First they came for the right wing bloggers...

[MuteBanana]

Antifa doesn't hold one of the most powerful political offices in the world, with an entire TV network roaring in support. The comparison isn't tenable

People are being followed down the street and punched in the back of the head while being pursued or surrounded by large groups of people. Women are being pelted with eggs. Men in wheelchairs are being assaulted. Kids are being attacked at school for supporting Trump.

I'm sorry I offended your precious Antifa. I'm sorry you wish to defend people who dress all in black, wear masks and go out and commit violence and harassment.

[canadagoose]

People are being followed down the street and punched in the back of the head while being pursued or surrounded by large groups of people. Women are being pelted with eggs. Men in wheelchairs are being assaulted. Kids are being attacked at school for supporting Trump.

I'm sorry I offended your precious Antifa. I'm sorry you wish to defend people who dress all in black, wear masks and go out and commit violence and harassment.

Mate!!

How can I prove someone's mindset is directly influenced by Antifa? I can't.

[MuteBanana]

If the mistake was your frankly bizarre support for Trump, then yes, it might.

Frankly my dear...

[Monsieur Verdoux]

People are being followed down the street and punched in the back of the head while being pursued or surrounded by large groups of people. Women are being pelted with eggs. Men in wheelchairs are being assaulted. Kids are being attacked at school for supporting Trump.

I'm sorry I offended your precious Antifa. I'm sorry you wish to defend people who dress all in black, wear masks and go out and commit violence and harassment.

Not what I'm saying mate but okay

There's no equivalence between one of the most powerful people in the world and a small group with zero media presence like Antifa. I'm sorry but there just isn't

[Twed]

In 12 months time the same people will ask 'Show us evidence Trump supporters are in danger?'

You can't (or refuse to) distinguish between "Trump supporters are in danger" and "a Trump supporter has been in danger". It makes you appear that you've chosen to drink the far right Kool Aid (can't think of a non-Americanism for that. I don't want to tarnish Bovril's good name)

People are being followed down the street and punched in the back of the head while being pursued or surrounded by large groups of people. Women are being pelted with eggs. Men in wheelchairs are being assaulted. Kids are being attacked at school for supporting Trump.

If you decided to be honest with yourself and did the work to quantify this you'd feel like a right prick.

[MuteBanana]

Mate!!

You believe Antifa are non violent, peaceful protesters who are against fascism. You believe they do not encourage others to commit violence or harassment of Trump supporters. That it is wrong to blame them for inciting violence against Trump supporters.

You have your opinion and I have mine.

[canadagoose]

You believe Antifa are non violent, peaceful protesters who are against fascism. You believe they do not encourage others to commit violence or harassment of Trump supporters. That it is wrong to blame them for inciting violence against Trump supporters.

You have your opinion and I have mine.

I never said they were non-violent; I was just arguing that they 1) don't go around indiscriminately attacking people (which was the original premise, I think), and 2) they don't just attack Trump supporters (who are nothing more than Trump supporters) out of the blue. They certainly do attack fascists - Richard Spencer getting a punch on the bonce is one memorable incident. If they do go around doing either of the previous things, I'd just like some evidence of it happening. Opinions are pointless if they're based on nothing at all.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Also there's a difference between Antifa and general Black Bloc activity. Not all black clad troublemakers are Antifa, and these compilations tend to fudge the distinction

[MuteBanana]

You can't (or refuse to) distinguish between "Trump supporters are in danger" and "a Trump supporter has been in danger". It makes you appear that you've chosen to drink the far right Kool Aid (can't think of a non-Americanism for that. I don't want to tarnish Bovril's good name)
If you decided to be honest with yourself and did the work to quantify this you'd feel like a right prick.

And of course you feel the same way when a racist Trump fan attacks a black man. There you are calling for peace. Explaining that just because one Trump supporter attacked a black man it doesn't make all his fans racist. That's you isn't it.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

this close to using some very unwoke language to describe this line of argumentation...

[Paul Calf]

When I was a 17-year-old stoner, I used to sit around with friends talking about oppressive regimes, the rise of the bully. In those early days of the 1990s, the prospect of the rise of such a regime in my lifetime, in my part of the world, was so remote to render the questions "What would you do? Would you speak up or stand by the bullies? Would you raise your voice in protest or bow it in silent, craven cowardice?" very simple to answer: Of course, you'd stand up to the bullies; protect the weak from the strong and corrupt.

Well, it's the fucking reckoning, sunbeam. It's happening , and you can no longer sit in your clutch of fuckheads and dream about hypotheticals.

What you do now will alter the world forever.

[MuteBanana]

I never said they were non-violent; I was just arguing that they 1) don't go around indiscriminately attacking people (which was the original premise, I think), and 2) they don't just attack Trump supporters (who are nothing more than Trump supporters) out of the blue. They certainly do attack fascists - Richard Spencer getting a punch on the bonce is one memorable incident. If they do go around doing either of the previous things, I'd just like some evidence of it happening. Opinions are pointless if they're based on nothing at all.

I will not provide any evidence because why would I? Plus people will just dismiss it.

Oh they aren't dressed in black. They aren't waving the Antifa flag. They were just standing next to Antifa. There's no proof they are Antifa. They don't have masks over their faces. Prove they're Antifa. Prove they're Democrats. Prove the people they were attacking aren't racists.

You're supporting Antifa, thats fine.

[Paul Calf]

this close to using some very unwoke language to describe this line of argumentation...

Allow me to do it for you: it's fucking retarded.

[canadagoose]

I will not provide any evidence because why would I? Plus people will just dismiss it.

Oh they aren't dressed in black. They aren't waving the Antifa flag. They were just standing next to Antifa. There's no proof they are Antifa. They don't have masks over their faces. Prove they're Antifa. Prove they're Democrats. Prove the people they were attacking aren't racists.

You're supporting Antifa, thats fine.

So I'll ask again: if you can't prove that people committing violence against Trump supporters are Antifa, why are they getting the blame for it? You must have got the idea from somewhere.

[Twed]

You're supporting Antifa, thats fine.

I definitely am. There's like seven people on the left who have punched neo-nazis in the head? That's brilliant. Cause and effect thwockings of the bonce, independent of any deep-rooted societal ugliness like racism, xenophobia or misogyny. There is precisely the right amount of Antifa violence, and I bathe in its warm glow.

[Great Satan]

I will not provide any evidence because why would I? Plus people will just dismiss it.

Oh hi, Sargon!

[Cuellar]

I sincerely and unironically wish there was more violence at right wing rallies.

When the feeble cunts turn up with their short sleeved shirts tucked into their trousers, their flaming torches and pomaded hair, I wish a huge gang of antifa would turn up with machine guns and mow them down.

[jobotic]

I support Antifa. If you are a fascist I hope you get your fucking head kicked in. If you're too stupid to understand why that isn't bigotry then all the better.

[Funcrusher]

Some proper hench comedy fans round these parts. When Jobotic hits you with a rolled up Guardian you ain't getting up.

[garbed_attic]

A bunch of my students were veering into transphobia today I felt, complaining that they didn't agree with being "forced" to use "ve" pronouns and such... I said I didn't mind saying them and do so because I think it's respectful and don't pretend to understand someone else's identity, but I was perhaps more non-committal than I should have been on whether misgendering should be a criminal offence. I agreed that the bloke who taught his dog to do the Nazi salute shouldn't have gone to jail and then felt dirty and worried about it. Then I got home and saw one of the people I follow on Twitter donating money to a campaign for a trans woman to fist fight Jesse Singal (with his consent as though otherwise it'd be assault) and felt confused about the world.

[garbed_attic]

I do try to give proper evidence and everything when talking about the oppression of people of colour with actual police shootings stats and such since increasingly with the 18-year-olds there are Jordan Peterson and Sam Hyde fans, I find.

[jobotic]

Man leave it. Or don't. I don't understand what you're saying.

I'll ask my mum, she was AT LSE with Polly Toynbee.

[jobotic]

What is hench comedy?

[garbed_attic]

Man leave it. Or don't. I don't understand what you're saying.

I'll ask my mum, she was AT LSE with Polly Toynbee.

Basically a lot of the 18-year-olds lads today only respect meme culture and the right are better at it... they (understandably?) get further entrenched by lecturers who just shut them down, but you end up in difficult positions if you don't. I try to back up my bleeding-heart left-winger talking points with evidence to preempt this, but it doesn't always work out...

Interestingly American humanities lecturers were posting about this before I noticed it here in Britain, but I guess a lot of British teens live inside a very Americanized online space, as do most of us.

[Funcrusher]

What is hench comedy?

Hench comedy fans, comedy fans that are hench. I'm just finding you all banging on about beating up fascists somewhat amusing. Non violent resistance is favourite for me - I agree with Chris Hedges criticisms of the black bloc.

[canadagoose]

Hench comedy fans, comedy fans that are hench. I'm just finding you all banging on about beating up fascists somewhat amusing. Non violent resistance is favourite for me - I agree with Chris Hedges criticisms of the black bloc.

Careful - you'll be nominated for stupidest post of the year in a minute. Not that I'm salty or anything.

[jobotic]

Hench comedy fans, comedy fans that are hench. I'm just finding you all banging on about beating up fascists somewhat amusing. Non violent resistance is favourite for me - I agree with Chris Hedges criticisms of the black bloc.

Okay, cool.

[hummingofevil]

Trump's existence has turned everyone of us into blabbering fuckwits and this whole thread is a perfect example of many people saying nothing as confidently as possible to many other people who aren't listening.

Just sack it off and go listen to some jazz or read a book or something.

[jobotic]

You're right. I'm gonna read two pages of a Muriel Spark before I pass out, WHICH I GOT INTO FROM BEING ON HERE.

Funcrusher, your techno knowledge is a second only to my umfaingly love of the The Guardian. So nanight to you all.

[BlodwynPig]

Peace and henching, believe!