4 ms·

> Maybe Berkeley? The Portland riots? That was frightening behavior. You mean Antifa? Those aren't leftists, those are anarchists. They believe that government

> Maybe Berkeley? The Portland riots? That was frightening behavior. You mean Antifa? Those aren't leftists, those are anarchists. They believe that government is incapable of protecting against fascism, and are instead committing vigilante violence. This doesn't represent the "left", who would instead fight fascism through constitutional and judicial protections. They only thing Antifa has in common with the left, is they both hate fascism. But they have completely different views on the role of government.

dragonwriter 9y ago
> You mean Antifa? Those aren't leftists, those are anarchists Antifa isn't all anarchists, those that are are mostly specifically anarchocommunists, and anarchocommunists are emphatically leftists.
- random023987 9y ago
  > anarchocommunists are emphatically leftists Perhaps I should have been more specific, and clarify that the antifa values, goals, and belief systems (thank you for the term) anarchocommunisism is completely incompatible with the democratic-social capitalist hybrid model espoused by the contemporary American political left.
s_m_t 9y ago
You could just as well say communists aren't on the left because communism is supposed to be a stateless society. If we're going to stupidly map all of politics onto one dimension we have to apply our reasoning equally stupid to both sides.
laretluval 9y ago
Antifa may not have the same explicit political program as the "mainstream" left but when street fighting happens, they defend the left, not the right.
- random023987 9y ago
  > Antifa may not have the same explicit political program as the "mainstream" left but when street fighting happens, they defend the left, not the right. You mean they attack the right. It's right there in the name, Anti-Fascists! The enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily my friend. They aren't out there advocating transgender rights or arguing for paid family leave. They are there to clash with Nazis.

dragonwriter 9y ago

> You mean Antifa? Those aren't leftists, those are anarchists Antifa isn't all anarchists, those that are are mostly specifically anarchocommunists, and anarchocommunists are emphatically leftists.

random023987 9y ago
> anarchocommunists are emphatically leftists Perhaps I should have been more specific, and clarify that the antifa values, goals, and belief systems (thank you for the term) anarchocommunisism is completely incompatible with the democratic-social capitalist hybrid model espoused by the contemporary American political left.

s_m_t 9y ago

You could just as well say communists aren't on the left because communism is supposed to be a stateless society. If we're going to stupidly map all of politics onto one dimension we have to apply our reasoning equally stupid to both sides.

laretluval 9y ago

Antifa may not have the same explicit political program as the "mainstream" left but when street fighting happens, they defend the left, not the right.

random023987 9y ago
> Antifa may not have the same explicit political program as the "mainstream" left but when street fighting happens, they defend the left, not the right. You mean they attack the right. It's right there in the name, Anti-Fascists! The enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily my friend. They aren't out there advocating transgender rights or arguing for paid family leave. They are there to clash with Nazis.