There is a war going on in our country right now between small factions of toxic extremists, and this war has been fueling racial and political tensions that are reverberating to the entire nation. For months, the news has been filled with stories of violent riots. These clashes generally involve two groups, with either one being the primary aggressor depending on the event: the alt-right (neo-nazis, white supremacists, and other unsavory characters) and the alt-left (Antifa neo-communists, Black Lives Matter extremists, etc). I will include a caveat, which is that there is no redeeming quality to the white supremacy movement, while the BLM movement does claim the desire to right grievances against their community. Nevertheless, their methods of righting these wrongs have too often turned to violent retribution rather than peaceful protest, earning them a spot on the alt-left.
There is, however, a silver lining to the chaos. All of these are actually very small groups of fringe extremists, with fewer members than they would like to claim. The bad news? They are getting louder and grabbing a larger-than-deserved place in the spotlight and the media through their violent antics. They are taking our cities hostage in their continued self-serving face-offs. They are convincing us that they represent a large segment of the population, and people are errantly taking sides. While most people in both political parties will denounce these groups and do not identify with or represent them, the leadership in both parties has been slow to condemn them. Ben Shapiro compares these two groups (Antifa and the alt-right) to the fascists vs. communists (Brownshirts vs. Reds) of pre-WWII Germany.
“Charlottesville, Sacramento, Berkeley — we’re watching a microcosmic re-enactment of Weimar Republic brownshirt-vs.-reds violence in real-time, complete with the same flags being flown. Just as then, some leadership condemning the evil of alt-right white supremacy, the viciousness of hard-left Marxism, and the violence anyone commits in violation of basic rights should be unceasing and thunderous…It’s not…And so the problem is likely to metastasize.”
Ben’s point is well received. Both groups thrive off of violence and totalitarian tactics. This unrest and chaos will not abate until our major political parties denounce and stamp out these factions within their ranks. Why has this not happened yet, and why are these groups growing rather than crawling back into the caves from whence they came? The answer is political expediency. Neither party wishes to shed light on their respective offenders either because: 1.) they do not want to lose these groups (or anyone who might identify with them) as part of their voting base or 2.) the group is helping them politically by highlighting the extremists of the opposing party.
One of the major problems that we have in this country is that our leaders aid and abet different types of violence and/or racism within their ranks for political advantage. Both sides call out violence or racism, but ONLY the type that doesn’t suit them. This tribalism works in political parties just as it works in a culture- strengthening “our” side and attempting to diminish the “other” side. The most moral thing would be to call out ALL instances of violence ALL of the time. It’s not that either party doesn’t acknowledge racism or violence AGAINST their base- it’s that their silence in the face of these actions coming FROM their own base is hypocritical, damning, and reveals their selfishness and their weakness.
In the case of the right, Donald Trump has not done a sufficient job of discouraging the alt-right, most likely out of fear of losing their political support. His record in calling out white supremacist extremists is not a good one. Does this make Donald Trump a Nazi as many protesters claim? Hardly- but it does reflect a weakness in his character. After the recent and deplorable violence in Charlottesville, his direct denouncement of the KKK and neo-nazism came two days later than his initially ambiguous statement. That is better than no direct statement at all, but it is two days too late. This is not dissimilar from his lukewarm disavowal of David Duke and his ilk during the campaign.
In the wake of the controversy, Trump apologists have been loudly calling out Barack Obama’s sluggish and often nonexistent condemnation of black violence and violence against police. They are right, and it is the exact same hypocrisy, but it is not an excuse to give Donald Trump- the current president and thus the one with the present responsibility- a pass from doing his duty to the American people and decisively making a stand against this hatred.
So, what can the president do about this situation now? Regardless of his previous hesitation to take these groups on and regardless of his reasons, he can now call them out loudly, quickly, and often. It is my opinion that he should completely disassociate himself from the alt-right by cutting ties with people who are probably not his best advisors, most notably Steve Bannon. He needs to emphatically disavow the KKK (on more than one occasion), other hate groups of its kind, and rising anti-Muslim sentiment. He needs to stop fueling the flames of these actions and sentiments with his silence in some respects and his rhetoric in others.
What does the left’s leadership need to do to stem the tide of violence and hatred? They need to denounce Antifa, its intolerance, and its “punch-a-Nazi” mentality. Groups like this justify their hatred and violence because they claim their targets deserve it, but it is one of the cornerstones of our society that no one can be physically assaulted because of any ideology. They need to denounce anti-police rhetoric and violence promoted by groups like BLM and racial supremacism from groups like the Black Panthers, the Muslim Brotherhood, or La Raza. They need to stop grouping all conservatives into the alt-right and thus pushing more people toward them in a defensive backlash.
What can police departments and local governments do? Mayors, police chiefs and even governors have been pulling back police forces in the face of these conflicts between known violent groups. Although protesters and marchers have been arriving clearly intent on “battle,” armed with metal bats, shields, smoke bombs, etc., police have been told to “stand down” and/or not enough officers have been utilized. These groups view themselves as heroes, thriving on these street battles to get media attention and promote their causes, and our local governments need to step up and arrest anyone who is rioting or causing violence BEFORE situations escalate and people are hurt or killed.
In conclusion, I again return to Ben Shapiro’s words. As a conservative Jew, he is in a unique position to critique alt-right neo-nazism, and his critique of radical leftism is equally apt:
“You do not pander to the worst people the planet has to offer. You do not pander to Americans who do not understand Americanism and promote an ideology that is contra-Americanism. You do not do that for political gain. That is sick, and it is vile…I feel the same way about the Left. When it comes to the Left, who won’t denounce Antifa…the Marxist intersectionality philosophy that they’ve been promulgating. When the Left won’t denounce riots in Ferguson or Baltimore. When the Left continues to pretend that violence in places like Berkeley, and Sacramento, and Seattle, and Richmond, and Charlottesville…that the only problem is what’s coming from the right, all they are doing is pushing people into the alt-right. You have two vile movements pushing more and more people into each others’ arms. It’s horrifying. It’s horrifying and disgusting.”
For more reading/viewing of Mr. Shapiro’s statements, see the links and/or video below:
7 Things You Need To Know About The Charlottesville Violence And White Supremacist Terror Attack
7 Things You Need to Know about Antifa
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Jackie Chea is a blogger from San Antonio, Texas who holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Community Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She writes on political and cultural issues from a conservative, religious standpoint. She lives in the Lone Star State with her husband Nick, her 5-year-old son Lincoln, and her rescue dogs. |
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