'Unhinged' Memes from The 1st Kansas Anti-Fascist Brigade
Opinion/Society/Media - 4 minutes
Lawrence is known for being liberal. Some in the city may think of the area as “moderately left” such as Quora user Rob Hamm who, when asked what it was like to live in Lawrence, KS, replied, “Lawrence is an artsy, well-educated, moderately-left-leaning (because well-educated), community with a strong international element, thanks to the university.”
This review received 32 upvotes since the time of this publishing. However, Lawrence, is one of only two cities in Kansas to have a Democratic Socialists of America Chapter. The city has seen places host “all ages drag shows” like the recent Holiday Holi"slay" Spectacular at Venue 1235, which included a cocktail hour, on Saturday, December 17, 2022.
Left-leaning news source the Kansas Reflector is also aware of the strong leftist ideology that has ahold of the city, releasing an arguably interesting opinion piece about the blue dot in the red state.
All of this is to say, it should be no surprise that the 1st Kansas Anti-Fascist Brigade comes from Lawrence and has been around since January 2017. The page boast 613 likes and 649 followers and posts memes, mostly about how bad police are. However, they do post about other things as well, and these are important to know to get a firm understanding of their ideology.
This meme showcases a leftist ideology that is arguably extremely cringe and devoid of reality. Yes. People are upset that WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner, who has protested the National Anthem in favor of it being removed from the start of games, has been released for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the Merchant of Death. That is arguably a terrible trade. Meanwhile, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan was detained by Russia in December, 2018, and is still a prisoner, and the left has largely been silent about this.
Drag shows were never considered “okay” for children up until a few years ago, and even still, the majority of people believe kids should not attend shows where men dress up as perverted versions of women with big boobs, big hair, revealing dresses, wearing lots of makeup, and dancing sexually while receiving dollar bills. Furthermore, let’s look at the facts regarding shootings and the LGBT community. The Pulse Night Club shooting in 2016 is the most famous case, and while media portrayed it as an act of homophobia, this was not actually the case. The reality is the shooter was a Muslim motivated by U.S. bombings in the Middle East. Furthermore, no evidence was found that the shooter was intentionally targeting gay people. As for the most recent Club Q shooting, the shooter, according to attorneys, is non-binary. Strangely, after that came out, the left really quieted down about it. Furthermore, a study by the National Research Council found during Obama’s presidency that guns are used for self-defense 500,000-3 million times a year. Meanwhile, 94 percent of mass shootings happen in gun free zones.
This meme is ironic for anyone who actually understands capitalism, socialism, and communism. Under socialism and communism, these are literally your only two options. Under capitalism, however, you can become a business owner, choose a career in whatever you’re interested in, and build a life. That’s literally why people escape socialist and communist countries for capitalist countries and not the other way around.
By far the most prevalent memes on this page were memes about disdain for police. Mostly just calling them pigs and ACAB/1312. However, ones like these were also prevalent and by far the most disturbing because this shows a celebration of a police officer being seriously injured or worse. A total dehumanization of people simply because of their career. While I do believe police should be looked at as government, using a broad brush to say they’re all bad is not just immature, it’s reckless.
Conclusion:
All of these memes were taken from the 1st Kansas Anti-Fascist Brigade’s Facebook page, and while they are a small group in Kansas, they still harvest dangerous ideologies. All of these memes were from the last three months, so this is an active group, though, as for now, they do not get much attention.
I do agree with what you said 85%.
I am a registered Republican because I am socially conservative. But I don't fully subscribe to the total unfettered capitalism we are seeing today. It's becoming clearer and clearer businesses are using their clout to write laws to their advantage. Almost all manufacturing jobs that could be outsourced were outsourced decades ago, and nobody besides those immediately affected cared. But the downward mobility is reaching almost everyone else now.
Clinton ended cash welfare, which was reasonable for times when jobs were plentiful and could pay for bills. But times have changed. Even college educated people are looking at jobs that don't pay enough to put ANY roof over their heads - especially in higher cost areas, but it's reaching in to lower cost areas too.
My husband and I both have advanced degrees, but we have bought a plot of land in the "camping" side of a recreational subdivision so we can retire in a travel trailer. I really don't think we'll be able to afford anything better. I shudder to think our kids won't be able to afford anything better, and we were blessed with a mom who was willing to fund a college education for them so they don't have to pay student loan payments on top of unaffordable rent.
A lot of European "mixed" but mostly capitalistic societies have some consideration for average people, but this one doesn't. Astonishingly, even after (a democratic) congress threw away $3 trillion, almost nothing went to increase housing stock, which is now inadequate for average people, leading to spiraling housing prices. Admittedly, that is mostly the democrats fault. But Republicans have this fixation on lowering taxes, always, like a tax rate 0% will bring an ideal society.
Personally, I'd rather have a $70,000 job and pay 20% taxes on it, than have 2 jobs of 29 hours a week each, that pay a total of $30,000 a year, on which one pays zero taxes.