I think Antifa needs a rebranding

Aeon Jiminy

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Getting people to a point where they can evaluate information and stop leaning on popular authority figures is the most political thing there is.

Well, I know I'm kind of hijacking the thread and taking it to some fairy dust place, but free unhindered "education" just seems to be the answer to fascism. It's such a crime that we've made education into debt or burden or some solitary online fact-feeding program. If only our military budget and mission could just be funneled to a more constructive institution, we probably wouldn't need to be protecting ourselves so much. Freedom would be the opportunity to gain skills and knowledge to change course from a predictable dead end at any juncture of our life.
 

Kara Spengler

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The rotted husk of a human being known as Kellyanne Conway oozed out onto one of the cable shows today and among other things, claimed that Antifa stands for anti-first amendment. After I rolled my eyes, it got me to thinking of better names for Antifa. My favorite that I came up with, which could have nice blue hat branding, is MANA: Make America Naziless Again. Thoughts?
MGGP = Making the Greatest Generation Proud
 

Cindy Claveau

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Rebranding won't help; aside the term has not been coined in America, but way back in the 1930s in the Weimar Republic.

The thing is that while major parts of the Antifa are peaceful, some are not - and are being known for attacking right wing extremists on street. The violent members are often using the black bloc tactic.
I get squeamish when anyone tries to label left-wing activism with the same code words we use on White Supremacists. It paints a deceptive picture of the goals and methods of both groups. Trump was lying through his teeth (as usual) when he claimed there was blame on both sides.

Seven things you need to know about Antifa (BBC)

How violent are they?

Their willingness to use violence marks out Antifa from many other left-wing activists, although the Antifa members we spoke to said they denounce the use of weapons and violent direct action. They said if violence does occur, it’s as a form of self-defence. They also make historical arguments to justify their position. For instance, they ask, what if opponents of the German Nazi Party had been more forceful in their opposition in the 1930s, could World War Two and the Holocaust have been averted?


Antifa have been directly and sometimes physically confronting the far right on the streets and, in some cases, they have been successful in postponing, cutting short or cancelling rallies and speeches up and down America.
Or to paraphrase one meme I've seen, total deaths from White Supremacist violence: 50 deaths in 2018. Antifa: Zero.
 

Katheryne Helendale

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Well, I know I'm kind of hijacking the thread and taking it to some fairy dust place, but free unhindered "education" just seems to be the answer to fascism. It's such a crime that we've made education into debt or burden or some solitary online fact-feeding program. If only our military budget and mission could just be funneled to a more constructive institution, we probably wouldn't need to be protecting ourselves so much. Freedom would be the opportunity to gain skills and knowledge to change course from a predictable dead end at any juncture of our life.
I agree, college is out of reach of many due to its cost. But there's more to it than just providing access to education. Conservatives generally don't have a favorable view of higher education, labeling colleges and universities as "liberal factories". There's a lot of attitudes that need to change before education can take root among the right.
 

Kamilah Hauptmann

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I agree, college is out of reach of many due to its cost. But there's more to it than just providing access to education. Conservatives generally don't have a favorable view of higher education, labeling colleges and universities as "liberal factories". There's a lot of attitudes that need to change before education can take root among the right.
Hand out a bunch of Home Moon Rocket MAGA kits and see who manages to blow themselves up. :)
 

danielravennest

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Conservatives generally don't have a favorable view of higher education, labeling colleges and universities as "liberal factories". There's a lot of attitudes that need to change before education can take root among the right.
Conservatives are mostly older and more rural. College kids are younger and more liberal because they are young, not because they went to college.
 
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Katheryne Helendale

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Conservatives are mostly older and more rural. College kids are younger and more liberal because they are young, not because they went to college.
Oh, I know that and you know that. But I've run across my fair share of conservatives - and not all of them were particularly old - who firmly believe college does nothing but crank out liberals, and that taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for that.

Yes, some people out there revel in their ignorance.
 

GoblinCampFollower

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I personally am not as concerned about white supremacists as I am the the legions of people who passively enable them.

...Like my parents. They are certainly not white supremacists, but are willfully ignorant about the scale of the problem and only pay attention to news that downplays Trump's more erratic behaviors and activities. I think it's important to note that edgy, young altright people are a small percentage of Trump voters. The lion's share are people who are much older, not malicious, but just very out of touch.

I think the legions of elderly voters are easily convinced that any group of leftists marching in the streets in black masks are the enemy. Fox News preys on the fact that so many elderly, white Americans are easily frightened and value the appearance of security more than the rights of people they don't know. I think it's important to remind such people that Antifa hasn't killed anyone. You can't say that about right wing terrorists. The proud boys prides themselves in being violent while trying to claim antifa are terrorists.
 

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When I look at The 14 Characteristics of Fascism, by Lawrence Britt, Spring 2003 , it feels like a name is the least of our worries.

I agree with everything that Brenda Archer said about Trump being a figurehead and the Republican Party, but if we got rid of all of these things tomorrow, we would still be standing in the middle of fascism. It's seems almost pointless to be fighting scapegoats in the street when it's the entire system that's the problem.

If we're not really prepared to be honest about what fascism is, then it's pretty enabling faces will just breed ugly exploiting ones again.
If you look at these characteristics, we aren't just heading toward fascism, were there. Now.
 

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These young men who are committing mass shootings remind me of what family and friends in Italy have told me about the Camicie Nere (Black Shirts). In Luca Italy, I was shown a wall in a home that had been in my husbands family for 200 years, where they lined up all the villagers they could find and then shot them against the wall because they had sent their young men away so they could not be recruited.

They never repainted over the spot or fixed the bullet holes so that they would never forget.
 

Romana

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Well, they're doing something right if the "Proud Boys" fee-fees are so hurt that they do this:
 
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Lianne Marten

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The rotted husk of a human being known as Kellyanne Conway oozed out onto one of the cable shows today and among other things, claimed that Antifa stands for anti-first amendment. After I rolled my eyes, it got me to thinking of better names for Antifa. My favorite that I came up with, which could have nice blue hat branding, is MANA: Make America Naziless Again. Thoughts?
Wouldn't that make it Antifi?
 
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danielravennest

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Isn't Antifa one of those drugs I see advertised on TV? In that case, a rebranding would be a good idea. I never know what those drugs are supposed to do.
 
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