hater-of-terfs:

Honestly, I think the toppling crown might be my favorite anarchist symbol, even though it’s so so rarely used. It’s just packed with symbolism that the alternatives don’t really have, while being just as simple

The anarchist Ⓐ doesn’t contain any information whatsoever. You just know it represents something that starts with an A (assuming you know the latin alphabet). So all you can do is ask someone what it means, and be told “anarchy” - and then you’re subjected to whatever definition of anarchy they decide to give you. It’s so devoid of meaning that companies use it in branding all the time to look cool and edgy

The black flag is significantly better - a “flag with nothing on it” cleanly conveys the idea of “no nations,” and it’s also an inversion of the white flag, conveying “no surrender.” But it’s still fairly ambiguous, and it’s hard to draw by hand in a way that’s recognizable

But the toppling crown immediately gets to the heart of anarchism - opposing rulers. The fact that it’s a crown highlights the opulence and waste of the ruling class. It brings to mind the anti-monarchist movements of the Enlightenment, which most people (especially the Americans and French) see positively. It’s also a distinctly European symbol, so it could be seen as representing anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism as well

And it’s an active symbol. It’s not just a crown that’s been inverted or crossed out 🚫  to make a statement of fact like “we don’t like rulers.” It’s not like the black flag, making an ideological statement like “we have no nation.” It’s the active process of knocking the crown off of someone’s head. It represents an ongoing struggle, a call to action

And all that is easily understandable with no language, and easy to graffiti or hand-draw. It’s just so good. We should really use it more often