Fred Woodworth

For the horse breeder and farmer, see Fred L. Woodworth.

Fred Woodworth is an anarchist and atheist writer based in the United States. He is an anarchist without adjectives, saying: "I have no prefix or adjective for my anarchism. I think syndicalism can work, as can free-market anarcho-capitalism, anarcho-communism, even anarcho-hermits, depending on the situation. But I do have a strong individualist streak. Just plain anarchism—against government and authority—is what I'm for."[1]

The Match!

Cover of Woodworth's Journal, The Match!
Main article: The Match!

Since 1969 Woodworth has published the internationally-known anarchist zine, The Match! from his home in Tucson, Arizona. The Match!, with about 2,000 readers, has consistently questioned authoritarian government, society, and religion since the magazine’s inception. Computers, organized religion, the police, the U.S. Census, jury duty, and the bookselling industry are just a few of the institutions regularly disparaged in its pages.

The Match! is known not only for its non-digital typography and graphics, but also for its extensive letters section.

Ethical anarchism

Woodworth is a proponent of the philosophy of ethical anarchism (what some might call treating the means as the end in progress).

Woodworth is often seen as American individualist anarchism's ethical counter-weight to writers such as Bob Black, Tad Kepley, John Zerzan, Feral Faun and organizations such as CrimethInc., Killing King Abacus, and Venomous Butterfly Publications that support theft and violence as an expression of egoist and individualist political activism (primarily of the illegalist and insurrectionist type). Woodworth has criticized these individuals and groups in articles within The Match! and even sparred with some of them in the very extensive letters pages on occasion.

Health and financial situation

In 2005 Woodworth had to undergo major surgery. A plea went out throughout the zine and anarchist communities to help him out with donations since he's never had healthcare coverage.[2]

References

  1. Woodworth, Fred (2006). "Fred Woodworth". In Avrich, Paul. Anarchist Voices. Stirling: AK Press. p. 475. ISBN 1-904859-27-5.
  2. Fred Woodworth Needs Your Help, by Anarchist News

Bibliography

Works by Woodworth

Articles and Essays
Letters
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