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I don't understand the point you're making, sorry. I agree with you that antifa is not a specific organization.

anamexis 6y ago
Well, then what is it besides a term for antifascism? And how was the "is there not a consensus on antifascism" question invalid?
- jefftk 6y ago
  You could similarly say, Well, what is there to "all lives matter" except the simple claim that all lives, do in fact matter? Which is wrong: people who say "all lives matter" as a rule have some amount of shared views, such as not thinking police abusing their power is a major issue and opposing the current protests. Similarly, people identify as "antifa" tend to have shared views, for example being anti-capitalist, left-wing, and having a higher affinity for violent protest than protesters at large.
- grandmczeb 6y ago
  Antifa is a term people associate with far-left pseudo anarchist groups that engage in property damage, physical violence and harassment. Wikipedia has more context if you're interested[1]. > And how was the "is there not a consensus on antifascism" question invalid? It's not an invalid question, just a leading one. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifa_(United_States) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifa_(United_States)
  - anamexis 6y ago
    I understand what you're saying and I agree to some extent. And I'm coming at this with someone who's been adjacent with the left for a long time. But even reading the Wikipedia article, it describes such a broad range of ideologies and tactics that I think the only thing really unifying the term is literally being anti-fascist. This has been my personal experience as well - I know a lot of people who identify as antifa, but they vary wildly in how that manifests.
    - grandmczeb 6y ago
      It's fair to argue that what people associate with "antifa" does not accurately describe all the groups or people who use it to describe themselves. But that doesn't really change the connotation of the term.

Well, then what is it besides a term for antifascism? And how was the "is there not a consensus on antifascism" question invalid?

jefftk 6y ago
You could similarly say, Well, what is there to "all lives matter" except the simple claim that all lives, do in fact matter? Which is wrong: people who say "all lives matter" as a rule have some amount of shared views, such as not thinking police abusing their power is a major issue and opposing the current protests. Similarly, people identify as "antifa" tend to have shared views, for example being anti-capitalist, left-wing, and having a higher affinity for violent protest than protesters at large.
grandmczeb 6y ago
Antifa is a term people associate with far-left pseudo anarchist groups that engage in property damage, physical violence and harassment. Wikipedia has more context if you're interested[1]. > And how was the "is there not a consensus on antifascism" question invalid? It's not an invalid question, just a leading one. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifa_(United_States) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifa_(United_States)
- anamexis 6y ago
  I understand what you're saying and I agree to some extent. And I'm coming at this with someone who's been adjacent with the left for a long time. But even reading the Wikipedia article, it describes such a broad range of ideologies and tactics that I think the only thing really unifying the term is literally being anti-fascist. This has been my personal experience as well - I know a lot of people who identify as antifa, but they vary wildly in how that manifests.
  - grandmczeb 6y ago
    It's fair to argue that what people associate with "antifa" does not accurately describe all the groups or people who use it to describe themselves. But that doesn't really change the connotation of the term.