ANTIFA Isn't a Gang or Organization!
Sick Burns - 10/10/2025
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What I've been watching:
I binged House of Guinness last week and remain enamored with every performance Anthony Boyle gives. I would watch this guy read the dictionary if that was an option. The show interests me as someone with ancestral roots in Ireland, but the messy personal lives of each of the main characters are also compelling.
I resubscribed to Netflix just to watch this show and it was definitely worth it.
Another recommendation is The Onion's "Bad Pedophile" short film about Jeffrey Epstein. It is hilariously absurd and a much needed laugh these days.
What I've been thinking about lately:
It really bothers me how the administration and, in turn, the media, treats antifa as some official organization with like membership cards or something.
Just this week, AG Pam Bondi announced that the feds had arrested the girlfriend of the founder of antifa, which is possibly one of the stupidest statements ever made by a government official.
Antifa is just some guys (and gals, and nonbinary pals). "Antifa" as a term is just a shorthand way of saying "anti-fascist". Anti-fascism has been around since fascism was first developed in the 1920s. So antifa is a belief, and actions opposing the fascist actions of the far right.
It's the people of Weimar Germany who clashed with Nazi party members during Hitler's rise. It was the Italian resistance who tirelessly worked and eventually captured a fleeing Benito Mussolini during the fall of his second regime in northern Italy in 1945. It's the good people who showed up to counter demonstrate against Neo-Nazi rallies all over the globe since the end of World War II.
Trump and his regime, along with the state of Texas, have declared war on "antifa", and the media has depicted it as if the government will be trying to take apart an organized gang. But the danger of the situation is much, much more serious.
Trump has criminalized an idea. Opposing his regime is now considered a thought crime. And most importantly, by positioning anti-fascism as directly opposed to his government, he is implicitly positioning the government as fascist.
That scares the shit out of me, and should terrify anyone still sitting on the sidelines in this struggle. I am anti-fascist, I do not need a membership card to declare that. I am simply an American with thoughts and beliefs of my own. That used to be sacrosanct throughout society.
I guess those days are over. It is the dark times now.
What I'm obsessed with:
The Portland, OR antifa frogs.
These guys are hilarious and really expose the regime's absurd claims about the city of Portland, OR being a "war zone". Them showing up at every protest and dancing, alongside a whole brigade of inflatable mascot characters (along with the Chicago "chicken man", makes it difficult for news outlets to use video to reinforce the White House's lie that these cities are in open revolt and in need of Trump invoking the Insurrection Act.
You can't say a city is a literal warzone, and in open revolt, and then cut to a scene of inflatable frogs dancing in front of lines of soldier-cosplay ICE agents.
What I worked on this week:
This was a very busy week for me!
On Monday, I published a piece on here about how unlivable Trump's America is and how we must not tolerate the anti-American actions of this regime: https://www.burnsnotice.com/we-cant-live-like-this/
On Wednesday, I published an interesting interview with the new executive director of the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, Chastity Bowick.
We chatted about how white trans folks are now experiencing how Black trans people have always been treated, how things are even worse now for Black trans folks, and how the only way through this is with solidarity with each other: https://www.burnsnotice.com/black-trans-folks-have-been-here-before/
Later on Wednesday, the podcast published a new episode, collabing with the co-hosts of The War on Cars podcast about how pro-car propaganda has ruined American cities:
I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight this insanely cool illustration we had on this week's post on The Flytrap. Get it on a poster, t-shirt, or hat here:
I have some cool plans for next week, including an interview with a Capitol Hill reporter who will help us understand exactly how trans rights fits in with this government shutdown and the funding talks.
Final Words:
"We took the freedom of speech away..." -President Donald Trump, 10/9/2025
Thank you for reading! Have a good weekend! If you appreciated this piece, consider becoming a subscriber!
-Katelyn
