***Right after I initially submitted this article about infighting from the political left giving power to the alt-right, the Charlottesville riot broke out. Scores of white supremacists, many of them armed, wreaked havoc on Charlottesville. People lost their lives trying to stop them. I have tried to edit accordingly. These horrible events make it even more clear than it already was that the alt-right and those who defend them need to be set apart from the rest of the political system and eradicated.

With the bizarre, apocalyptic reality show of the 2016 election, largely online movements pushing things like men’s rights and white supremacy clawed their way to political legitimacy under the supposedly less edgy moniker of the alt-right. The title was claimed by overt white nationalists like Richard Spencer, a euphemism for ideas that should never again be normalized. These people commit acts of domestic terrorism and just marched WITH FIRE to express their Nazi beliefs.

The alt-right insists that those of European descent are superior, despite all scientific evidence to the contrary. They believe that only two genders and sexes exist, despite all scientific evidence to the contrary.

As this disturbing tide rose, many people began to think the Democratic party was not reacting as strongly as they should to the creeping threat of the alt-right.

The terror of this past weekend (and honestly lots of American history but that is another story) shows us that they were right.

The truth is, we should all be recognizing the ever-presence of these evils and resisting them at all costs. The alt-right is being loud and proud about the kind of racism and ignorance this country was built on.

The time to pretend we can empathize and compromise with the alt-right is long over.

Recently the term “alt-left” been trending among right wing conservatives and establishment Democrats alike to describe disgruntled progressive voters and activists.

Right wing shock jocks are not the only ones doing this. It is terribly counter-productive for establishment liberals and Democrats to attack the credibility of a group that shares much of their core ideology save a few legitimate objections.

By dismissing the relatively reasonable concerns of the progressive left by calling them the alt-left, the alt-right is further legitimized as a viable political group. This is a threat to our whole country and those we interact with.

In light of recent events, this is particularly ridiculous.

Calling groups of people committed to dismantling political corruption and white supremacy the alt-left is like telling someone who just got attacked by bees that they are evil for reaching for bug spray.The alt-right is more concerned with fascist political policies and ADVOCATING GENOCIDE. The all caps are for anyone who still thinks the alt-right is just a few opinionated folks.

We should have realized long before Charlottesville that the "it happens on both sides" argument is bullshit.

There is no "alt-left". Black Lives Matter, anti-fascist groups, LGBT rights organizations, and others that comprise the left side of the political system are only trying to fight the insidious evils that the alt-right is determined to normalize.