Post #2401279

2026-05-09 08:15 UTC

If you are an anarchist and you speak only one language, learn another one. Learn the language of your land, the indigenous language where you live. Learn the language of your ancestors, especially those languages that the state has tried to murder away. Learn an international language other than English, which have also been targets of state repression. Prioritize languages that you both have some connection with (because it&#39;s hard to learn a language you don&#39;t care about) and languages that the state has tried to erase (because there are *reasons* those languages were targeted). Language (which can&#39;t be fully separated from culture) adds complexity. The state often tries to murder away language because (among other reasons) hierarchy is threatened by complexity. Every language adds some surveillance overhead, some more than others.

Replies (5)

@Hex@kolektiva.social 2026-05-09 08:25

A lot of languages increase accessibility. Aside from a lot of working class folks not speaking English as a primary language (or not at all), there are also other accessibility languages like ASL. These aren't just valuable for accessibility though. There's still a lot of cutting edge anarchist theory in all types of languages that isn't available in English. And how many surveillance tools do you think are scanning social media for ASL? Authoritarian structures collapse in the face of the kind of complexity that we want to exist. Multilingualism is a prefigurative praxis.

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@lyrial@transfem.social 2026-05-09 08:49

@Hex@kolektiva.social There is also in here the concept of language in terms of cultures. Understanding cultures is equally important, and perhaps in the modern day more relevant since that will allow you to learn the spoken (or written) language as well as cultural languages, if that makes sense.

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@miki_lou@mastodon.social 2026-05-09 13:48

@Hex@kolektiva.social Canada's Governor General speaks her first language, Inuktitut and English. She is a marvel and a woman of great accomplishment. But the current PM criticized her for not speaking another European language. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/inuit-advocates-want-mary-simon-gov-gen-bilingualism-recognized-9.7193137

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@dallo@pouet.chapril.org 2026-05-09 16:43

@Hex@kolektiva.social esperanto, ido, toki pona, conlangs are fun, great and internationalist

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@nihilistic_capybara@layer8.space 2026-05-15 09:13

@Hex@kolektiva.social i speak 4 languages and learning a 5th and i don't feel any less surveiled. I don't think that's true. Especially since the advent of llms. The state aparatus is already getting ready for mass surveilance. See chatcontrol the age verification shenanigens etc

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