By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com
As I watch and listen to the contemporary political debate, I am struck by the profound irony I see and hear almost daily.
It slaps me in the puss, punches me in the gut, gnaws at my innards.
Here’s what I mean.
I listen to those on the far right fringes of our nation’s political spectrum proclaim their “patriotism,” their “love of country” and their devotion to the Constitution. Then I see the occasional image of these “patriots” standing under a Confederate flag. Or they lambaste the movement known as “Antifa,” which — as you might know — is a sort of short-hand for “anti-fascist.”
The irony? Well, the first ironic notion is obvious, given that the Confederacy stands as the nation’s most profound enemy of the state. The Confederate States of American seceded from the Union and went to war to protect the institution of slavery within those states.
In recent times, of course, many of us has awakened to what the Confederacy really represented: treason against the United States of America. Statues of Confederate soldiers have come down. Americans have rioted to protest their removal. A president of the United States tried to make excuses for their riotous behavior by referring to “fine people … on both sides” of a riot that included Klansmen and Nazis.
That dovetails into the second profound irony of this real-time debate. Antifa has become a four-letter word. It is used in some circles as an epithet meant to demonize those who speak out against police brutality or seek justice for those who have been mistreated by rogue cops.
The root of the term Antifa, though, is what brings this irony into sharp focus for me. Let us never forget that The Greatest Generation of Americans went to war against fascism. The German Nazis who, along with their Italian partners, sought to subjugate Europe under the heavy hand of fascism. They were joined by their tyrants in Japan, who dragged this country into the world’s bloodiest war. My own father was one of those young Americans who left the comforts of their home and went to war against the fascists.
Yes, Dad was an Antifa member.
I simply cannot let this irony go without offering this comment on its hideous nature in this current political debate.
It sickens me.
It’s not irony. It’s idiots not knowing what fascism is and using the title for themselves. Shows the ignorance of this group. Name ONE thing Antifa has done to benefit this great country? All they know is how to “proclaim” autonomous zones (not really understanding what that means) and destroy property and cause harm in the proceeds.
Hmm. Elevated discussion of police conduct? That’s one thing. I agree their tactics have been nasty. But … we are talking these days about how the cops behave.
And you think that’s the group for police reform? That particular group is there for lawlessness and destruction. So, they want to improve police conduct by destroying property and harming people. Yep, that’s the way to get across your argument. They won’t even have a discussion. Have you seen any of them have an actual Q&A news conference?
ANTIFA is not an organization. It us a tactic/strategy to counter/stop white supremacy protests. They are accomplishing that and it’s real good
I get it. I fall into that trap occasionally of calling Antifa something it isn’t.