It's time to stop the absurd idea that white supremacy and those who fight white supremacy are two sides to the same coin.

Trump has been criticized for his inability to condemn the violence by far-right white nationalists at Charlottesville, and instead has decided to place blame on "both sides," specifically calling out the "alt-left."

While there are people who immediately heard Trump's statement and understand that the alt-left isn't a real ideological group, many centrists, liberals, and conservatives are out to condemn them as equally ethically wrong as the nationalists.

This rhetoric makes absolutely no sense, and is a by-product of horseshoe theory (I highly urge you to read this if you are unfamiliar with the term). Antifa and leftists believe that there is no reasoning with white nationalists and nazis, as these groups tend to act with violence rather than debate. On the other hand, centrists and liberals believe that pacifism is the only way to solve problems, and so they incorrectly criticize antifa and leftists with the same strategy they use to judge white nationalists.

The term 'alt-left' is messy because it paints everyone left of the center as violent and irrational as the alt-right. The truth is that the supposed 'alt-left' (just call them leftists) are the complete opposite as the alt-right. If Nazis are using force (as they did in Charlottesville), somehow using force against them is equally wrong, according to centrists and liberals. Liberals have been quick to judge black bloc, antifa, and leftists, when in truth, they are there to protect peaceful protesters and stop nationalists.

Before you paint the left as violent and anti-free speech, consider the fact that white nationalists were beating people with torches the night before Heather Heyer died.

Leftists have been doing a lot of ground work and are not being given the credit. Liberals must stop compromising with the right and instead compromise with the left if they want to see any real progress.

We cannot forget that Heather Heyer, the woman who died in Charlottesville, was a left-wing civil rights activist, and the man who killed her (and injured 19 others), Alex Fields, is a white nationalist who was seen protesting at the rally with Vanguard America. We also must understand that the only fatality in Charlottesville (aside from the helicopter crash) was Heyer. These two groups are nothing alike. Neo-nazis are already planning on protesting the funeral of Heyer, and I believe that speaks on the morals of the alt-right and nationalists on its own.

Whether you consider yourself liberal or centrist, please do your research into leftist ideology before you consider them an enemy. Please also consider donating blood if you live in Charlottesville, or donate to the man who was beaten by protesters.