By understanding what terms actually mean. It's not "my definition", and you don't just get to pull the relativism card on me.
You want to paint government as a concept as being inherently evil? You need to do the work. Don't just expect me to agree or back down because you can use some deliberately-confusing rhetoric.
Show your work. Show your evidence. Show how government as a concept, not just a specific government at a specific point in time, is inherently genocidal/corrupt/evil/whatever it is you're actually trying to do. The burden of proof is on you.
Sorry, I'm not interested in engaging with someone who just wants me to do all the work when they're the one making extraordinary claims. And if you don't think you're making extraordinary claims...you might want to get out of your bubble.
I understand you're frustrated, but I think we're talking past each other. You're right that I should clarify my position.
When I distinguish between governance and nation-states, I mean that organizing society and providing services doesn't require the specific form of centralized, territorial monopoly on violence that modern states represent.
There are examples throughout history of societies organizing through voluntary associations, mutual aid networks, and decentralized coordination - from indigenous governance systems to modern examples like how communities self-organize after disasters.
You asked me to show how government as a concept is inherently problematic. My point is simpler: the current US system simultaneously funds genuine public goods AND actively harmful policies (military interventions, mass incarceration, etc.). The "all or nothing" framing - that we must accept the whole package or have chaos - seems like a false choice.
My examples of Native Americans and Palestinians weren't cherry-picking bad outcomes - they illustrate systematic patterns of how states expand and maintain power. These aren't unfortunate side effects but core features of how territorial states operate.
I'm genuinely curious about your view: do you think there are any legitimate limits to what a government can do in the name of providing stability and services? Or is any critique of fundamental structures just "extraordinary claims"?
You want to paint government as a concept as being inherently evil? You need to do the work. Don't just expect me to agree or back down because you can use some deliberately-confusing rhetoric.
Show your work. Show your evidence. Show how government as a concept, not just a specific government at a specific point in time, is inherently genocidal/corrupt/evil/whatever it is you're actually trying to do. The burden of proof is on you.