The Case For Self-Defense

Not very long ago, I wrote a post about antifa, the "anti-fascist" demi-organization that opposed the white nationalists in Charlottesville, and used its activities there to make the case for self-defense against the wave of racist violence that Donald Trump's Presidency has helped unleash across the country.  As I pointed out at the time, I am not an advocate of antifa.  Like most people, I know too little about it to make any kind of case for or against it.  I did note, and do note again, that they are not the ones creating the casualties in this country right now.  In the case of Charlottesville, it is at least theoretically possible that they may have saved some lives.  And that's the point I wish to focus on in making the case for self-defense once again.

Let's start by talking specifically about events in Charlottesville for a little bit.

The right-wing media have attempted to portray the white nationalists in the city on that day as people who were just upset at what they perceived to be the "political correctness" of removing public monuments to the Confederacy.  In this narrative, they were engaged in legitimate protest, and had no intention of offending the rights of others.

But nothing could be further from the truth.  They weren't there to protest.  They were there to intimidate anyone who wasn't white and male.  Especially Jews.  Take a look.

And what if this type of threat wasn't just limited to one day in Charlottesville?

What if Trump, facing serious legal trouble, and having already shown a willingness to use the Second Amendment as bait to stir up a well-armed crowd, calls upon the member of that crowd to act as his last line of defense when everyone else, even the Republican establishment, has turned against him?  Sound far-fetched?  Well, all I can tell you is that I'm not the first one to raise this concern.

I hate raising such a concern, just as much as I hate violence.  I'm tired of discussing it.  But I'm unbelievably tired of the need to discuss it because, seemingly, every day brings the name of another victim of right-wing anger that seems to find no other outlet.  Violence is now a predictable part of our political lives.  Our lives, period.  I for one can't be a pacifist in the face of that violence.  Not knowing that that pacifism will only be likely to lead to more violence.

And then I see a story like this one, and am forced to wonder:  who should I be more afraid of, the side that's armed, or the side that put itself at risk to help others?

I'm not afraid to defend myself.  And you shouldn't be, either.