As well as a tactic, direct action is also a means for self-empowerment. It is a component of the society we hope to create, where people take control of their lives into their own hands and confront the root causes of injustices directly, without representatives. This sometimes includes property damage, but anarchists take seriously the notions of liberty and equality: that people are capable of speaking and acting for themselves and become even more capable through practice rather than representation.I saw this article entitled "What anarchism really means" and had to share it. It was written by the Anarchist Studies Network and appeared in the British daily newspaper The Guardian, which is a pretty mainstream news source. Check it out
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/18/anarchism-direct-action-student-protests
- the Gadfly
