members. Some are very close to being Leninists, except that maybe they see some virtue in decentralized organizing and they like the sound of the word, "freedom." The latter consider themselves anarchists because they do not want to seize the State, but rather intend to build a new one from scratch (which they deny would be a state). And some genuinely oppose the State in any form.

   How can such disparate elements consider themselves part of the same movement? Because a lot of them unquestioningly buy into the myth of democracy. They assume that anyone who criticizes democracy must be advocating tyranny by default. They have never heard of any other alternatives. To some, democracy implies ruling over others against their will, while to others, democracy is just a means of organizing within their own group, and they wouldn't dream of subjecting outsiders to their rules. Advocates of consensus don't want their group to do anything against any group-member's will, ever. Most ansocs have never given the issue any thought. The litmus test to separate the anarcho-statists from the true anarchists is to ask if they support freedom of association. They may have heard of this term, but probably have little idea what it means in practice. Tell them.

2. Don't knock democracy, just emphasize freedom of association. Let them practice any and all democracy they want to, just insist on your right to opt out of being subject to their group's decisions. And let them know Malatesta would have agreed.

3. Don't defend corporations. Tell them that corporations depend on the State for their existence. Tell them that if we work together to abolish the State, the corporations will inevitably collapse. Tell them that any corporation that had its own army and initiated aggression upon others would be a de facto state, and should be opposed. Ansocs do not understand, nor do they care to learn, the differences between market anarchism, anarcho-capitalism, the Libertarian Party, the World Trade Organization, social Darwinism, and fascism. So don't label your ideology, but try to explain it in detail.

4. Don't use free-market buzzwords. It will only alienate and confuse them. These would include "market", "capitalism", "property", "product", "capital", "competition", "compensation", "risk", and "value". If you must use these terms, include lengthy definitions each time, written in language they're familiar with. Try to replace your buzzwords with theirs: "liberation", "DIY", "personal possessions", "social wealth", "cooperation", "sharing", "creativity", and "meaningful existence".

   I think there's two conceptions of "free market": one is a condition of freedom in which people are free to do whatever they wish as long as it's consensual, and the other is an image of commerce as we know it with the State removed. Ansocs may have many legitimate beefs with commerce as we know it under a State, and that is why they react so negatively to the mention of a free market. They're told that we already live in a free market, and they assume that if it were any freer, it would get even worse. Yet in a truly stateless society, the market might be vastly different than commerce, as we know it today. That's why I think it's best to emphasize the condition of freedom, and de-emphasize the commerce for the ansoc audience. A clean slate will sound better to them than an untaxed McDonald's.

5. Don't accuse them of tyranny, and don't tell them their system will never work. We want a free market, right? So encourage them to build whatever federations of workers' councils they feel like. Emphasize market anarchy's live-and-let-live attitude. Let them know that it's not an either-or issue. The condition of freedom, which you call a free market, can form a meta-context that could include communist systems, as well as every other conceivable voluntary system. Let them know that communism is compatible with a free market as long as it's strictly voluntary. Goad them to imagine a free-market land in which most of the population would choose communism.

6. Don't threaten to shoot them if they mess with your property. This is no way to get a constructive dialog going, even if you insist they started it. You see, while you believe that involuntary wealth redistribution is violence, they believe that poverty is literally a form of violence enacted by the rich against the poor. Each side ardently believes that the other is the aggressor. Instead of getting defensive, take a deep breath, and try to patiently explain why you believe that the institution of property is the simplest or most effective way of negotiating who uses what. Explain it to them not in terms of defending your hoard, but in terms of letting their commune or federation keep their own stuff. Make sure they understand that they can be as sharing as they want to be within their own organizations.

7. Denounce capitalism. That's right. They define capitalism as including the military-industrial complex, state socialism as it was practiced in the Soviet Union and elsewhere, and recipients of corporate welfare. You probably don't want to be associated with that stuff. So let them define the term for now, and tell them you hate capitalism too. Say that what you support is free enterprise, like in the case of a sidewalk pretzel-vendor. None but the most rabid ansocs would dare criticize a solo tradesperson with no employees. Employment is a thorny issue with ansocs, so it's best not to bring it up until you've built a rapport. When it does come up, argue it as a freedom-of-association issue. Say, "would you forcibly stop someone from working for someone else for a wage?" If they say no, then tell them that they are a market anarchist.

8. Don't use the term, "private property." Ansocs have a vastly different definition of this term, often using it synonymously with the capitalist system, which, by their definition, it inextricably entwined with the state. However, ansocs are okay with small-scale personal possessions like a toothbrush, which they see as entirely different than owning private property in the form of a factory or a huge tract of land. So use the term, "personal possession" any time you'd normally say, "private property". Say, "personal possession" even when you're discussing ownership of a factory or a huge tract of land. This will force both parties to get very precise about what kinds of relationships people should have to objects, and how people can best negotiate these relationships amongst themselves.

9. Never discuss environmental protection. Consider this topic taboo. From the ansoc point of view, your ideas on the topic would sound insanely reckless, criminally negligent, blind to obvious truths, denying of proven facts, heartless and soulless, racist and violent, and so maniacally selfish that you're willing to destroy the whole world for your short-term convenience. And their ideas would sound to you ridiculously apocalyptic, terribly self-sacrificing, blind to obvious truths, denying of proven facts, heartless and soulless, callously violent, and a lame excuse for totalitarian tyranny. A whole lot of mutual trust and goodwill needs to be established before either side can begin to hear one another on this issue. So don't even go there.

10. Don't let them tell you you're not an anarchist. This point is worth arguing vehemently even though it may intensify the conflict. Ansocs feel threatened by anarcho-capitalists. They view ancaps (a camp into which they include all market anarchists--they think all non-socialists are alike) as johnny-come-lately's who defected from the Libertarian Party, and like the word "anarchism" because it sounds cool and rebellious. They accuse ancaps (their definition) of selective reading of old individualist anarchists in order to justify their appropriation of the term. They resent ancaps (their definition) for stealing the term "anarchism" from its rightful owners, the heirs to the glorious tradition of worker's struggle. They really view it as stealing, and they're determined to steal it back by any means necessary.

    The only means they have are knee-jerk denunciation and ostracism. So you need to stake a claim to the term, a claim they can respect. You can do this by telling them that you're a legitimate anarchist because you oppose all forms of domination. When they insist that capitalism and property are forms of domination, tell them that you hate capitalism but support free enterprise as a way for people to meet their own and others' needs without recourse to a planned economy that would tell people what to do. Tell them you see voluntary communism as just another form of free enterprise. Tell them that property is just a way of negotiating the use of objects by people, and that they're welcome to propose other systems. Tell them to have faith that people will choose (don't use the word "market") the economic systems that best meet their needs.

11. Focus on the State. This is the real bridge-builder. This is the main issue the two camps share in common. So emphasize to them that market anarchists are the only group besides themselves and the primitivists who want to abolish the State. Talk about the awful things the State does (other than taxes and regulation, as ansocs don't care about those issues) and you'll have lots to discuss, and you'll build great camaraderie.

12. Let them know that Leninists are going to stab them in the back. Most anarchists are aware of the bloody history of anarchist victimization at the hands of Leninists. Just say the words "Spain", "Kronstadt", and "The Ukraine" over and over again until their affinity for Leninists cracks. Then they'll be more open to accepting market anarchists as their natural allies.

13. Sell market ideas in terms of broad-scale social benefits. This may be very uncomfortable for you, as you're probably accustomed to touting the virtues of your system in terms of individual benefit. Ansocs want to know what's good for society as a whole. Ansocs want to help the working class, the poor, the homeless, the hungry, the sick, the mentally ill, drug addicts, and the most downtrodden and suffering. They want to help women, racial minorities, sexual minorities, people with disabilities, and indigenous tribes. So tell them how a rising tide lifts all boats. Tell them how government regulation favors big business, and how after the State is abolished, small, local businesses will thrive. Tell them how private charities are able to meet human needs better than the welfare state.

14. Sell them capitalism as DIY. Most ansocs do not feel a strong need for their own individual autonomy. They depend on their groups for their sense of identity, and they seek to gain power together as a group. They do, however, recognize the need for their groups and networks to gain autonomy from the capitalist market. You should do everything you can to encourage their do-it-yourself (DIY) ethic. To them, DIY means breaking free of corporate domination, and building a strong autonomous people's network providing necessary goods and services to rival the power of capitalism in a dual-power scenario. You recognize that their DIY efforts are really free enterprise entrepreneurship within a market. Everyone is happy.

15. Sell market anarchism as class war. Yes, you heard me right. Tell 'em you hate the ruling class as much as they do. It's all in how you define the ruling class. Tell them the ruling class is comprised of the people who work for the government, plus those corporations who lobby for, and receive, corporate welfare. They're the ones who use the military and police to coerce others. It's a corrupt system where the powerful dominate the powerless, and it all must be swept aside.

16. Do speak against government ownership of land, airwaves, and other resources. Speak of timber sales, mining, and grazing on federal land. They hate that. Denounce so-called "privatization" as the government making money off the sale of stolen goods.

17. Do speak against gun control. Even anarcho-pacifists understand that gun control is just a means to centralize power into the hands of the State.

18. Do speak against war, imperialism, and domestic repression. These topics are timely, cut to the core of any version of anarchism, and are sure to win you comrades on the Left.

19. Don't bitch about taxes. Ansocs don't care about taxes because most of them are under the poverty line and aren't themselves subject to the income tax. They take taxation as a given, and agree with Chomsky and other liberals who complain about the tax burden being shifted from the rich to the poor. Most of them are broke, and only stand to gain from statist wealth redistribution. They want to abolish money anyway, so why should they care? However, since all ansocs oppose imperialism, sell your anti-tax ideas to them in terms of war-tax resistance. It's not the money people lose through taxes that matters to them, but rather the evil ends to which the State puts that money.

20. Emphasize the hell out of freedom of association, and non-initiation of force. Tell them your respect for property rights means you won't steal their stuff or invade their land, and that's a better promise than they'll ever get from Leninists or the Green Party.

21. Expect to fail. Ansocs are often extremely dogmatic and hostile to market ideas. This is because they so often fail to think, and because they're unwilling to think outside their box. It is the rare ansoc who will think independently, genuinely listen, and try to learn. They are out there, and maybe a larger trend toward free-market anarcho-communism may eventually arise. Just don't expect to win any converts. Let your mission be to learn about them, and only secondarily to promote your own view. Then you won't be wasting your time.

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