I am an anarchist pessimist, and a pessimist anarchist.

For the sake of simple discussion in layman's terms. colloquial language:

Pessimism: A feeling that good things are unlikely to happen, and that bad things are likely to happen.

Anarchism: Being against "arche" (governing etc), stemming from a feeling and an analysis that authority/oppressive hierarchies and social orders suck and makes the world suck.

Anarchist Pessimism: The world sucks because of "arche". Bad things have happened, will continue to happen, because of "arche", and good things will be few and far between, and fewer, unlikely, and unlikelier. Good things being anarchy.

Pessimist Anarchism: Anarchists can't stop the world or everyday life from sucking from "arche". The world as it is, with its inhabitants as they are, disfavors anarchy. Anarchy can be lived everyday in spite of this, as a lived tension, as lived contradictions, as a mix of few small victories, many compromises, and many defeats.

What follows? Let me know in replies below.

Now, what doesn't follow:

-Therefore, I am not an anarchist.

-Therefore, "arche" is good, actually, and I love it now, and the world doesn't suck anymore.

-That one is either an optimist, or a pessimist, and that it's fixed, and that there's nothing in between.

An anarchist and a pessimist doesn't stop being either; it doesn't stop being one, because of the other. Both categories are not mutually exclusive, nor is it required to one, because of the other. Most people, including pessimists, aren't anarchists. There are no good sources to determine an approximate percentage of anarchists who consider themselves optimists, or pessimists.

Yet, in cheap rhetoric, some people complain about nihilism, conflating it with defeatism, and with doomerism. Philosophically, historically, practically, factually, anecdotally, and rhetorically, that's unfair to nihilists. I will not bat for them here. But coming to bat for pessimists, I will say that pessimism does not equal defeatism. Everyone knows there good sports and bad sports, good losers and bad/sore losers. One can persevere and not give up, even while not thinking one will win. One can enjoy being the underdog, without being deluded that the odds are in one's favor.

At this point, are there any optimist anarchists/anarchist optimists? Who are they? Were there ever any? Who were they? Is optimism synonymous with naivety, or is equating such an affect or temperament, or any, to an inherent lack, unjust?

There are many bad anarchist 101 arguments, like those about human nature being predisposed to good, or to anarchism, that are low-hanging fruit not worth the time to use as strawman piñatas.

What does a steelmanning of an optimist anarchist/anarchist optimist perspective look like? Are there any writers who are intellectually honest and rigorous that write from this standpoint?

What would an optimist anarchist/anarchist optimist even be?

For the sake of simple discussion in layman's terms. colloquial language:

Optimism: A feeling that good things are likely to happen, and that bad things are unlikely to happen? Or that good outweighs the bad? Or that one should focus on the good, rather than the bad? Or that good wins out in the end?

Anarchism: Being against "arche" (governing etc), stemming from a feeling and an analysis that authority/oppressive hierarchies and social orders suck and makes the world suck.

Anarchist Optimism: The world is great(?), or not all that bad(?) despite of "arche". Bad things have happened, will continue to happen, because of "arche", yet good things will also continue to happen, are very likely, and will become likelier. Good things being anarchy.

Optimist Anarchism: Anarchists can stop the world and/or everyday life from sucking from "arche". It can even get to be pretty good. The world as it is, with its inhabitants as they are, favors anarchy. Anarchy can be lived everyday because of this.

Rather than claim one or the other is virtuous, instead, I'd like to understand both worldviews, and for people with these two differing worldviews to understand each other, and to mutually accept and recognize each other as fellow anarchists, and be grateful for their existence.

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