Bob Black (1) (1951–)

Bob Black's is perhaps the most searing wit of anti-authoritarian political writing. In Anarchy after Leftism, he trains it on the senescence of self-styled eminence grise Murray Bookchin. "Bookchin does not mind standing on the shoulders of giants--he rather enjoys the feel of them under his heel--so long as he stands tallest of all." (19) Demolishing Bookchin's Social Anarchism or Lifestyle Anarchism: An Unbridgeable Chasm Black insists, "This time he's bitten off more than he can gum." show more (102)

In his rejection of the "unbridgeable chasm" of Bookchin's title, Black sinks his gleaming teeth into the "central conundrum of Western political philosophy," i.e. the reconciliation of "individual autonomy and social liberation." (31) This observation, which launches Black's second chapter, sums up why I, as a (non-anarchist) mystical libertarian, find works on anarchism worth my continuing study.

Anarchy after Leftism is composed in scholarly fashion, with a full editorial apparatus and bibliographic citations, for which Black seems slightly apologetic. He is aware, however, that his selected antagonist (and presumably those readers sympathetic to Bookchin) fetishizes such discursive styling, and so he condescends to the chosen weapon of the duel, showing that he can handle it at least as well as the one who chose it.

A recurrent tactic throughout Black's argument is to quote the earlier, more lucid writings of Bookchin against his recent output. The goal is not simply to demonstrate inconsistency. Black typically agrees with the young Bookchin that he quotes, showing that at one point, even the antagonist of the moment knew better than he does now.

It takes Black ten short chapters to thoroughly dispose of the so-called "social anarchism" (not anarchism at all) of Bookchin. The eleventh and final chapter bears the title of the book as a whole, and explores Bookchin's irrelevance as a symptom of a Kuhnian paradigm shift in anarchist theory.

As usual, Black's writing is littered with trenchant aphorisms. For instance: "'Policy' is a euphemism for law, and 'administration' is a eumphemism for enforcement." (85) And best:

"The problem is [not selfishness, but] the prevailing social organization of selfishness as a divisive force which actually diminishes the self. As society is now set up, individual selfishness is collectively, and individually, self-defeating." (55) show less

Friendly Fire is a pugilistic potpourri of texts by Black, with the author's resilient animus as its only continuous thread. Even that fades considerably in Chapter VIII: his study of the Johnson presidential impeachment, plus a bibliography of Black's legal scholarship. He wrote in 1985, "Postering has been my main political activity since 1977," (171) and posters and poster-worthy one-liners are certainly where he does his best work. In this volume, those are represented in a selection of show more "Wanted Posters" as well as the pun-replete and epigraphical "Introduction to Neutron Gun." I can't help thinking that it's almost a shame that he disdains an Internet connection, as his writing talents are peculiarly well-adapted to the 140-character burst--not that I follow anyone's Twitterfeed, nor would Black seem to have any interest in "followers."

The anarchist "organizers," Libertarian small fry, publishers, and club proprietors that serve as Black's principal foes in this volume provide generally less interesting grounds for counter-polemic than Murray Bookchin does in Black's Anarchy after Leftism. Still, his invective has its usual entertainment value. show less

Kids say the darndest things.

So do political extremists, religious fringe-dwellers and a whole host of other people, their incendiary views ably reproduced here.
Everyone from serial killers to surrealists, Marat to Meir Kahane.

How has the human race managed to survive as long as it has with such whack-a-doos running about?

I loaned my copy of this book (acquired circa 1988) to an acquaintance who never returned it--long enough ago that I hold out no hope for its eventual recovery. It is profoundly unsurprising that a book so incisively anti-authoritarian should refuse to behave like property. I only hope the fellow read it and sent it further along.