The Ideologies of ANTIFA and BLM in a Nutshell

Both ANTIFA and BLM have been in the news a lot lately, but very few people know what they are really about. I thought I would offer up this brief explanation.

Both ANTIFA and BLM are inspired by Leftwing Marxist teachings but they are not identical. ANTIFA is a ‘traditional’ Stalinist/Leninist Marxist revolutionary movement that seeks to create a Utopian Socialist state by creating a conflict between the working class and the capitalists through a class war. BLM is a Neo-Marxist revolutionary movement that seeks to create a Utopian socialist inspired world by creating multiple cleavages between races, ethnic groups, religions, and economic and cultural backgrounds through a race war. Both organizations seem similar in that they believe that for their Utopian visions of the future to take place the current system must be shattered and destroyed so that a new age of equality can begin.

The differences between ANTIFA and BLM are subtle but they are not insignificant.

Don’t be terribly surprised when you talk to your friends in ANTIFA and BLM and they do not share the above described ideological beliefs. Most Marxist movements do not spend a lot of time on ideological issues other than creating a basic belief system among followers that is inspirational and actionable. Most of the ANTIFA and BLM ‘activists’ you meet in the street know very little about their own movements. And that is how the leaders want it to stay.

Perhaps you would like to know more about the historical rise of these movements and more importantly the ideological underpinnings of both ANTIFA and BLM. I have tried to explain these things to people in the past only to see their eye’s glaze over. Most people are not interested in any of this stuff. Pity, I find it fascinating. I shall not attempt that here. If you are really interested feel free to do your own research!

Perhaps you don’t trust me — after all your friends in ANTIFA are talking about creating an anarchic state where people are free to do what they want when they want as they want with no one from the top telling anyone what to do, and your friends in BLM are telling you that its all about Black Lives and restitution and reparation of past wrongs. None of this Marxist stuff! Well again, feel free to go investigate on your own. Its all open and available for anyone who is curious enough to explore.

More pointedly you may suggest that the differences between ANTIFA and BLM that I described above are not really that important. This is something I will address.

Again, ANTIFA is based upon a traditional ideology of Stalinist/Leninist Marxism. BLM is based upon a more recent school of thought sometimes referred to as Neo-Marxism. Why these subtle differences are significant is because they create very different movements with very different goals and potential outcomes.

ANTIFA relies upon the old Marxist tactic of revolution through class warfare. After the revolution the means of production as well as the management of the state will be vested in the Dictatorship of the Proletariat insuring a fair and equitable future based upon science and progress!

BLM is based upon something different. Neo-Marxism grew out of the failures of traditional Marxist revolutions. Neo-Marxists acknowledge the past failures of Marxism but still believe in the underlying principals. Neo-Marxists declare that class warfare was a failure because it was not a strong enough division to base a societal revolution upon. Historically most of the working class ended up opposing the Communist Revolution and either actively supported the counter-revolution or simply refused to take sides. As such the Neo-Marxists have decided that there needs to be a more powerful basis to split society apart; race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, etc. are the cracks that allow them to divide and conquer. BLM in particular is based upon starting and winning a race war.

Thus the two movements believe in a very different tactics regarding the Revolution.

What makes the two movements even more different is their ultimate goals which are not compatible. ANTIFA sees the creation of a traditional Communist State run by the Party on egalitarian grounds without any future racial, ethnic, religious or other differences between peoples. BLM sees a very different world where the past oppressors are punished, preferably to extinction, and the new world will based upon those very racial, ethnic, and religious differences that are supposed to be eliminated in traditional Marxist ideology.

If ANTIFA gets what it wants the world will become a cool version of the Soviet Union with fewer tanks and all the comrades having the same high quality cellphone, Universal Basic Income, a 30 hour work week for those so inclined to work, etc. If BLM gets what it wants we are going to see a massive Cambodian style Killing Fields where anyone identified as being a member of an ‘oppressive’ race, ethnicity, religion, etc. will be liquidated to make room for those righteous few who remain. Remember, Pol Pot was one of the early Neo-Marxists.

Of the two groups ANTIFA is the least dangerous. They are not very well organized, their ideology is based upon a discredited Communist dogma, and their tactics are crude and unlikely to succeed. BLM on the other hand is very well organized, is very well funded, its core ideology is reprehensible but its public facade has the potential to be attractive to the uninformed, and their tactics are much more subtle and effective.

So pick your poison!