An open letter to Cracked.com or more specifically the writers involved with “How to Actually Cover Stories About Antifa” https://youtu.be/SVOuY7hoqEs
I am writing this to inform you that I will no longer be patroning your website or any brands affiliated with your name. This is due to your recent coverage of the violent group called Antifa. I found your coverage horrifying at how little you really covered such a wide spanning group while you were defending their actions because they are attacking Nazis. Any group that uses force as a means for political or social discourse are cowards and thugs. I do agree with some of your coverage especially the bashing of the alt right, neo-Nazis, and the new laws being passed actively impeding our right to peacefully gather. But your lackluster coverage of what Antifa has done and will do to others they disagree with is what I found so disconcerting.
Your video article stated the group Patriot Prayers are “Trolls that are specifically looking to get into fights with Antifa.” While I do not know any of the Patriot Prayers motives, personally it sounds highly unlikely that they would organize an event to specifically harass with the goal of inciting physical altercations. Now they might have created an event to directly oppose Antifa because Antifa has and attempts to shut down many rallies built around the freedom of speech. I find it preposterous to ascribe those goals when Antifa arrive as a group clad in black wielding weapons and shields. Now I am not saying Patriot Prayers is any better. You reported their members showed up clad in the same gear therefore they are just as bad. Any group that goes to a public event seeking violence is atrocious and should be ridiculed for their actions as you failed to do so with Antifa. But this event held by Patriot Prayers is not the only time Antifa has reared its ugly head.
Antifa has been very active in the recent years going to many peaceful gatherings where free speech and discourse was the main goal. They do not go for this discourse in fact it is to shut these events down by causing mayhem and havoc. The Milo Yiannopoulos event at U.C. Berkeley on February 1st when an entire speaking engagement that got cancelled and is a prime example [1]. Antifa members stormed then destroyed parts of the building where it was held causing the speakers safety to be threatened. I have not heard of any alt-righters or neo-nazis at this gathering so how can you attempt to say that Antifa is a force only targeting those hate filled groups? You cannot, that is why you purposefully withheld that information. Now I can concede that not all $100,000 dollars of property damage that occurred on Feb. 1st was conducted by Antifa but they were the spark that started the fire. You sit there and defend them while fanning their ever growing flames of violence and horrible actions against those who just want to have a conversation. I agree with your main point that we should detest and stop Nazis but should we not stop a group that is sinking to the Nazis level? I think so.
One part of your show I really enjoyed is when you looked down on us the viewers and assumed they we do not know what Fascism and Totalitarianism are; really shows what you think of our intelligence. While I do agree with your definitions of those words and that Antifa does not specifically meet the criteria, on the fact that they are not governing bodies, I disagree with your thought that they are not totalitarian in nature. You argue that being just violent is not totalitarian which I agree with. Antifa is not violent for the sake of being destructive they have a goal which is to shut down all those that have a differing opinion. Violence is their tool to stop other people's speech which is controlling that person’s life without consent. Disallowing people the ability to see, hear, or say what they want. This is a clear step towards control. A private organization cannot tell me what I can see, read, write, or think because I am a citizen of our great United States of America and Antifa is heading down a slippery slope.
I think everyone can agree that Nazis and totalitarianism are both very bad. We can also agree that two separate groups that use similar tactics of Nazis should be getting the same amount of negative publicity. Not in your eyes Cracked. A large part of your show was condemning modern media for writing the same amount of articles disavowing Nazis and Antifa alike. Should we as a people herald Antifa because they supposedly go and attack Nazis? No, they are just as violent, if not more than, Nazis and should be castigated for their actions just like Nazis. Physical violence should never be accepted in a modern world and the fact that you're willing to look past that because their attacks are aimed at hate groups (protip it’s not just Nazis they are targeting.) is horrible and you should feel bad for ever backing such a detestable group.
The fact that you’re defending a violent group is one thing but to attempt to compare Antifa and a great civils rights activist like Martin Luther King Jr. is just atrocious. Martin Luther King Jr. Was a great man that pushed America into a better place through thoughtful and peaceful action by leading protests, rallies, and sit ins. Antifa instead go to other people's peaceful rallies attempting to shut them down with violence and hate spewed towards others with differing opinions. The fact that you even attempt to compare this group with such a legendary man is absolutely despicable. All this accomplishes is to tarnish his legacy and everything he fought for so please, stop.
Finally you cite Jean-Paul Sartres with a really long quote that would take up most of this paragraph. Instead I’ll summarize your points. Neo-Nazis alter rules to fit their needs and will march in the streets with military grade equipment to intimidate while calling for racial subjugation and when cornered shed their uniform of hate. If we classify Neo-Nazis this way then I see a fair amount of parallels to Antifa and the way they operate. Groups affiliated with Antifa are marching in the streets with rifles in an attempt to intimidate [2]. Antifa commonly wears all black with their face covered while stashing clothes to quickly change into after committing violence against others. If they are such great people then why must they hide their faces when in public? Antifa also “Twist the rules of decency and engagement to their advantage.” by not allowing debate. Instead they sink to violence because they know that their motives and arguments are faulty.
I’ll try to end this quickly as this has already been a very long letter. As a multi-racial American living in the United States I hate Nazis and white nationalist but I also hate people who attempt to take away my inalienable rights just as much. During this piece of “news” you did say violence is bad but that is not the issue here. You are defending and almost victimizing these people that use violence to push an agenda. The true victims are the normal U.S. citizens that just want to have an even and calm discussion while you help normalize a group of violent thugs. Looking at the comment section of your video deeply worries me because there are many people who are heralding this as a good article trying to help the common man. You as a “journalistic” source have a duty to present the whole story not just the pieces you pick and choose. You ridicule the media for not disavowing white nationalist enough while also protecting a group that conducts themselves in the same fashion, seems hypocritical. I will be attaching multiple news articles doing what you failed hopefully enlightening people of the threat that Antifa truly is. This will be the last time I ever watch anything attached to Cracked and please have a nice day.
From,
Casey Barton
Articles/Citations
[1]
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/01/milo-yiannopoulos-uc-berke...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/25/berkeley-free-speech-protests...
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/09/28/antifa-violence-forces-berkeley-cam...
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-14/antifa-clashes-police-seattle
[2]
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/antifa-movement-anti-trump-p...
https://www.ammoland.com/2017/03/heavily-armed-trump-protestors-march-on...
https://youtu.be/RmNz2jGzsDA
