Issue intro

Yes, it does often feel like we’re beating our heads against a brick wall. What do we do?

The now-cliched definition of insanity, although it originated with Albert Einstein, is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Do we meet that description? Anarchists fight against racism and there is an upsurge in violence against people of color. We fight the pipelines, and governments roll out more of them. We oppose the patriarchy, but in many ways it is as entrenched as ever. The climate crisis worsens each season and a dynamic fascist movement is on the rise.

Giving up is one option. Let the world take its destructive direction and we can just dance among its ruins.

No, we didn’t think that’s what you would choose to do. We at the Fifth Estate won’t either.

However, the forces of opposition are meager.

We face mighty institutions willing to go to any lengths to maintain their power and control.

However, rebels have always faced these odds.

Many have paid a terrible price for their opposition. But we define ourselves by our choices and, by extension, a universal choice.

We choose to be rebels because of a responsibility we have to the planet and its inhabitants, including ourselves.

What is on the following pages are mostly ideas, but ones which have historically inspired action and continue to do so today. No matter what odds we face, we will continue.

Thank you to everyone who made this issue possible—writers, artists, photographers, subscribers, Sustainers, and you, the reader