Images play a paramount role for political movements. Depending on the time and place, these images change, and so do common assumptions about certain groups or ideas.
Not long ago, the image of the conventional left was a relatively harmless one. Perhaps it was a bunch of dorky students who really, really want everyone to recycle as much as they do. Alternatively, it might have been a hippie drum circle where they only thing being set on fire was a certain herb disguised as a cigarette.
Now, when many of us think of the left, we imagine black-clad teenagers rioting in the streets. Drum circles have been replaced by cars being flipped over, property being destroyed, and political dissidents being either harassed or perhaps even beaten.
The modern left has a severe image problem, and it isn’t going away any time soon. As long as the establishment allows radical factions like Antifa to operate unchallenged, it’s going to look like radicals enjoy the full support of the Democratic Party and other institutions. While this isn’t exactly bad news for Republicans running for office, it’s terrible for America’s political discourse as a whole.
~ Facts Not Memes
