The Crisis of Modern Society

The concept of a "parallel society" offers a potential solution to the pervasive issues of governmental corruption, political detachment, media manipulation, and destructive economic policies that destabilize societies globally. This approach suggests that rather than attempting to reform or overthrow existing state power, individuals should focus on building alternative structures that operate independently.

The Crisis of Modern Society

Many government institutions are deeply corrupt, and politicians often seem out of touch with the realities faced by their constituents, viewing those who seek freedom as adversaries. Mainstream media frequently acts as a propaganda arm for the government, aiming to increase state power. Global economies have been damaged by harmful government policies, and while extensive money printing might create an illusion of stability, this facade is rapidly crumbling.

Traditional democratic solutions, such as voting or running for office, are often presented as remedies. However, this perspective overlooks several critical issues: - It assumes that the democratic ideal is the best way to restore freedom. - It ignores the corrupting influence inherent in state power. - It forgets that the vast bureaucratic class operating government levers is not replaced through elections. - It presumes that state power itself is the solution to societal problems, when it might, in fact, be the cause of destruction.

A more practical approach might involve allowing the state's inefficiencies to collapse naturally and mitigating the impact of this collapse by establishing a parallel society.

The Genesis of the Parallel Society

The idea of a parallel society originated with Ivan Jirous, a Czech poet and artistic director for the rock band The Plastic People of the Universe. In 1976, after members of his band were arrested for defying government mandates, Jirous urged the Czech artistic community to create independent music labels, publishing houses, concert halls, and art exhibitions. These structures would exist outside mainstream society and beyond the control of the communist state.

Jirous theorized that if enough such infrastructure were developed, an "independent society" would spontaneously emerge, providing a haven of creative freedom within an oppressive regime. He defined this independent society as one "not dependent on official channels of communications, or on the hierarchy of values of the establishment." Crucially, Jirous emphasized that this independent society would not compete for power but would instead create structures that adhere to different laws, where the ruling power's voice is merely an "insignificant echo."

Expanding the Concept: Vaclav Benda and Parallel Structures

Jirous's idea resonated with Vaclav Benda, a Czech Catholic philosopher and mathematician, who saw it as a non-violent means to counter Communism's destructive nature. Benda recognized that for the independent society to have significant social and political impact, it needed to extend beyond the arts, as the Communist government's bureaucracy stifled all aspects of life.

Benda coined the term "parallel society" to encompass all social, cultural, and economic structures that operated free from state control. He called these "parallel structures." During the peak of political oppression in the early 1970s, Benda encouraged Czech citizens to establish "parallel forms of education and science and scholarship," "parallel political structures," a "parallel information network," and free parallel markets forming a "parallel economy."

As H. Gordon Skilling noted, Benda believed these parallel structures could gradually replace or at least humanize the existing official systems.

The Rationale Behind Parallel Societies

The logic behind creating parallel structures was straightforward: since the Communist government held a monopoly on force and was too powerful to confront directly, the best strategy was to disengage from it and defy it by largely ignoring it. Instead of trying to dismantle oppressive state structures, the focus was on building superior alternatives that could function as replacements for a failing establishment.

Jacek Kuron, a prominent Communist dissident, articulated this sentiment in 1980, responding to the burning of a communist headquarters by saying, "stop burning down committees, let us build our own."

Jirous further explained that the parallel society emerged from "spontaneous acts of mutual self-defense" by active individuals who could no longer tolerate the "general decay…rigidity, bureaucracy, and suffocation of every living idea or sign of movement in the official sphere." Recognizing the futility of trying to improve official systems, these individuals chose to invest their talents and enthusiasm into something they could control and that would remain uncorrupted.

Impact and Growth in Eastern Europe

The parallel society offered individuals a means to express themselves freely, pursue their goals without state bureaucracy, and feel they were positively influencing society. It became a vital source of hope in a society plagued by apathy after decades of Communist rule. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, this hope inspired countless people across Eastern Europe, leading to the expansion of the parallel society into many cultural and economic spheres.

Vaclav Benda observed that his "most audacious expectations have been considerably surpassed," concluding that "it is no longer necessary to show that the parallel society is possible."

By the late 1980s, the parallel society in Eastern Europe had grown so strong, decentralized, and independent from the state that Communist authorities began to lose their grip on power. H. Gordon Skilling described the 1989 revolutions as a "spontaneous product of the massive discontent and the yearning for freedom," and a "culmination of the independent activities of many citizens" who sought to create a parallel society as an alternative to the party-state system.

A Notable Example: Romania's Underground Film Industry

A famous example of a parallel structure was Romania's underground film industry. Despite dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu outlawing Western films, entrepreneur Teodor Zamfir established a vast black market, smuggling, translating, and dubbing Western movies into Romanian. The demand for these films exploded, and as Romanians were exposed to Western culture, they became more aware of the extent of their own oppression. As one dissident noted, "The seeds of freedom that were planted by the video films, grew."

Zamfir amassed a fortune and became one of Romania's most influential figures. In a 2015 documentary, he explained, "During the 1989 revolution everybody was in the streets because they all knew there was a better life out there. How? From films."

Building a Parallel Society Today

With advancements in technology and the ability to disseminate information, goods, and services globally, the potential to create diverse parallel structures today is far greater than it was in Communist Eastern Europe. Instead of passively awaiting political saviors, a more realistic strategy is to actively participate in building a parallel society. As Martin Palous stated, "we must create all kinds of independent parallel structures — that is, structures unmanipulated by totalitarian power."

Contributing to a parallel society can take many forms: - Consuming independent media instead of legacy media. - Using alternative mediums of exchange rather than government-backed fiat currencies. - Utilizing social media platforms and decentralized digital infrastructures that promote freedom of expression. - Supporting local businesses over global corporations that align with political agendas. - Creating self-sustainable communities. - Conducting scientific inquiry or scholarship free from institutional pressures. - Consuming and creating educational resources, art, music, or literature that disregards the establishment status quo.

Any action or enterprise that expands freedom while creatively circumventing censorship and top-down authoritarian control benefits the parallel society. As Egon Bundy, a leading figure of the Czech underground, explained, the activities of those opposing the establishment should manifest in forms, methods, and ideas "totally unknown, incomprehensible and unacceptable to members of the establishment – and that is how it should be."

The Future of Parallel Societies

Once a parallel society is sufficiently established, a society is less vulnerable to the dangers of relying solely on state-controlled institutions. If establishment structures collapse, parallel structures can cushion the impact of economic or social breakdown. Furthermore, parallel structures cater to the genuine needs and desires of the people, making them more life-affirming than state-controlled systems.

As parallel structures develop and solidify, more people will naturally gravitate towards them, expanding the sphere of cultural, economic, and political freedom. Milan Šimečka envisioned that a genuine parallel society would "by a process of metastasis, penetrate all the important social structures."

Vaclav Havel further elaborated that the ultimate phase of this process is when official structures "simply begin withering away and dying off, to be replaced by new structures that have evolved from ‘below’ and are put together in a fundamentally different way."

In 1988, a year before the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, Ivan Jirous reflected on the growth of the parallel society, stating, "It has proven its worth, and it is the only meaningful structure that people can create if they do not wish to remain mere appendices of the political and social structures created by the ruling power."