I disagree with your vision of what anarchy has to look like. But i agree with everything else you say.
It's not what it "has to", it's what it is as far as I know
I mean, show me one example of nationwide anarchy, that isn't an abject mess in all possible ways
Yeah thats the thing. There are no examples of effective anarchist societies that ive seen. Im still fascinated by the idea, and i hold it as a utopian ideal.
It can work, pretty much as any other "ideology"/utopia/social order, communism included
But then, is it scalable, and long lasting, in the case of anarchy?
Hardly
A turtle thrown from a cliff doesn't fly, it just falls for a while
https://i4w8j7y6.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/City-of-Anarchy.jpg
At the scale of a city? Why not, depends. Depends if everybody is roughly on the same page essentially. If that's a given, then, pretty much any utopia is workable
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon
Kowloon Walled City was an ungoverned, densely populated settlement in Kowloon City, Hong Kong. Originally a Chinese military fort, the Walled City became an enclave after the New Territories were leased to the UK by China in 1898. Its population increased dramatically following the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II. By 1990, the walled city contained 50,000 residents[1][2] within its 2.6-hectare (6.4-acre) borders. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it was controlled by local triads and had high rates of prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse.
In January 1987, the Hong Kong municipal government announced plans to demolish the walled city. After an arduous eviction process, demolition began in March 1993 and was completed in April 1994. Kowloon Walled City Park opened in December 1995 and occupies the area of the former Walled City. Some historical artefacts from the walled city, including its yamen building and remnants of its southern gate, have been preserved there.
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