Visions of stateless society

To be GOVERNED is to be kept in view, inspected, spied upon, directed, legislated, regulated, prosecuted, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, estimated, valued, censured, commanded by those who do not have the right, the wisdom, nor the virtue to do so . . . To be GOVERNED is to be at each operation, at each transaction, at each movement, noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorised, annotated, admonished, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, trained, ransomed, exploited, monopolised, extorted, pressured, mystified, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, at the first word of complaint, to be reprimanded, fined, run down, harassed, tracked, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, imprisoned, shot, machine-gunned, judged, condemned, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed: and, to top it all off, mocked, ridiculed, outraged, dishonoured. That is government: that is its justice: that is its morality! (Proudhon 1923b, p. 344)