The political climate in America has become a hot mess to put it nicely. People on both sides of the political spectrum are going for each other's throats, claiming that the other doesn't care about the wellbeing of the country. From both sides of the spectrum have risen two extreme groups. On the extreme right, the "Alt-Right" has come out of the shadows and has been making headlines with their homophobic and racist views. On the extreme left, "Antifa" has risen up in their so-called "fight against fascism." Now people on both sides are defending each group, and if not defending, pushing the rhetoric that one is not as bad as the other. I'm writing this article to make an attempt to set the record straight, they are two sides of the same coin.
While each group has different views than the other, they share more similarities than some people think.
For starters, both sides are extremely intolerant of anyone who does not agree with them. And before anyone goes in the comment section and says "well one of them is racist and the other one isn't," let me explain my point. Certain members of the alt-right are white nationalists, without a doubt. I disagree with them completely and I would never support them. What we saw in Charleston and just about any other time Matthew Heimbach shows his face is proof of this. We look at groups like the Proud Boys, who claim that anyone who disagrees with them is a "beta male," and we see the same level of intolerance. Now let's look at Antifa, a group of disgruntled people who hide their face while they destroy property and attack people who they disagree with. Antifa has gone after Alt-Right groups before, however, they also attack anyone who has different political views from them, racist or not.
Another similarity is that both LOVE using intimidation and violence to get their point across. What we witnessed in Charleston was a perfect example of the Alt-Right agenda and the hate their movement carries. You see groups like Antifa and you see what they do when someone says things they don't like, they burn buildings, break windows, and attack anyone who gets in their way. The common thread between the two groups is that their violent, and they both are founded on extreme hate.
The Alt-Right's agenda is clear, to bring forth a white ethnic state where anyone who isn't apart of their "master race" is either dead or enslaved. They fly Swastikas in the name of patriotism in a country whose sons died to defeat that evil. And then you have Antifa, who have decided that anyone who disagrees with them is a Nazi and must be silenced by any means necessary. I do believe that the Alt-Right needs to be stopped, but the way Antifa is trying to do it is anarchy. The answer to hate speech isn't silence, the answer is MORE SPEECH! We need to broadcast a variety of ideas, ideas that push towards progress and a better society. Neither side should be defended, and my hope is that more people will recognize this.
