r/Anarchism • u/bk-2cb • 2d ago
How to finance full time activism?
Hey, everyone!
The title says it all. Lately, I’ve been feeling an increasing desire to devote all my energy to activism. The question is: How can I make that happen?
I’ve been sick for a long time now, so I have experience living solely on social benefits. Here in Germany it’s doable but not exactly great fun. I’m now part of solidarity networks, so in an emergency, I’d never have to go hungry or be without money for my meds or anything like that. But for some things, you just need money.
Do any of you have experience with this and want to share how you’ve financed your full-time activism?
Greetings in solidarity
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u/Anargnome-Communist anarchist 2d ago
I know someone who gets a very small "survival stipend" from the government (don't know the details of how those things work in their country) and structured their lives around making do with that.
Another option is to find a job in a vaguely activist non-profit who is willing to be flexible with your hours and days off.
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u/bk-2cb 1d ago
That last one is an I idea I was thinking about too.
I think I’m already pretty good at identifying and analyzing organizational structures and then suggesting ways to improve them. That’s something that could certainly help some activist groups.But I don’t want to take money from them, so that would mean dealing with grants and applications.
Maybe I’ll find someone who’s good at that, and then we might be able to get an NGO off the ground.
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u/Advice_Thingy 2d ago
Viele deutsche Vollzeitaktivistis leben tatsächlich von bzw mit Bürgergeld. Gibt ja auch Gruppen & Orgas, die dir bei den Anträgen helfen können.
Ansonsten aber: Besetzungen, egal ob Wald oder Hausbesetzungen. Vllt ein Minijob, wo man immer mal aushilft. Freund von mir lebt jetzt im Wohnprojekt und macht ab & an Spülhilfe, weil er seine Ausbildung für Aktivismus gekündigt hat. Sein Chef von der Ausbildung hält aber viel von ihm, also auch da kann er manchmal aushelfen. Auch Ehrenamt kann eine Unterstützung sein.
Ansonsten bräuchtest du halt nen guten Arzt, der dich ewig krank schreibt, und/oder reiche Eltern, Ersparnisse, eine Behinderung, ..........
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u/tinae7 2d ago
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u/Advice_Thingy 1d ago
Ist mir bereits bekannt, ändert aber trotzdem nichts an meiner Erfahrung. Geh mal in so ne Waldbesetzung und frag spezifisch die Leute, die da auf Dauer sind.
Ich kenn einige, die Arbeitsunfähig sind, entweder für immer oder für die nächsten 1-2 Jahre. Ob Autismus, Epilepsie, OCD, PTSD, Angststörung, .......
Dass eine Behinderung nicht günstig oder leicht ist, ist vollkommen klar. Aber je nach Grad & Diagnose kannst du Arbeitsunfähig sein und das in Vollzeitaktivismus umwandeln.
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u/Necessary_Drag_1858 2d ago
Little by little, build the commons. Make a life possible outside and against of the economy. This means demonetizing labor, sharing resources, etc and having all this be necessarily a common endeavor.
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u/bluegreyscale anarcho-syndicalist 1d ago
Most of the people I know doing this know a bunch of people all over and travel from place to place staying with different people.
Of course lots of dumpster diving and stealing. Combined with odd jobs that are of the books on top of welfare.
Quite a few also have family that support them either financially or by giving them a place to stay when there's nothing else available or they eventually hit burn out.
Personally I think full time activism isn't very rarely sustainable long term.
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u/the_birds_are_spies 1d ago
at best: live in a squat, earn money for food and meds from odd jobs (something nice and easy that won't drain you), find ways to scam corporations, and never be alone. you should consider creating your own solidarity network. for big unexpected expenses you can always consider organizing a party.
your other way could be relying on donations for your activism or "charity work". that kinda sucks, but some people do it.
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u/Plotnik1934 2d ago
Include organizing in the workplace as part of your activism and then do that. There are no professional activists with political independence. You are beholden to the people paying you. The best you can do, is either live ane xtremely frugal life with some collective living arrangements, or work for a dues funded organization.
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u/Sharp_Flow_6654 1d ago
Start a worker cooperative that is useful for space and resources for activism.
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u/dashibid 2d ago
I think one of the best ways to need less income is to have roommates. Sharing expenses and chores frees up time and money so you may not have to work for pay as much.
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u/Avant1_61 1d ago
Would you say your sickness is severe enough to constitute a disability? If so, I'd apply for disability benefits and/or seek out non-state solidarity networks, as other commenters have described.
If not, I'd suggest at least working part time or doing odd jobs, both to support yourself and raise funds for activism (which are often severely lacking anyway).
Off-topic: This may be an unpopular opinion, but I always feel like anarchist/autonomous squatter culture is very overrated given how detached it is from the working class. Often I go to visit some leftist space and it's just a punk commune or concert venue with very limited use outside of the subculture. As a punk myself, I can appreciate that, but politically these spaces are really insular and I feel like anarchists should focus more on labor agitation or building non-state support structures rather than "living by example" in borderline slum housing.
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u/Mal_Adroit99 19h ago
Some of these might be do-able, some might be more for amusement value 😄
Have rich parents who set up a trust fund for you to help for your "education" after school days. "Trustafarian"
Write a few highly successful books and live off the royalties (or write some top tunes, paint some highly marketable daubs etc)
Get a job with an NGO / charity doing suitable things.
Set up a religion which needs generous donations to fund churches etc.
Visit Mr V. Putin in Moscow who I understand gives out lots of money to people who can claim to represent some faction that is causing trouble elsewhere.
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u/chipmalfunct10n 1h ago
live in squats, get your food for free, lean on and support your community and you will not have many expenses
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u/BH_Financial 2d ago
How can you claim to be an anarchist while living off money stolen by a criminal group from others?
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u/bk-2cb 2d ago
I'm glad you asked: Me not taking this money would change basically nothing and taking it gives me the opportunity to survive and do mostly what I want (living + activism). I never signed up for any of this, so I have no I have no obligation to the system or to your idea of anarchism.
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u/BH_Financial 1d ago
Anarchism and government are completely opposed and incompatible. I can understand wanting to get back the money stolen from you to fund all these social programs. But planning to live off a system of theft and violence doesn’t fit with even the core idea of anarchism.
Perhaps your intention was to exploit the system that exploits us and I was too quick to judge? But theres still the issue of intentionally wanting to live off money stolen from others
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u/bk-2cb 1d ago
I do assume you are well meaning and argue in good faith. But I think what you are saying really *is* based on false asumptions.
For me it's simple: I want to destroy the system. And since the system is big and we are small I'll to what's necessary to fight it within my counciousness.
And it is within my counciousness to take this money, because the state isn't just another actor, stealing from these, giving to these. It's just a mechanism, it itself has no morals. But it shapes morals to keep itself running, for example inventing ideas like private property.
I know I'm far from perfect, but I try my best to promote equality and solidarity without hierarchy. That's what anarchism means to me.
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u/BH_Financial 1d ago
I find it interesting you don't see the state as an actor. I'd say it's the same idea as corporate personhood, a religion or any other large organization. It's a social construct which may be invented, but it's believers are very real and very dangerous. ALso it's victims are very real.
For example, I can better understand exploiting a large company because at least its customers are voluntarily interacting with it (usually, yes there are exceptions). But the state is build on blood and stolen money.
Of course, being free range tax slaves within one, it's difficult to avoid interacting with it in any way. We've still got daily lives and have to use passports for example even though they're ridiculous.
I think my issue is intentionally interacting with a deeply evil entity and additionally, knowingly profiting off stolen money. If the money didn't come from fellow victims of the state (as in the corporation example), I'd see no issue.
I think there's some similiarity to the argument that Switzerland profiting off money, jewelry etc that the Nazis stole was immoral. I believe you're German so you probably know this argument very well.
At the risk of a totally different direction, what do you mean by equality? People are not equal in any true sense and the means by which one enforces equality (whether in the opportunity or outcomes sense) is typically via hierarchy and use of force.
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u/bk-2cb 1d ago
I am sorry, I shouldn't have engaged in theoretical discussion, because I actually think it's mostly vanity and I really don't have time for debate, as much as I'd like to.
If you have some pratical ideas, please tell me, but i can't invest time into the morality of fucking nazi gold rn, sorry10
u/Necessary_Drag_1858 2d ago
This is a pretty common kind of argument leveled against people who are against capitalism. "How can you be against capitalism, you use money?" they say. Being thrown into a system where there are few viable material options that are really life sustaining is very far from building the system.
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u/NorCalFightShop 2d ago
I heard on fox news that George soros is paying for that shit but I can’t figure out how to sign up.