The Rise of Anarcho-Monkeyism

The flag used to symbolize Anarcho-Monkeyism. Portrayed is an intentional recolor of the typical anarchist flag (usually black and red). Instead, the colors are yellow — representing justice — and brown — representing strength.

In so-called politically-correct circles, the use of the term “monkey” is used quite seldomly because of its racist connotations concerning people of color — especially black people. However, a large movement of internet activists have been attempting to reclaim the symbol of the monkey and the ape from racists and, instead, create a connotation of tolerance, leftist values, and equality.

The term “anarcho-primitivism” is used to encompass a large set of beliefs concerning the rejection of technology in favor of environmentalism, total egalitarian equality, and the destruction of industrial power structures which anarcho-primitivists deem unacceptable and coercive. Anarcho-primitivism seeks to, as described by those in the movements, oppose the ingrained biases that modernity and capitalism bring. It is under this umbrella that we find the new political ideology of anarcho-monkeyism.

Rather than a rejection of modernity alone, anarcho-monkeyist ideologies seek to reject the behavior associated with so-called “human nature”. Instead, those who follow anarcho-monkeyism point to ape and monkey tendencies of radical egalitarianism, economic sustainability, and collectivism as a better alternative.

A family of gorillas in their natural habitat displaying collectivist tendencies.

While the ideology of anarcho-monkeyism has been described as inherently silly, the ideology is growing steadily online on websites like Reddit, Tumblr, and Twitch. Many have described this rise as proof that the increasingly-disillusioned, politically-engaged youth are turning to sarcasm and countercultural meta-humor to express their genuine political beliefs.

Many within the movement describe the term “monkey” (alternatively spelled “monke” as a form of political distinction) as a rejection of civility and neoliberal political participation. As youth become more and more constrained in their ability to engage their communities and local governments — as seen by the fast increase in high-dollar donors and “dark money” in legitimate, local elections in the United States — many monkes have decided to reject modern civility, engage through direct action, and go, as some would say “ape sh*t”.

Most likely of all outcomes, though, is that this silly ideology of anarcho-monkeyism will run its course and fall into obscurity like almost all modern memes. However, a lack of shelf-life does not mean the grievances of this movement should not be addressed in any meaningful capacity. Many young people, especially those from marginalized communities, feel alienated from the political process. As money dictates more and more of the political decisions in this country, youth who have no available outlet to accrue politically-meaningful amounts of wealth may begin to think the process they are excluded from is less and less meaningful and we may see an increase in politically-motivated violence as a result.

How it may pan out in the future, we can only speculate on; at present, we are witnessing a large movement of youth discontent shown in the typical millennial/gen-Z style: confusing memes and sarcasm. From “Rage Against the Machine” and “Nixon is a Fascist” to “Monke”, the politics of the youth has gotten meme-ier, but the youth have not gotten quieter.