Colin's Last Stand, Episode 36: Tragedy at Charlottesville and The War of Escalation

Thanks Colin, I will!

Molly Bittner

Thank you so much for the kind words. I really appreciate it. I'm pleased with the video, and I'm so glad it did as well as it has.

Colin Moriarty

You're very welcome! Thank you for watching.

Colin Moriarty

It was horrendous.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you! That's really kind of you to say.

Colin Moriarty

Thanks mom! I love and miss you.

Colin Moriarty

Hey James, I'm sorry that this episode didn't work for you! I suspect not every episode of CLS will be up every viewer's alley, so, just keep that in mind. Thank you for your support!

Colin Moriarty

This is a pretty proper post, Timothy! I appreciate your positive feedback, and am glad the video resonated with you.

Colin Moriarty

Hey Molly. Welcome back! I'm glad this video brought you back into the fold. There isn't a person on planet Earth I agree with politically 100% of the time, or maybe even anywhere close. As long as we all keep an open mind and remain reasonable, rational, and kind, I think we can all walk away with something by listening to one another. Enjoy the backlog!

Colin Moriarty

I'm not nearly that clever. =) I just like using that image when I'm saying something that I feel is maybe poignant or something.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you so much for your support, Michael. Welcome!

Colin Moriarty

I'm not hearing very much of this feedback, so I'm gonna keep the levels where they are, but I'll of course keep tweaking, and would love you to continue providing feedback when you feel it's appropriate.

Colin Moriarty

Hey Chuck. I'll respect whatever decision you make! Obviously, I'm not going to temper what I say, and will continue to tell you what's on my mind. Likewise, it's entirely up to you what you do with your money, and should you go, I wish you the best, and thank you for what support you did show, when you showed it!

Colin Moriarty

You're very welcome. Likewise, thank you for watching.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you. The last month or so, I've been getting really great feedback on the videos, and it's pretty cool to see. I agree that they're getting better. I'm starting to hit a rhythm.

Colin Moriarty

The last six or seven videos have been almost entirely scripted, so I'm gonna keep doing them this way. It allows me to structure the video better, say what I need to say more succinctly, ensure I don't leave anything else out, and -- key, I think -- the videos are shorter this way. I hope you understand. Thank yoU!

Colin Moriarty

Good idea. We'll see if I can figure out a specific angle to talk from.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you so much!

Colin Moriarty

You're very welcome. Thank you for your support!

Colin Moriarty

Thank you for your thoughtful feedback! The important thing to remember is that, ultimately, I can't force people to understand what I'm saying, and I'm not going to waste wordcount stating what I think is fairly obvious. Lots of people are looking to get offended by a lot of different things. I wish those mad at me would be mad at what I actually said, and not at what they think I said.

Colin Moriarty

I'm glad you liked the video. Thank you for your support!

Colin Moriarty

Yup! The extremes are ruining polity for all of us, and it'll require all of us to stand up and be the adults this country so badly needs right now.

Colin Moriarty

I anticipate bad things, as well. Reason has to prevail. Reasonable people have to prevail.

Colin Moriarty

All it's going to take is good people like you and I to remember that hating Nazis and white supremacy doesn't mean you have to take the side of another group you loathe.

Colin Moriarty

I personally take no issue with there being consequences for people's vile behavior, BUT it has to be done with accuracy in mind. There has been more than one person in the last week since Charlottesville misidentified and nearly ruined because of this style of, as you said, vigilante justice.

Colin Moriarty

It's too easy to eat, at some people have been saying.

Colin Moriarty

Yup! Antifa will kill someone, too. Mark it.

Colin Moriarty

James it sounds like you and I and probably most of us here on CLS patreon weren't the ones who necessarily "needed to hear this." This is the video I'm sharing with family members that for some odd completely crazy reason think ONLY they're "side" is right and all others are wrong. I'm glad this video exists and I'm glad I can share it with friends and family who have kind of gone off one deep end or another since this election.

Christopher Lee

Colin the way you used scripted mixed with candid in this video was wonderfully executed. A topic like this needs more than just the candid stuff, your well prepared "scripted" moments mixed so well with the "candid" cuts in between each scripted moment. I saw the above comment here saying "this video told me what I already know, both sides are stupid." But this video was and IS NECESSARY. A quick read of comments on any given article on thehill.com or politico etc shows a divided nation of extremes. The radical extremes keep getting "louder" shouting for those who oppose their views to be silenced. I'm glad you included the tweets you got condemning your tweet on the topic. I cannot complement you enough on how well you executed with this video. You're not even a year into this new venture and this video shows you hitting your stride in a whole new way while also reminding all of us why we spend money every month to let you keep making your voice heard. In this video you said everything I've wanted to say about this extremism and you said it better and more succinctly than I am capable of doing myself. The fact that there are those who find this completely common sense video to be "infuriating" and "outrageous" simultaneously blows my fucking mind and reminds me why calm heads need to prevail in this day and age. Bravo Colin.

Christopher Lee

Another great episode, thank you Colin.

A.G.Rowe

What did you guys think of Presidents Trumps press conference. It definitely was not articulated very well, but I feel there were some valid points about the issue at hand.

Nathan R

This might be the definitive episode as of now - Bravo good sir

Marc Boggio

Col, This was your best video yet - and that's saying something since they're all informative and thought provoking. But I personally think that this one was not only timely but that it speaks to and for so many (of us). Thank you for articulating what many of us feel and for helping us to wrap our heads around the fact that things do really need to change. Lead the way--- I'm right behind you, bud. ❤️😘

BettyAnn Moriarty

Big fan here. That said I wasn't digging this particular episode. I don't disagree with anything you said, I just don't know that I needed 15 minutes of you telling me what I already know: both sides are stupid. I think your work is much better when you discuss the causes of such events and maybe historically similar events and what we learned from them. I feel like you could've done a much deeper dive into the causes and consequences rather than what essentially turned into a rant. Anyway, that's my $0.02. Keep up the stellar work.

James Young

I don't have a ton of time for a proper post, so I just wanted to give you props. You expressed my perspective purposely, not just regarding Charlottesville, but the political divide in general. Extremism on both fronts has reinforced the zero sum nature of partisan politics and has been gnawing its way to the center. I don't really regard the comparisons between the Neo-Nazis and AntiFa as being false equivalencies based on their relative scale, since they are both abhorrent in the objectives (and we shouldn't forget that the militant left had it's time of terror in the late 60s, early 70s; the left is not immune to this sort of behvior). As center-left, I always wring my hands when agents on my side of the divide act stupidly, impulsively, or in the main, counterproductively to the left's lofty goals of blind inclusivity. Everyone just needs to shut up for a minute, get over themselves, and start a legitimate dialogue that focuses on finding ways forward together (and perhaps if we can't agree on solutions, we can start by agreeing on the problems). Nobody has a monopoly on good ideas.

Timothy Monnig

Oops I meant to say turn up your mic not on. Lol

Joey Andrzejczyk

Hey Colin - I've been back and forth on your Patreon as I've gone through the political ups and downs this year. Through wanting to detach completely, to returning because I'm sick of all the crazy people. This video brought me back to you again (this sounds like a love story?). Anyhow. It's a good video with a great message. Even though I'm not always 100% on your page (who is 100% with anyone anyways?), I appreciate the middle ground. I find, far too often, I'm silenced because I just want to be a sane human. Well, I'm back and looking forward to digging into videos I missed. <3

Molly Bittner

Fantastic episode, it really ironed out how I feel about the current political landscape. Your explanation really illustrates the frustration I feel regarding the two dumpster-truck on-fire parties that have become slowly hijacked by these extremist. This episode pushed me to finally become a patreon supporter (for any podcast ever). You're doing a great job, keep it up. Don't let the haters get to ya

Great episode as always. Just a suggestion though but I feel the intro music is very loud. When Colin comes in, it's very quiet. So either turn down the intro or turn your mic on I guess. Either way love you #colinwasright

Joey Andrzejczyk

I'm not sure why, but the edit I made to my previous comment keeps getting deleted. The edit said: I'm not certain I'm going to cancel my support yet. I feel strongly about this issue and I'm still not sure how to move forward. I think it's important to stay in the conversation, even when I disagree so much. I'm not sure yet.

Chuck Larrieu

Thank you Colin for being one of the few to cover this issue from a rational and unbiased viewpoint. Unfortunately, we live in a world where being objective on an issue like this can get you labeled as a racist or bigot. Scary times we live in.

ToastIX

I have loved every CLS so far, but your last few episodes have been completely flawless in my mind and I will share them to everyone I know. Well done once again good sir!

jeff rogers

I would say that someone assaulting another person with a bike lock is worse than a Nazi that isn't assaulting another person with a bike lock.

Jason Kelley

I would rather see your beautiful face than the same 5 repeating pictures, Colin. I would like to see more talking directly to the camera shots like in early CLS.

Dominic Dilullo

Awesome video Colin. I would love for you to do an in depth video on tribalism in the future as it dovetails quite nicely with your message in this video (and others). A basic understanding of the psychology of it, and where it comes from, is important to understanding why we all behave the way we do.

Monta

I would reply to chuck but he said he was withdrawing his subscription because of this, so I'm not going to bother. However Colin said at the beginning of the video his was going to be focused differently, because if you need commentary on the exact incident from this weekend, there's already plenty of it. So he went a different direction with it. My take wasn't that everything is equivalent persay, but that we need to not just be aware of the one incident, we need to see all of them for what they are... extremism. And extremism is not ok. Whether one was more extreme than the other wasn't in question I don't think.

Owen

Great stuff Colin, enjoy seeing you get even more passionate and fired up than usual. 12 minute mark forward should forever be known as "Colin's Commandments". Keep rolling dude, we love it!!

Bryan Finck

Thanks for this, bro. Timely and very helpful in this lonely time. Thanks for sacrificing your Sunday to get this to us!

Aaron

Appreciated the video and the dialogue as always. I've been thinking on it through the day and wanted to take some time to engage on it. I hope the feedback here is taken as well as its intended! Many who reacted negatively towards your tweet, and possibly yet on this video, were likely associating your more descriptive framing with Trump's hyper-reductive "on both sides." That comment of his rightly infuriated many, including me, so I'd regret to think that people are blowing off that steam in your direction, though I suspect that's been the case with some. Just wanted to acknowledge that factor. I fully agree on your broader points about the extremes of both ends of the political spectrum, that the world is more complex than idealogues appreciate, and that we should all engage more, and better. with each other. I don't think your video is actively trying to suggest an equivalency between the two groups of protestors. You don't say that here. However, I think that the script goes out of its way to mention them in parallel examples, without providing a sense of context or proportionality. Leaving out that necessary context and proportionality, while keeping the parallel references throughout, definitely suggests some sort of direct comparability. As a result, it's understandable how many would suggest that the tweet, and even the video, promotes a false equivalency. Following is the context I think would better support your broader arguments, lending them credibility instead of undermining them. A terrorist among the Neo-Nazi and white supremacist forces present at Charlottesville committed a premeditated, murderous act of terror, killing one young woman, injuring over a dozen others, and was fully intending to kill more than actually died. Even as their very worst, counter-protestors (ranging from run-of-the-mill to Antifa) did nothing remotely comparable. Not even close. Not taking pains to highlight this essential context, talking about them instead in parallels to imply a sort of equivalence or proportionality, is what can undermine the broader arguments. I seem to recall a similar rhetorical turn in the gun control video, and perhaps others. It's effectively "we're not doing to discuss here the specifics of X and Y, but instead turn our attention to what they can teach us more broadly about about Z." I think that is a totally viable turn in theory (and helps provide focus to the argument), but in practice it requires some attention first to context and proportionality. That turn is incomplete and insufficient without it. If that's left out, the repeated parallelisms do IMPLY an equivalence or comparability that you may or may not desire, and some degree of pushback/feedback is warranted -- and I hope helpful for future videos!

Josiah Lambert

I couldn't agree more. It's time for the adults to show up. This is ridiculous. Both sides suck right now. I'll keep trying to do my part and not give in to either extreme. Last weekend is an example of the extreme right nut jobs cutting loose. But you don't have to look too far in to the past to see what happens when the left wing nut jobs cut loose either. Thank you for making this video Colin. It really is nice to see an adult acting like one and discussing these issues like an adult should and would.

Adam Niksch

I saw some people posting on my various feeds calling liberals to recognize the enemy - I just kept thinking to myself... what does liberal have to do with this? These people aren't conservatives they're extremists. I know conservative. I know republican. These pieces of shit are neither of those things. "Where are the adults" is the best question we can ask right now. Where are the people that are smart enough to know that regardless of the side you're on, behavior like this, is not acceptable. This is not how a human being acts in this day and age. -- And why can't I be opposed to all of it? How blind are we that we're only allowed to call one thing "shitty" at a time. No... This kind of behavior from ANYONE is shitty. I won't stand for it.

Owen

I, as I often do, agree with Colin in principle. And I am particularly saddened and upset when people who fight white supremacists sometimes stoop to the same tactics as Nazi's. However, Chuck Larrieu above makes a good (if extreme) point: Would we have so easily made equivalence between the 9/11 attackers and the also very real issues America has caused in the middle east with decades of bad and frankly careless foreign policy? I know I didn't. For many years I was aware of and even apologetic about some of the things we've done in the middle east that willfully put our self-interests above the safety and even lives of people in Iran and elsewhere. BUT...when those towers went down in 2001, the calculus changed; I still knew what our history had been...and I didn't care. Those terrorists killed 3000 innocent people. Civilians. In my mind, for better or worse, nothing America had done could excuse such a heinous act, and as much as I'm often seen as too pacifist by Conservatives who know me, I had NO issue with our initial response to 9/11. Once we got to Iraq for no good reason & lost focus in Afghanistan, that became another story. Returning to current events, I think equivalence between antifa and actual Nazis marching in our streets is not entirely fair. White Supremacists themselves often argue that any opposition to them....if any is allowed at all...should be conducted with absolute passivity. Many of them, ironically, wax nostalgic about the days of Martin Luther King when, in their rendition, blacks more or less rolled over and acted as human fist sponges accepting violence and death quietly. It seems as if those who oppose white supremacist groups are being asked...nay told...that they must become fist sponges again today and, if they don't...if so much as a trash can is overturned at a Liberal protest, then they are "no better" than Nazis and in fact, as many have suggested in Charlottesville, may be accused of provoking "rightful" retaliation. We once spoke here of the recent tendency in politics for a "win at any cost" mentality, where any compromise or conciliation with an opponent is seen as weakness. I fear the same applies here when politics turns physical & violent. Neither side is willing to swear off violence because, unlike in MLK's day, neither side believes they'll be respected for it, but rather further punished and possible further assaulted should they unilaterally disarm. I wish I knew what could be done, other than hope those who are more moderate can steal back some of this energy.

Stephen J Seidler

My theory of the thing: I don't think the supremacists went there to be violent, but had an attitude that they wouldnt back down anymore. Antifa knew this and strategically engaged in a weaponized guerilla assault on them to get the violence going, knowing the supremacists would respond in force. Antifa is more controlled in their hate and how they employ it violently to achieve their ends. The driver is responsible for what he did, but Antifa is responsible for the battle, as is the police/local government for choosing to stand down. The media is partly responsible for the next one of these, for framing what occured as a supremacists v. "counterprostestors" (or worse "anti-racists"). The bias, corruption, and abuse of power only serve to stoke the flames and radicalize those who see a conspiracy against white, male conservatives.

I understand the problem of the regressive left. Here's the issue. When you put Antifa burning things (which may not even have been perpetrated by them. Milo may have paid people to incite a riot) in the same discussion as a terrorist attack by an actual, literal Nazi, and actual, literal Nazis saluting in the streets, you present a false equivalence. There was only one moral response to what happened in Charlottesville, and that was to condemn Nazis. Trump refused to do this in his first press conference. The "many sides" comment put Nazis on equal footing with other groups. The Nazi community responded well, feeling supported by the President of the United States. You weren't as bad as that. You condemned Nazis and called out the terrorism that occurred. But then you turned it into a discussion about how both sides are bad. That's like saying after 9/11, "Yeah, but US imperialism is really bad too." No. In the discussion about 9/11, you don't talk about US imperialism. Save that for a different conversation. People were just murdered heinously. This analogy is extreme, but you understand how poor taste it is to call out "both sides" after one side commits a terrorist attack. Yes, you can hold complicated opinions of multiple things at the same time, but in a response about Charlottesville, you don't paint nazis with the same broad brush as other people you think are extreme. Let's look at the context of the last, oh, 400 years. White supremacy, white nationalism, and Nazis are the bigger problem. Shutting down speech at universities is bad, an antifa person attacking someone with a bike lock is bad, people celebrating the deaths of cops is bad, all of that is bad. I get you. But Nazis are worse. Can you just say that Nazis are worse? If you can't say that, and if you talk about how bad ALL the extremes are after a Nazi rally, then you are presenting a false equivalence I can't support. I'm going to withdraw my Patreon subscription. I wish you the best of luck.

Chuck Larrieu

Hey Colin, I know there is hate and extremism on both sides, and I understand you using that phrase several times in your video is to call out the left's outrage over Trump saying it but... Is there nothing to be said about timing and context. Why is the day of a tragedy such as this the time to bring up both sides. Why could he not take a moment and directly reference the one side. The side that, in this instance, killed a young woman. The conversation on both sides needs to happen, but to me it wasn't the day of the event. Just wanted to get that off my chest, I love your point of view, especially because it often differs from my own. Beyond.

Mozzafella

It's a shame seeing people calling themselves anti-fascist acting exactly like fascists. Because of these people something good, something I'm proud to say my country was built upon after WW II can be (and is) used as a pejorative term. It's the biggest injustice against the memory of those who actually fought fascism and died just to make sure we could live a decent life. I'm afraid we'll be seeing more of this in the near future, I'm actually scared for the future of our liberal democracies. So it's imperative for us to find a solution, those guys win only when we don't offer a decent alternative within our liberal society. That's, I think, what we really lack right now: the alternative to Donald Trump was Hillary Clinton, I don't think I need to say more.

GabrieleEU

The self righteousness both sides take when the other takes it's turn doing something horrible is so hard for me to comprehend. Both the NeoNazis/White Nationalist and Antifa are cancerous and I don't understand how that's difficult for people to understand. I agree it's not about condemning one or the other, or saying well one is slightly less awful than the other... No, both, both should not be tolerated and normalized. Hitting someone with a bike lock and driving through a crowd of people are two things that are far from acceptable political discord. Really appreciated the topical videos and looking at things with a wider lense like you tend to do. Only one problem though is that I'm constantly wanting more content from ya! Keep up the good work though Colin, if it is only heard by a handful of people on the fringes and in turn pushes then closer to the center it is worth it.

Seth Eden

I enjoyed this one - Colin, you seemed especially fired up by the end. One thing you didn't touch on (likely b/c it hadn't broke yet). Thoughts on the Neo-Nazis getting "outted" on Twitter and fired from their jobs? Feels a little like vigilante justice to me, but I have trouble sympathizing for any of these people. I am a little worried that the unintended consequence of freeing up 40 hrs of their week to plot their next move could backfire. Quick story if you somehow missed it: <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/anti-racists-are-getting-charlottesville-marchers-fired-from-their-jobs-76282" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.bustle.com/p/anti-racists-are-getting-charlottesville-marchers-fired-from-their-jobs-76282</a>

Phil Crone

We need a massive event to unify and refocus all of our attention and priorities. When life is relatively good, people are left to invent problems and fight for imaginary causes.

I don't understand why people can't condemn both. Antifa could just as easily have killed someone as this alt right. The war of escalation works that way. They're all horrible.

Misty