The designation of the amorphous group antifa as a terrorist organization allows the state to brand all dissidents as supporters of antifa and prosecute them as terrorists.
I’ve been warning about this moment for decades—and won a congressional primary on civil liberties issues, only to be neutralized by the racism and demagoguery of opportunistic Democrats. Today’s constitutional crisis has painfully bipartisan origins. https://open.substack.com/pub/shahidbuttar/p/why-celebrate-a-happy-constitution?
Chris, you often remind me of the lantern that is held against darkness and unfamiliar landscape. I thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and insights
The USA looks increasingly cooked. All those who thought Mr. Hedges was being hyperbolic in his criticisms of US Empire should now be eating some crow. It's all disintegrating faster than expected.
Yup. Ironically, though a long time reader of Hedges (starting when he was a war correspondent) I was one of those doubters. As a loyal "American" (US Citizen), I couldn't believe that my country was an empire. I knew enough about the roots of democracy to know that wasn't allowed. I saw the flourishing of a multi-cultural, intersectional society as proof that we could live up to our Preamble and Constitution and were evolving in the right direction. Whether the empire is disintegrating (falling apart) or being cannibalised from within or taken over by a handful of technofascists who see themselves as having good intentions but who are elitists who see no value in the common man or democracy (my theory), it looks to me like our democracy, and democracy globally, is on the ropes. What will happen next I can't imagine.
When antifa, whoever they are this week, engage in random property destruction, and when they attack folks like Chris Hedges and Noam Chomsky for their supposed lack of ideological purity, they are revealing themselves to be as fascistic as the forces they claim to be anti to, and as Mr. Hedges quite rightly points out, they play right into the oppressors hands.
This campaign of harassment seems as harmful as it was misdirected. I'm so sad for everyone involved, including Hedges, Chomsky, and the foolish perpetrators chewing on the ankles of people who, under other circumstances, would be political allies.
Check the timeframe of these matters. I think Chris is simply pointing out the bleeding obvious right now - Antifa is just the targetted group for Trump and his ilk in order to silence and oppostion and even drive some good people out of the country, in order to complete their authoritarian take over of EVERYTHING! The rest of Chris's explanation was context for his move to say "we are all Antifa now."
You can't criminalize fascism, you just ARE an agent indulging in chaotic fascism, who does not possess the logical mindset needed to begin seeing yourself as what you are: an idealogue, a post-modern idiot...my bet is you are quite young and and somewhat intelligent, but with a still-young small mind...thus easily influenced by such pseudo-intellectuals as F**kwit Foucault.
All of these scenarios are terrifying. But equally terrifying to me is the simplicity of real life. As a lifelong activist against war and fascism, I talk to people everywhere about the coming wave; food stores, libraries, parks. Always friendly and welcoming, just small talk. I mostly get eye rolls and conversations cut off mid sentence.
Everyone is afraid. Most businesses listen in on their employees. No one is free to share ideas. This, too, is a challenge that must be met.
Be a weirdo. Be “that guy” “that girl”. Be a pain in the ass, if necessary, because otherwise they won’t know we exist. They won’t know that independent thought is possible.
The destruction of art is a thorny issue. Kafka ordered the burning of his manuscripts after his death. But they were his. A Japanese collector once ordered to be interred with his $100. million Van Gogh.
But tomato soup, in the interest of fearful symmetry, should only be hurled at the works of Andy Warhol. He might even have agreed.
Art or life? To an artist, they are indistinguishable.
Deconstruction was useful as a way of seeing that what was considered normal was actually the viewpoint of white Euro male academic elites. The final sledgehammer was the Sokal affair. Dismiss me, too, with snarl words like "navel gazing" and "verbosity," but I was a blue collar rank & file union activist for 28 years. I taught myself both of those things--different ways of understanding multiple realities. Depends on whose navel is being gazed into, huh?
Of course I won't use snarl words at you, I totally get your POV....Deconstruction was the word used for the common-sense entry point into what was then finally taken to the dangerously silly intellectual end-zone of navel-gazing "Post-modernism" by the end of last century a la Foucalt.... it had become very popular with all young arty 'woke' academics at universities by 2010, and from there it spread to silly young 'antifa' chaos spreaders.
I'm 74 yrs old, and had a degree is environmental biology by when I was 21...I was conscious by the age of 17 about antiquated white male businessmen and academic elites, instantly joined/belonged to unions in whatever environmental/government jobs I had for a half-dozen years after....but spent the many more years of my mature life as a self-employed environmental pest eradicator/bushman in NZ...returned to university in 2007 to work on a PhD and thus I have published papers explaining how our great-ape species became uniquely narratively minded or 'sentient' (aware of time passing) and therefore became intentional or future oriented...simply because we started reading the stories 'told' by trails of footprints/trackways...which very slowly led to being forward thinking enough to make stone tools about 3 to 4 Myrs ago....and then start telling our stories to each other with languages much later still....and understanding the rest of human evolution is straightforward after that, I believe...OK?.
I just want to add that the 'Sokal affair' you mentioned is new to me, so I will look forward to Google/researching it over my next beer or cup of coffee....cheers brother, travel the rest of your road well...
Of course I am. But when I write poetry it is sparse poetry...I was just answering in similar language, just to try and mirror their comments back to them....in other words, by ironically indulging in a similar level of verbosity and self-indulgence
What do you think of the actions of those who want to bring attention to climate change by going to museums and throwing tomato soup at paintings of famous artists? Throwing cans of soup at painting by artists like Van Gogh, and asking the absurd question of what is more important Art or Life. If anything they will turn people off to this movement. Not Antifa, but like them choose to act out in destructive ways.
I think it's ridiculous, ignorant, and a waste of time to say the least. Acting in stupid and child-tantrum ways only dilutes the intent of your beliefs and the message you want to spread. Being passionate, but reserved, while conveying your well-thought out position on issues gets you a lot more mileage. It takes maturity and patience, but it's worth it
Reminds me of what I called 'the I hate my parents' school of revolution in the '60s. Arrogant types who smashed up government buildings or public places like museums and then claimed to be "directing the people's anger against the government." Yeah...as if we workers are too stupid to lead ourselves. I'd point out what they really hit was "the people's" property.
Art vs life is a false dichotomy. I might respond: What is life without art? Especially Van Gogh!
However, they did get attention.
I've heard childless members of the older generation say that they don't care about climate change because they'll be dead by the time the world becomes uninhabitable. These kinds of remarks drive the younger generation to despair. Many are foregoing children for this reason, and they blame us for our lack of attention to their futures.
As for them getting attention, remember not all attention is good. The acting out behavior often implemented in regard to climate change is a bad sell. Antifa, who basically takes the law into their own hands is scary, and I don't think people feel comfortable with the lawless chaos they create. I think the group of people you reference who care nothing about the next generation is a self serving lot, and fortunately I think most people have a more wholistic perspective on things. I hope so.
Most people are grossly ignorant of the far-reaching impacts of the unfolding climate catastrophe. They tend to understand only one or two facets, such as global warming or the enormous amount of chemicals to which we're subjected daily. These are it's scary enough, but it's the whole picture, the aggregate effects, that are most terrifying. Our youngest generations are far more future-aware, because it's their future that's been severely compromised. They don't understand our complacency and they are frustrated with trying to get our attention.
Most people in the USA realize that the world has changed profoundly in the last few decades. They secretly know that our civilization is environmentally unsustainable but they don't want to make lifestyle changes.
They want The Government to fix everything, though they also suspect that the US government no longer serves the best interests of the average person.
They don't understand how the American project went sideways, and they want easy answers, but since there aren't any, they fasten onto whatever glib answer resonates with their emotional needs, and venerate those who promulgate easy answers as heroic truth-tellers.
Yes, we are all Antifa now and Kirk is Horst Wessel. But as you said, if it was not antifa they would have had to create something else to take its place.
Of course they are infiltrated. All serious organizations and movements are infiltrated.
Yes, we are all antifa now.
I was thinking of America's love of hate when I saw this Atlantic article some time ago, entitled 'We Are All Welfare Queens Now'
"I was reminded of Lee Atwater's famous explanation of the Southern Strategy, contained in the article:
"You start out in 1954 by saying, "Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger" -- that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff.
You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites.
And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that.
But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other.
We saw it with the mainlining of prison rap. The clothes, the ornaments, the jewelry, the movies, the radio --- all culture --- was permeated with the glorification of gangster rap.
The same will happen to new youth and fascism. The firing of Jimmy Kimmel, the suspension of a version of South Park, the death by hanging of a young black man from a tree, within the last two days, at a university, the attitudes of authority and control --- all of this parallels the socio economics of fascism.
Ha ha. Thanks for another chuckle. i must be in the mood to laugh in the face of fascism today.
I don't believe that the US was founded solely on hate, but then I almost never believe any "all or nothing" commentary (see what I did there...almost never...ha ha).
I've been chatting with right-wing neighbors and they are literally buying into good vs bad messaging that they're hearing from the Christian fascist propaganda that they listen to instead of the news. So for them, it's simple: right-wing is good. I tested them on whether they care about democracy, and sadly, they don't, because they are imagining a perfect (and perfectly white) Christian empire. Ironically, the next moment they're saying except for other types of Christians, because only my type of Christian is truly saved.
Sadly, the Christian denomination that one of my neighbors specifically mentioned was Latter Day Saints. I told her that several of the nicest people I've ever known are Mormon. I added this today because of the recent murderous rampage at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. I've witnessed so-called Christian church leaders preach hatred of other Christian denominations from the pulpit (let alone what they say about those who follow Judaism or Islam or Buddhism, etc.). As Jesus _never_ said: Hate any neighbor who isn't the same religion or denomination of Christian as yourself. :(
I agree, It is hard to believe anything and commentary is the worst. But we do it. Why? I think that the world will be measured as B. C. and A. C. Before the computer and after the computer. Everything appears as in Plato's Cave and the aperture to get out is hard to find, even for the most adventurous.
Monsoon, what have you done in your life that has made this world, this country, a better place. What political behavior have you engaged in, non-violent, to try and change things for the better? Has your life been dedicated to helping others? I doubt it. "We are all Antifa now and Kirk is Horst Wessel, a Nazi? What the hell does that mean?
My history is unimportant, unless one is dedicated to ad hominems. Best to confront the reality of the declarations I make, rather than try to go after me personally. "We are all Antifa now and Kirk is Horst Wessel' requires a bit of research.
This is what I mean as to the reference to Horst Wessel:
"Charlie Kirk: The Horst Wessel of the MAGA movement
You don't answer my question regarding your life time contributions in this world, and then you present me with with an article written in a foreign language? I am not antifa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm also not buying your BS, especially after this non response.
I remember your critique of the Black Bloc’s role during Occupy, Chris. I agreed with it then and I agree with your assessment of the present situation.
Remarkable, isn’t it, how much those who dress all in black and mask their faces have in common with those who dress all in white and don hoods to hide their identity?
There is no future in groups that use religion to promote violence or who adopt violence as a substitute for religion. Our future, if we and our children are to have a future, will include a determined focus on building community based on our common goals and on our shared values, rather than on our differences and on exclusivist ideologies that divide us from one another.
Ha ha I'm so enjoying your whip-smart comments, even where I have a different take on the subject.
I've tangled some with Feral Finster on past threads, but The Finster also makes some good points or adds food for thought, often in the form we call 'devil's advocate.'
Under current U.S. law there is no mechanism for the president to “designate” a purely domestic group as a terrorist organization the way the State Department designates Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under 8 U.S.C. § 1189.
• It creates no process for putting a U.S. group on a list.
2. Material-support laws apply only to FTOs.
• 18 U.S.C. § 2339B (material support) applies to foreign groups officially designated by the Secretary of State, not to domestic movements.
3. What a president could do instead:
• Direct federal agencies to prioritize investigations or prosecutions of individuals who commit crimes that meet the statutory definition of domestic terrorism (e.g., arson, conspiracy, weapons violations).
• Encourage the Treasury’s OFAC to sanction individuals if they have a foreign nexus (money laundering, etc.).
• Request new legislation from Congress creating a domestic-terror designation—something both civil-liberties and law-enforcement groups have historically opposed.
So a statement like Trump's is political messaging. It doesn’t itself create new legal powers. Any investigation of people “funding Antifa” would still have to rely on existing criminal statutes—fraud, weapons offenses, conspiracy, etc.—and meet normal constitutional standards of probable cause and due process.
Thanks for sharing these valuable citations and other data, Kent Smith.
But aren't we seeing a disregard for niceties such as what the law actually allows, including international law? Aren't we seeing people sent to foreign prisons without due process? Aren't multiple constitutional standards under challenge by the current administration?
Another example of how Trump either has no clue about the law or considers himself so far above the law, that as "emperor with no clothes" he can say whatever. Whether it can come to pass is irrelevant to his modus operandi.
Someone once remarked that the protests we see today are little more than elaborate parades, a grand display of dissent that ultimately leaves the powerful—like oligarchs—laughing at us, fully aware that no real change will come from our efforts. Yet, in the midst of this cynical viewpoint, there exists another perspective that urges us to continue these demonstrations despite their perceived futility. This commentator emphasizes the importance of peaceful civil disobedience reminiscent of the tactics employed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., advocating for a strategy where we intentionally disrupt the status quo. The idea is simple yet powerful: gum up the works and be willing to face the consequences, even if it means being arrested for something as minor as a misdemeanor. In my own case, there’s an added layer of complexity; I might even risk deportation back to Brooklyn if things go south.
But beyond personal stakes lies a broader message: when we protest, we should do so in solidarity with one another—locking arms with fellow activists and truly halting the machinery of oppression. This collective action could serve as a catalyst for transformative change before it becomes too late to act decisively; after all, time is not on our side—the clock is ticking relentlessly onward. Each moment wasted could mean lost opportunities for justice and equity. So let’s unite our voices and actions to amplify our demands for change because together we might just be able to turn this parade into something far more impactful than mere spectacle—a movement capable of reshaping our future.
"The people united will never be defeated!" but there is a tipping point that must be consistently reached and enacted. Protest is important and we should remember that the right to protest can be taken away too. Then there is only active rebellion.
Umm, like? Seriously the thought of being labeled "antifa" made me laugh for a moment because I'm proudly anti-fascist and hello, fascism is against the US Constitution. Yup, I'm agin' it.
I read that "antifa" was created to stand up to Proud Boys and other violence-seeking right-wing groups? It sounds nobel, but fighting fire with fire applies best to actual fire fighting. Using violence to end violence, not so much.
Antifa activists, can you see that your tactics pit you against law enforcement more often than against the bully boys? Do you see law enforcement officers as people who joined the force to do good, and not because they want to see democracy replaced with a fascist dictatorship? Several Proud Boy leaders were prosecuted for the Jan. 6th mob attack on the US Capitol building...this is US justice in action...no thanks to you for so much random tearing down.
In support of Hedges assertion that destructive and violent antifa actions are feeding into the right wing narrative, I've had several recent conversations with right wing locals in which they repeated dumbed-down good/right vs evil/left messaging. This includes a false narrative in which only the left is violent, hence they cheered the Trump administration declaring antifa a terrorist organization. Those who direct the US incarceration system have found it extremely useful to classify huge numbers of inmates as gang members or associates, after which the inmate can be put in solitary confinement and denied contact with family members, etc. With this new ruling, antifa members, anyone who can be classified as an associate, and just about anyone who attempts to defend the US Constitution and what's left of our democracy against fascism might expect the same treatment.
Antifa is an op, in a word, whether all of its members are aware of it or not. Of course it is infiltrated by the state. This is the presumption that the state must rebut. This is the point of departure, not the opposite.
As always Chris, I really enjoy reading your work. Your ability to succinctly boil down complex issues into enjoyable reading is second to none.
A note - I find myself disagreeing with your conflation of the generalization of "antifa" with the Black Bloc movement. You yourself said that antifa has no real organization or structure to it, and I would contextualize the ideology to just that - a belief in which leftist groups can identify. I hate associating the entire antifa movement to the actions of Black Bloc, actions that I personally find hard to support. I also was only 12 during the Occupy movement, so my experience there was nonexistent.
I believe that to be antifa is to be antifascist, something that most left-wing groups from the DSA to the PSL to the Food Not Bombs organization could subscribe to. When you say we are all antifa, I sincerely agree with you, not because the state is proscribing all of us to be antifa, but because we are all truly against fascism.
Just a thought! Again, love your work, and hope to hear some input from others on their thoughts!
I appreciate this and I agree with much you say. My view is if you want to fix the United States the only way is for mass shutdowns of the society, I understand this is likely impossible but it's the only solution I see other than violence. You must shut the system down. And as I said, this will not happen because the American people are not shut the system down sort of folks. They are in the words that Facebook will not let you use... Sheep! And forced to be sheep by the hardships worsening in their existence. But it's too late anyway. Read this essay where I mimic Hunter s Thompson. https://heininger.substack.com/p/gonzo-in-the-shadow-of-gold-americas?r=16lm0
Shut down the system? What does that mean? Those that don't go along with your perspective are sheep? What did you do with your life to make a difference?
When I read the title of this piece, I thought it would be about standing together with antifascists. I have been a follower of Chris Hedges for over a decade and have read all of his books and truly respect his knowledgeand insight, but I believe he got this wrong. Not sure if his personal experience with BlackBloc skewed his view of antifa, but his negative interpretation of their role in the Resistance movement is misplaced. They are certainly not all nihilistic, violent, or destructive. There will be some that vandalize during protests, but it cannot all be blamed on antifa. Focusing on the message of resistance is more important than calling out the destructive acts of a few members. Pushing down or denigrating like minded groups in the resistence movement, even if you don't agree with all of their tactics, does not benefit the broader mission and undermines the solidarity that is needed at this time.
I’ve been warning about this moment for decades—and won a congressional primary on civil liberties issues, only to be neutralized by the racism and demagoguery of opportunistic Democrats. Today’s constitutional crisis has painfully bipartisan origins. https://open.substack.com/pub/shahidbuttar/p/why-celebrate-a-happy-constitution?
I remember your campaign in CA! Yes, the monied dems destroyed your campaign. Glad to see you here!
Run again. Run as a Green.
I remember the name as well
Chris, you often remind me of the lantern that is held against darkness and unfamiliar landscape. I thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and insights
The USA looks increasingly cooked. All those who thought Mr. Hedges was being hyperbolic in his criticisms of US Empire should now be eating some crow. It's all disintegrating faster than expected.
Yup. Ironically, though a long time reader of Hedges (starting when he was a war correspondent) I was one of those doubters. As a loyal "American" (US Citizen), I couldn't believe that my country was an empire. I knew enough about the roots of democracy to know that wasn't allowed. I saw the flourishing of a multi-cultural, intersectional society as proof that we could live up to our Preamble and Constitution and were evolving in the right direction. Whether the empire is disintegrating (falling apart) or being cannibalised from within or taken over by a handful of technofascists who see themselves as having good intentions but who are elitists who see no value in the common man or democracy (my theory), it looks to me like our democracy, and democracy globally, is on the ropes. What will happen next I can't imagine.
When antifa, whoever they are this week, engage in random property destruction, and when they attack folks like Chris Hedges and Noam Chomsky for their supposed lack of ideological purity, they are revealing themselves to be as fascistic as the forces they claim to be anti to, and as Mr. Hedges quite rightly points out, they play right into the oppressors hands.
Hear, hear!!!
This campaign of harassment seems as harmful as it was misdirected. I'm so sad for everyone involved, including Hedges, Chomsky, and the foolish perpetrators chewing on the ankles of people who, under other circumstances, would be political allies.
Check the timeframe of these matters. I think Chris is simply pointing out the bleeding obvious right now - Antifa is just the targetted group for Trump and his ilk in order to silence and oppostion and even drive some good people out of the country, in order to complete their authoritarian take over of EVERYTHING! The rest of Chris's explanation was context for his move to say "we are all Antifa now."
Only a fascist would criminally proscribe Anti fascism as a terrorist organization.
Which is what he is trying to do.
I am anti fascist ... I am Antifa.
It is a personal belief, decision & honor .... NOT a membership in an organization.
It will always be my vote to criminalize fascism.
You can't criminalize fascism, you just ARE an agent indulging in chaotic fascism, who does not possess the logical mindset needed to begin seeing yourself as what you are: an idealogue, a post-modern idiot...my bet is you are quite young and and somewhat intelligent, but with a still-young small mind...thus easily influenced by such pseudo-intellectuals as F**kwit Foucault.
All of these scenarios are terrifying. But equally terrifying to me is the simplicity of real life. As a lifelong activist against war and fascism, I talk to people everywhere about the coming wave; food stores, libraries, parks. Always friendly and welcoming, just small talk. I mostly get eye rolls and conversations cut off mid sentence.
Everyone is afraid. Most businesses listen in on their employees. No one is free to share ideas. This, too, is a challenge that must be met.
Be a weirdo. Be “that guy” “that girl”. Be a pain in the ass, if necessary, because otherwise they won’t know we exist. They won’t know that independent thought is possible.
The destruction of art is a thorny issue. Kafka ordered the burning of his manuscripts after his death. But they were his. A Japanese collector once ordered to be interred with his $100. million Van Gogh.
But tomato soup, in the interest of fearful symmetry, should only be hurled at the works of Andy Warhol. He might even have agreed.
Art or life? To an artist, they are indistinguishable.
Ha ha! What a lively discussion today. Love these factoids. In addition to Warhol, I might suggest the Deconstuctionists.
Deconstructionist architecture is brilliant. To my eyes, deconstructionist "painting" seems derivative.
Blah blah blah!!! Symptoms of the disease of post-modernism are: empty circular points of view and navel-gazing combined with excessive verbosity.
Deconstruction was useful as a way of seeing that what was considered normal was actually the viewpoint of white Euro male academic elites. The final sledgehammer was the Sokal affair. Dismiss me, too, with snarl words like "navel gazing" and "verbosity," but I was a blue collar rank & file union activist for 28 years. I taught myself both of those things--different ways of understanding multiple realities. Depends on whose navel is being gazed into, huh?
Of course I won't use snarl words at you, I totally get your POV....Deconstruction was the word used for the common-sense entry point into what was then finally taken to the dangerously silly intellectual end-zone of navel-gazing "Post-modernism" by the end of last century a la Foucalt.... it had become very popular with all young arty 'woke' academics at universities by 2010, and from there it spread to silly young 'antifa' chaos spreaders.
I'm 74 yrs old, and had a degree is environmental biology by when I was 21...I was conscious by the age of 17 about antiquated white male businessmen and academic elites, instantly joined/belonged to unions in whatever environmental/government jobs I had for a half-dozen years after....but spent the many more years of my mature life as a self-employed environmental pest eradicator/bushman in NZ...returned to university in 2007 to work on a PhD and thus I have published papers explaining how our great-ape species became uniquely narratively minded or 'sentient' (aware of time passing) and therefore became intentional or future oriented...simply because we started reading the stories 'told' by trails of footprints/trackways...which very slowly led to being forward thinking enough to make stone tools about 3 to 4 Myrs ago....and then start telling our stories to each other with languages much later still....and understanding the rest of human evolution is straightforward after that, I believe...OK?.
I just want to add that the 'Sokal affair' you mentioned is new to me, so I will look forward to Google/researching it over my next beer or cup of coffee....cheers brother, travel the rest of your road well...
Says the pot, calling the kettle black.
Yr a wordsmith. Own it.
Of course I am. But when I write poetry it is sparse poetry...I was just answering in similar language, just to try and mirror their comments back to them....in other words, by ironically indulging in a similar level of verbosity and self-indulgence
Now is the time for simple prose and sparse poetry.
What do you think of the actions of those who want to bring attention to climate change by going to museums and throwing tomato soup at paintings of famous artists? Throwing cans of soup at painting by artists like Van Gogh, and asking the absurd question of what is more important Art or Life. If anything they will turn people off to this movement. Not Antifa, but like them choose to act out in destructive ways.
I think it's ridiculous, ignorant, and a waste of time to say the least. Acting in stupid and child-tantrum ways only dilutes the intent of your beliefs and the message you want to spread. Being passionate, but reserved, while conveying your well-thought out position on issues gets you a lot more mileage. It takes maturity and patience, but it's worth it
Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reminds me of what I called 'the I hate my parents' school of revolution in the '60s. Arrogant types who smashed up government buildings or public places like museums and then claimed to be "directing the people's anger against the government." Yeah...as if we workers are too stupid to lead ourselves. I'd point out what they really hit was "the people's" property.
Art vs life is a false dichotomy. I might respond: What is life without art? Especially Van Gogh!
However, they did get attention.
I've heard childless members of the older generation say that they don't care about climate change because they'll be dead by the time the world becomes uninhabitable. These kinds of remarks drive the younger generation to despair. Many are foregoing children for this reason, and they blame us for our lack of attention to their futures.
As for them getting attention, remember not all attention is good. The acting out behavior often implemented in regard to climate change is a bad sell. Antifa, who basically takes the law into their own hands is scary, and I don't think people feel comfortable with the lawless chaos they create. I think the group of people you reference who care nothing about the next generation is a self serving lot, and fortunately I think most people have a more wholistic perspective on things. I hope so.
Most people are grossly ignorant of the far-reaching impacts of the unfolding climate catastrophe. They tend to understand only one or two facets, such as global warming or the enormous amount of chemicals to which we're subjected daily. These are it's scary enough, but it's the whole picture, the aggregate effects, that are most terrifying. Our youngest generations are far more future-aware, because it's their future that's been severely compromised. They don't understand our complacency and they are frustrated with trying to get our attention.
I strongly agree that people are afraid.
Most people in the USA realize that the world has changed profoundly in the last few decades. They secretly know that our civilization is environmentally unsustainable but they don't want to make lifestyle changes.
They want The Government to fix everything, though they also suspect that the US government no longer serves the best interests of the average person.
They don't understand how the American project went sideways, and they want easy answers, but since there aren't any, they fasten onto whatever glib answer resonates with their emotional needs, and venerate those who promulgate easy answers as heroic truth-tellers.
Yes, we are all Antifa now and Kirk is Horst Wessel. But as you said, if it was not antifa they would have had to create something else to take its place.
Of course they are infiltrated. All serious organizations and movements are infiltrated.
Yes, we are all antifa now.
I was thinking of America's love of hate when I saw this Atlantic article some time ago, entitled 'We Are All Welfare Queens Now'
"I was reminded of Lee Atwater's famous explanation of the Southern Strategy, contained in the article:
"You start out in 1954 by saying, "Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger" -- that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff.
You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites.
And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that.
But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other.
You follow me -- because obviously sitting around saying, "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "Nigger, nigger." https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/we-are-all-welfare-queens-now/262512/
This country was founded on hate. There was never any universal love for freedom or empathy for others. These concepts are anomolies.
Now, the entire culture will move towards fascist symbolism.
From fasci haircuts to lines of clothing and cologne; from TV to movies; from everyday interactions to universities, the fascist hegemony is upon us.
Like a seed that grows into a plant, the wicked poison is now ready for harvest and the harvesters maintain the power.
We saw it with the mainlining of prison rap. The clothes, the ornaments, the jewelry, the movies, the radio --- all culture --- was permeated with the glorification of gangster rap.
The same will happen to new youth and fascism. The firing of Jimmy Kimmel, the suspension of a version of South Park, the death by hanging of a young black man from a tree, within the last two days, at a university, the attitudes of authority and control --- all of this parallels the socio economics of fascism.
Ha ha. Thanks for another chuckle. i must be in the mood to laugh in the face of fascism today.
I don't believe that the US was founded solely on hate, but then I almost never believe any "all or nothing" commentary (see what I did there...almost never...ha ha).
I've been chatting with right-wing neighbors and they are literally buying into good vs bad messaging that they're hearing from the Christian fascist propaganda that they listen to instead of the news. So for them, it's simple: right-wing is good. I tested them on whether they care about democracy, and sadly, they don't, because they are imagining a perfect (and perfectly white) Christian empire. Ironically, the next moment they're saying except for other types of Christians, because only my type of Christian is truly saved.
Sadly, the Christian denomination that one of my neighbors specifically mentioned was Latter Day Saints. I told her that several of the nicest people I've ever known are Mormon. I added this today because of the recent murderous rampage at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. I've witnessed so-called Christian church leaders preach hatred of other Christian denominations from the pulpit (let alone what they say about those who follow Judaism or Islam or Buddhism, etc.). As Jesus _never_ said: Hate any neighbor who isn't the same religion or denomination of Christian as yourself. :(
I agree, It is hard to believe anything and commentary is the worst. But we do it. Why? I think that the world will be measured as B. C. and A. C. Before the computer and after the computer. Everything appears as in Plato's Cave and the aperture to get out is hard to find, even for the most adventurous.
Monsoon, what have you done in your life that has made this world, this country, a better place. What political behavior have you engaged in, non-violent, to try and change things for the better? Has your life been dedicated to helping others? I doubt it. "We are all Antifa now and Kirk is Horst Wessel, a Nazi? What the hell does that mean?
My history is unimportant, unless one is dedicated to ad hominems. Best to confront the reality of the declarations I make, rather than try to go after me personally. "We are all Antifa now and Kirk is Horst Wessel' requires a bit of research.
This is what I mean as to the reference to Horst Wessel:
"Charlie Kirk: The Horst Wessel of the MAGA movement
WSWS Editorial Board
September 13, 2025
https://www.wsws.org/es/articles/2025/09/13/pers-s13.html
As to my claim, we are all antifa, I think Hedges makes the argument.
You don't answer my question regarding your life time contributions in this world, and then you present me with with an article written in a foreign language? I am not antifa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm also not buying your BS, especially after this non response.
Fran: If you don't read Spanish, try your web browser's translation feature?
Thanks!!!!!!!
I remember your critique of the Black Bloc’s role during Occupy, Chris. I agreed with it then and I agree with your assessment of the present situation.
Remarkable, isn’t it, how much those who dress all in black and mask their faces have in common with those who dress all in white and don hoods to hide their identity?
There is no future in groups that use religion to promote violence or who adopt violence as a substitute for religion. Our future, if we and our children are to have a future, will include a determined focus on building community based on our common goals and on our shared values, rather than on our differences and on exclusivist ideologies that divide us from one another.
There is only the friend- enemy distinction. Who has the whip hand.
That is all.
Absolutely
You again! Absolutely predictable.
What a shallow mind
Ha ha I'm so enjoying your whip-smart comments, even where I have a different take on the subject.
I've tangled some with Feral Finster on past threads, but The Finster also makes some good points or adds food for thought, often in the form we call 'devil's advocate.'
Under current U.S. law there is no mechanism for the president to “designate” a purely domestic group as a terrorist organization the way the State Department designates Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under 8 U.S.C. § 1189.
Here’s how it actually works:
1. Domestic terrorism is defined, not designated.
• 18 U.S.C. § 2331(5) defines “domestic terrorism” for investigative/prosecutorial purposes.
• It creates no process for putting a U.S. group on a list.
2. Material-support laws apply only to FTOs.
• 18 U.S.C. § 2339B (material support) applies to foreign groups officially designated by the Secretary of State, not to domestic movements.
3. What a president could do instead:
• Direct federal agencies to prioritize investigations or prosecutions of individuals who commit crimes that meet the statutory definition of domestic terrorism (e.g., arson, conspiracy, weapons violations).
• Encourage the Treasury’s OFAC to sanction individuals if they have a foreign nexus (money laundering, etc.).
• Request new legislation from Congress creating a domestic-terror designation—something both civil-liberties and law-enforcement groups have historically opposed.
So a statement like Trump's is political messaging. It doesn’t itself create new legal powers. Any investigation of people “funding Antifa” would still have to rely on existing criminal statutes—fraud, weapons offenses, conspiracy, etc.—and meet normal constitutional standards of probable cause and due process.
Thanks for sharing these valuable citations and other data, Kent Smith.
But aren't we seeing a disregard for niceties such as what the law actually allows, including international law? Aren't we seeing people sent to foreign prisons without due process? Aren't multiple constitutional standards under challenge by the current administration?
Another example of how Trump either has no clue about the law or considers himself so far above the law, that as "emperor with no clothes" he can say whatever. Whether it can come to pass is irrelevant to his modus operandi.
If he actually respected the laws and operated within the bounds of the laws.
Someone once remarked that the protests we see today are little more than elaborate parades, a grand display of dissent that ultimately leaves the powerful—like oligarchs—laughing at us, fully aware that no real change will come from our efforts. Yet, in the midst of this cynical viewpoint, there exists another perspective that urges us to continue these demonstrations despite their perceived futility. This commentator emphasizes the importance of peaceful civil disobedience reminiscent of the tactics employed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., advocating for a strategy where we intentionally disrupt the status quo. The idea is simple yet powerful: gum up the works and be willing to face the consequences, even if it means being arrested for something as minor as a misdemeanor. In my own case, there’s an added layer of complexity; I might even risk deportation back to Brooklyn if things go south.
But beyond personal stakes lies a broader message: when we protest, we should do so in solidarity with one another—locking arms with fellow activists and truly halting the machinery of oppression. This collective action could serve as a catalyst for transformative change before it becomes too late to act decisively; after all, time is not on our side—the clock is ticking relentlessly onward. Each moment wasted could mean lost opportunities for justice and equity. So let’s unite our voices and actions to amplify our demands for change because together we might just be able to turn this parade into something far more impactful than mere spectacle—a movement capable of reshaping our future.
"The people united will never be defeated!" but there is a tipping point that must be consistently reached and enacted. Protest is important and we should remember that the right to protest can be taken away too. Then there is only active rebellion.
Umm, like? Seriously the thought of being labeled "antifa" made me laugh for a moment because I'm proudly anti-fascist and hello, fascism is against the US Constitution. Yup, I'm agin' it.
I read that "antifa" was created to stand up to Proud Boys and other violence-seeking right-wing groups? It sounds nobel, but fighting fire with fire applies best to actual fire fighting. Using violence to end violence, not so much.
Antifa activists, can you see that your tactics pit you against law enforcement more often than against the bully boys? Do you see law enforcement officers as people who joined the force to do good, and not because they want to see democracy replaced with a fascist dictatorship? Several Proud Boy leaders were prosecuted for the Jan. 6th mob attack on the US Capitol building...this is US justice in action...no thanks to you for so much random tearing down.
In support of Hedges assertion that destructive and violent antifa actions are feeding into the right wing narrative, I've had several recent conversations with right wing locals in which they repeated dumbed-down good/right vs evil/left messaging. This includes a false narrative in which only the left is violent, hence they cheered the Trump administration declaring antifa a terrorist organization. Those who direct the US incarceration system have found it extremely useful to classify huge numbers of inmates as gang members or associates, after which the inmate can be put in solitary confinement and denied contact with family members, etc. With this new ruling, antifa members, anyone who can be classified as an associate, and just about anyone who attempts to defend the US Constitution and what's left of our democracy against fascism might expect the same treatment.
Antifa is an op, in a word, whether all of its members are aware of it or not. Of course it is infiltrated by the state. This is the presumption that the state must rebut. This is the point of departure, not the opposite.
You assume that anyone of influence and authority cares about law or standards of innocence or guilt.
They do not.
As always Chris, I really enjoy reading your work. Your ability to succinctly boil down complex issues into enjoyable reading is second to none.
A note - I find myself disagreeing with your conflation of the generalization of "antifa" with the Black Bloc movement. You yourself said that antifa has no real organization or structure to it, and I would contextualize the ideology to just that - a belief in which leftist groups can identify. I hate associating the entire antifa movement to the actions of Black Bloc, actions that I personally find hard to support. I also was only 12 during the Occupy movement, so my experience there was nonexistent.
I believe that to be antifa is to be antifascist, something that most left-wing groups from the DSA to the PSL to the Food Not Bombs organization could subscribe to. When you say we are all antifa, I sincerely agree with you, not because the state is proscribing all of us to be antifa, but because we are all truly against fascism.
Just a thought! Again, love your work, and hope to hear some input from others on their thoughts!
I appreciate this and I agree with much you say. My view is if you want to fix the United States the only way is for mass shutdowns of the society, I understand this is likely impossible but it's the only solution I see other than violence. You must shut the system down. And as I said, this will not happen because the American people are not shut the system down sort of folks. They are in the words that Facebook will not let you use... Sheep! And forced to be sheep by the hardships worsening in their existence. But it's too late anyway. Read this essay where I mimic Hunter s Thompson. https://heininger.substack.com/p/gonzo-in-the-shadow-of-gold-americas?r=16lm0
Massacre Of The Dreamers
“While Pan dances
skeletons build thrones...”
Anonymous
“The talent to mystify others
is the queen of tyranny.”
Ernest Becker
“…forgetting that we are all
in the ghetto, that the ghetto is
walled in, that outside the ghetto
reign the lords of death, and that
close by the train is waiting.”
Primo Levi
1) Millennialists’ Denouement
Giggles, hoot
& howl erupt from rank
crypts of deep state goons
in the machine, trolls, flaggots
& factcheckers who mock
with pitch & insult stinko
with panic porn, pro forma accusations
& token phantasmagoria sure to
set agog cybernaut junkies,
dimwits & future catechumens
primed to take refuge
in nonsensical ad hominem,
to repose in mass-formation
psychosis, to wither when fingered
for failure to comply by phantom
kapos of 5G digital gulags, who
check on em’& double check
as accountability fades within
redeye google protocols
& faceless facebook
algorithms.
Somewhere,
therein, in bouts
with fractious passions
stress spills over in free fantasia
of animus & vitriol. And
virulence blights intriguers’ jaded
body politic with calor, rubor,
dolor & tumor, as incurable seers
of the Great Reset, “therapeutic” fascism,
& AI rulable utopias breed outa’
control, goose-stepping across
world stages clustered round by
stoked proles outfitted with pitchforks
& AK 47 assault rifles, prowling
amongst gaslit multitudes....
Meanwhile in Montana,
thruout Massachusetts, in Idaho,
in Ohio, fer crissake! fellow late day
wannabe saints & end-timers, otherworldly
brethren bred on Biblical apocrypha
mindfly under man-gods’ heavenly
vapours seeded with deceits
& debasements.
And even—god willing—any
should be intervened—YEA,
even once & for all opt out!
—they’ll still fall prey
to ultimate predators: fiasco
jack-offs, blowback profiteers
& shock & awe autocrats....
Still fall prey to black
budget racketeers selling them
on how & when to slowly
die to self interests:
Get a job, Dork!
Your right-to-work
To top off corpo-techno
Communists’ coffers.
Nine-to-five, eight-to
Four...
CLOCK DA FUCK IN!
And as NYSE
futures push past last
restraints of “free” market
supplies & demands, death-eaters
surface to nourish themselves
without end, feasting on youth
bred to obesity on banal evils,
cowed by political correctness
in coca cola schools endorsed
& policed by parental snowflakes
blown away by so prodigal
a display...
O Hail! Hail Hearty
Corrupting Winds! howling
Through media conglomerates,
WEF & big pharma hallways,
Stripmalls & supreme court
Chambers...
FEED THE BEAST!
FEED THE BEAST!
Critical thinking
so finally breached, flood gates
swing wider open still & sick-slick
scholars, craven apologists
& pay rolled polltakers run amuck
with consensus glut & studies
concocted by corporate
thinktankers.
And when so speciously
un-refutable a SAY SO sez so&so&so...
realpolitik fallout flares across
bio-regions gone dark. And NO ONE
can go on doubling down on
climate denial free of lethal toxins
& vulturine perfidy; NO ONE
can go on unpolluted in ashrams,
secluded in gated communities;
nor hunkered down in Homeland
Security bunkers no matter
how assuredly secured.
No! only outcries
of rescue will escape onto
deaf ears of brutes,
gaolers & powerbrokers who
rule Wal-Mart’d ghettos
with icy contempt for inmates
long satisfied with victimage comforts;
defrauded inmates condemned
in absentia to Exxon debtor
prisons patrolled by lurid habeas
corpses tolling death knells
to quicken ecocide & kick-start
the Massacre Of The
Dreamers...
Once begun,
& heroic, consolatory myths
no longer hold sway, some biden
fluffer neocons or “last emperor”
trumpster dumpster divers—plugged
with electroplated gold amulets
of le culte maga up da ass—
will kneel in extreme unction on
desolate cul-de-sacs & be
reborn into a manic evangelism
of gangster priests robed in kevlar
& nazi regalia, extolling virtues
of mutual suicide pacts tapped out
on split skulls with shinbones
of martyrs to the “cause”...
And some will GO
hoping for asylum somewhere,
anywhere else...Oh, but some
will COME hoping & hoping,
fresh blood smeared on
prayerful hands, pressing
close for doled out
blessings...
Some will not...Phew!
Intuit who
to trust in this realtime
sordid debacle. Act out! Militate
in a furor of “Great Refusal”
to hasten collapse of a defunct epoch.
Be nomadic. Explore beyond
where photons go—curved toward
black holes. And finagle to manifest
light with a flicker of intent
on event horizon, so to illumine
nascent worlds into
bright being…
For combat-tested
DREAMERS, flying by the seat
of his/her pants, windborne in eternal
NOW with both eyes wide open
are most apt to escape future
turbulence & survive to seed
fruitful moments...all-ways
trusting in what yearns
to be
free
in all of us.
2. Poet’s Modus Operandi
“ Remember the cruelties!”
Voltaire
My own
severest critic, I strive
to employ an open contempt
so potent to justify my
revolt against cruelest normalities.
And so with sigil, shibboleth,
trope (that human born, that lyrical
kosmic whispering) & discrete metre,
I mean to stave off the tyranny
of bullet-proof, slam dunk truth
before paralysis overtakes in
contagion of pedestrian intrigues,
suddennesses & incoherence.
Then to proclaim
with much fanfare & horns
a-tootin’ Sanctuary!
Sanctuary! from the Massacre
of the Dreamers!
Bloody hell! Such overweening verbosity! Such a lack of ironic precision! Great steaming puddles of diarrhoea! Inchoate caterwauling...
Harsh!
Shut down the system? What does that mean? Those that don't go along with your perspective are sheep? What did you do with your life to make a difference?
When I read the title of this piece, I thought it would be about standing together with antifascists. I have been a follower of Chris Hedges for over a decade and have read all of his books and truly respect his knowledgeand insight, but I believe he got this wrong. Not sure if his personal experience with BlackBloc skewed his view of antifa, but his negative interpretation of their role in the Resistance movement is misplaced. They are certainly not all nihilistic, violent, or destructive. There will be some that vandalize during protests, but it cannot all be blamed on antifa. Focusing on the message of resistance is more important than calling out the destructive acts of a few members. Pushing down or denigrating like minded groups in the resistence movement, even if you don't agree with all of their tactics, does not benefit the broader mission and undermines the solidarity that is needed at this time.