Vandal doesn't understand true meaning of anarchy

Editor,

When I looked at the Lobo on Wednesday morning the first thing I saw was the photo of the message from an “anarchist” left on a wall at Smith Plaza.

Eager to transfer to UNM, let me say something about myself. I am 36, I have four kids, a 3.6 GPA and I work 20 hours a week. Before I began to attend CNM, a friend, who apparently saw some talent in me, literally had to beg me to even check out the school, apply for financial aid, etc. I gave up a $10/hour job with benefits to come back to school. Now I can say that I am extremely proud of my achievements, and for the first time in years, I recognize potential in myself and I can see my future as more of a concrete reality, with a real shot at success.

Which brings me to my point:

Being accepted to the University three years ago seemed so abstract, and the fact that now I will be attending is a dream come true.

So I wonder — how does the person who painted that message feel about his or her own education? I mean, here he or she is, at a university, learning various disciplines, math, science, English, history, philosophy, etc., but oddly, amid all of this learning he or she is at a point where anarchy seems more appealing?

One thing that disturbs me about this is that I feel this individual is truly not familiar with what anarchy really is. In fact, looking through history, anarchy has never really been a successful system — it usually involves violence and starvation.

Either way, the individual cannot argue that the “establishment” is the destructive force, when he or she has committed a crime against public property. See, that is why we have laws — because individuals such as this cannot leave things that don’t belong to them alone.

The other thing that bothers me is that I feel the individual doesn’t realize how involved he or she is with implements of society — the or she is using nearly as much as the rest of us. Sure, he or she may be a vegan, may recycle, and may use the bus instead of owning a car, but he or she is a hypocrite. He or she needs to learn what went into the manufacturing of the spray paint he or she used — the chemicals, the land used for the paint factory, the jobs created by the manufacturing of the paint.

So I guess the last thing I’ll say to this individual is this: If you are tired of society, then leave. Go out and live in the woods in Montana or Dakota. You will be free of capitalism, free of rules, free of the organized society that angers you. You see, as oppressive as you think our society is, you have the freedom to leave.

I have the freedom to earn my degree, get a productive job, and raise my four sons as productive citizens. Yes, my friend, I am my own master. And I can be my own master without vandalizing property or complaining constantly about a society that gave me and many others a second chance in life.

I was just like you once. Then I put down the bong and grew up.

J.A. Graves
Daily Lobo reader