Originally Posted by
Marootsoobutsu
Antifa and their Leninist/Stalinist/Maoist revolutionary antecedents have a very long history of violence and ideological purity that is as damaging to society as hate speech. They are also deplorable; they use hate to justify hate, they justify violence on the basis of moral superiority.
I'm 100% fine with condemning the alt-right, the KKK, white nationalists/supremacists, Nazis, and the like. They are deplorable, and history has shown what happens when they have power. But Antifa legitimately is no better, has philosophical roots that are just as vile, just as destructive, and should be condemned just as vociferously.
Trump needs to be more clear in calling out the alt-right and their even more thuggish ilk. But most folks shouldn't need to-- it's obvious. It's one of those things that should go without saying. Maybe I've missed something here, but I don't recall folks at BG saying anything positive about the alt-right, or supporting them as anything but dangerous thugs. But there are a flood willing to say Antifa isn't "as bad", or a threat. They are. This isn't a "both sides" thing, because the right isn't saying, "it's okay to assault Antifa people."
Violence over words happens. It shouldn't, but it does-- and it should be universally condemned when it does. Justifying violence because of ideology, or being glad of it, isn't some moral mark-- it's destructive, and ugly, and should be shameful. There are a lot of points where I disagree with BGers, but this is one of the few points where I am ashamed by the association. The initiation of violence over words is not morally okay, no matter how repugnant or morally awful the words being spoken are. Be better than those you oppose, not by having purer ideology, but by having morally better actions. I'm not saying don't confront them: I'm saying confront them with superior morality, with superior argument and rhetoric. Defeat them by taking your time, energy, and wealth, and use those to enact a positive impact on the world. Enable those who these scum would grind under heel. Violence against them justifies their position, makes them sympathetic to those who don't actually understand their position, and deprives you of a voice. Not denouncing those who enact violence deprives you of moral standing to those unaware of the situation, and taints the remainder of your message, however good it may be.
Confronting hate with violence breeds more hate, and it breeds more violence. Confronting hate with kindness, confronting violence with goodness creates converts allies from enemies.