Direct Action Analysis

Potential Hazards of Direct Action

• Dead or Caged : If your actions result in state violence, resulting in yourself being dead or caged, you will no longer be able to continue the fight. For all of the persons who 'martyr' themselves at protests like OWS, the state and media are fairly talented at sweeping them under the rug.
• Counterproductive : Certain actions may result in harming the cause of voluntarism/anarchism. Fear is one of the primary tools of the state, it would be counterproductive to fuel that fear and send our potential allies into the arms of the state begging for protection of their person or property.
• Wasteful: Most political action (protests, voting, R.P. donations, etc) is a significant waste of time, efforts, and resources which could be better spent elsewhere. Some Anarchists theorize that current political structures and encourage political action (like non-violent protests) are specifically designed to make populations easy to ignore, while naively believing their voices are making a difference.
• Harmful : If your actions are harming potential friends or allies (i.e. vandalizing or looting small businesses), not only is this highly morally questionable, but also impractical for winning support and allies. Further, if there is some fatal flaw in your ethic or advocacy (most of us have changed our minds), you may greatly regret your actions later.