How is it even legal for a system to dictate that, without selling my labor, I won’t survive?

It’s infuriating to realize that we’re reduced to mere cogs in a broken, exploitative machine, a machine that dehumanizes every individual by forcing us into a cycle of selling our labor just to meet basic needs.

It feels like modern-day enslavement, where survival itself is commodified, and our humanity is stripped away in favor of profit.

You know what really gets to me? The fact that I have to sell my labor just to survive in this world. It feels so dehumanizing, like I'm just a cog in a machine.

Every day, I'm forced to:
- Sell my labor for food
- Sell my labor for shelter
- Sell my labor for basic necessities
- Sell my labor for any semblance of security

The more I repeat this to myself, the more emotional it becomes. But here's the thing, I love it. Not because I enjoy this system, but because it reminds me that there could be a different world.

A world where our worth isn't determined by how much labor we can sell, but by our humanity. Where we work together to meet each other's needs, not to make profits for someone else.

It's not just a dream. It's a possibility. And the more I think about it, the more determined I am to work towards that reality.

Today, I found myself wondering how we’d get furniture, or really anything we need under an anarcho-syndicalist society. And honestly? The thought made me cry (the good kind). It’s just so different from the world we live in now.

In a society like that, money as we know it wouldn’t really exist. No salaries, no hourly wages. Instead, we’d organize collectively to meet each other’s needs. Things wouldn’t be about "what can you afford?" but "what do you need?"

Take a sofa, for example. If I needed one, I wouldn’t go to IKEA and buy something mass-produced just because it’s cheap. Instead, I’d probably go through my local syndicate or community organization. From there:

1. I’d express my need for a sofa to the syndicate.
2. They’d coordinate with furniture-making collectives or workshops to fulfill the request.
3. Once the sofa was ready and available, I’d get it—no money involved, no financial transaction at all.

It’s not about getting things "for free" because nothing is truly free; it’s about organizing production and distribution around what people actually need instead of profit or purchasing power.

The more I think about it, the more beautiful it feels. A world where we work together, not just to survive but to thrive, where goods are made with care and shared based on solidarity and mutual aid.

Of course, there’d still be challenges to figure out, like ensuring fair access and balancing resources, but the idea of not having to *buy* my dignity or basic needs? That feels revolutionary in itself.

I’m not saying I have all the answers or that this would be perfect (nothing ever is), but imagining a society where people aren’t reduced to their wallets gives me hope for something better.

You know what really gets me? The idea that someone else knows what's best for me. Like, seriously? No political leader, celebrity, or so-called expert knows me better than I know myself. Period.

That's why anarcho-syndicalism makes so much sense to me. It's about tearing down those hierarchies where people think they can make decisions for us. Instead, it puts the power in our hands through democratic unions.

These unions aren't about having new bosses. They're about us - the workers - protecting ourselves and each other. It's a way to have our voices heard and our needs met without someone else calling the shots.

In an anarcho-syndicalist system, there's no one above you thinking they know what's best. YOU decide what's best for you. It's about real freedom and real democracy, not just in politics, but in our everyday lives and workplaces.

It's not a perfect system, and there's still a lot to figure out. But man, the idea of a world where we all have a say in the decisions that affect us? That's something I can get behind.

You know, the more I think about it, the clearer it becomes why I'm so drawn to this idea. It's not just some abstract political theory, it hits close to home for me.

As someone who's gender-fluid, the freedom to just be myself without any top-down suppression is huge. Sure, anarchism in general offers that, but anarcho-syndicalism adds something extra with its focus on unions.

These aren't your typical unions though. We're talking about democratic, worker-controlled organizations that actually protect and empower people. It's about having each other's backs, you know?

In a world like that, I could show up as whatever version of myself feels right that day. No judgment, no BS. Just people working together and supporting each other.

The more I learn about this stuff, the more it feels like it fits with who I am and the kind of world I want to live in. It's not perfect, and there's still a lot to figure out, but it gives me hope.

I realized this thread is gonna be me ranting about Anarcho-syndicalism. Oh well, this thread also continues whenever I feel like it, I guess!