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In our first two installments, we reviewed the origins of Antifa in Weimar Germany, their repression in 1933, followed by their re-emergence and struggle for control post-WWII and the movement of the group into other nations (US, Britain, Sweden, etc.) The one thing we have not looked at so far—the most important thing, really—is why? Why do this? What motivates young men and women to don the black, carry shields made of plastic drums and plywood, and toss Molotov cocktails and bricks into windows? I believe there are two motivating factors: the pull toward chaos within the human soul, a concept known as lachesism, coupled with an overwhelming sense of collective insufficiency.

The need for chaos

What is lachesism? Lachesism, as defined by Storytellers in their video The Freedom We Find in Chaos and Disaster, is the: “paradoxical desire to be struck by disaster—to go back into primordial chaos to witness the end of the world.” In other words, it is our innate desire (especially amongst men) to see things break down and the shackles of society fall away so that we may test ourselves and determine one thing—can we make it? Can we survive? Will we be weighed, measured, and found wanting?

It is no secret we live in a nation of wealth, security, complexity. Western culture continuously scoffs at ritual, ceremony and visible transitions from childhood to adulthood. Achievement is demanded, not rewarded; praise expected, not earned. The laurel has become a benefit, not a gift bestowed. Few institutions exist where success and progression are celebrated or acknowledged in ritual form—fraternal lodges, the military, and the Church—to name a few; even then it is watered down in these (ask any veteran about “deployment awards”). Everything is flat, nearly equal. There is no real change, no growth. The men and women of Antifa belong to neither of the organizations above and do not believe they need to. So, what do they do? Latch onto the ideology that promises the chances of change, revolution, adventure—communism.

And chaos they found. Just as in 1930, the political order slowly flips on its head. There is no denying it—the unease, the low-level tension, the growing sense something is brewing. The old dichotomies of Right vs Left; Republican vs Democrat are gone. It is now Establishment vs Anti-Establishment. Groups vie for control through force and fifth-generation warfare (think memes, propaganda, and photo-ops) to forge a new order during a potential collapse. That line alone has even this writer amped up, wondering what will happen next. So, the draw to chaos lachesism brings about is real, and it is in this emotional state that Antifa members feel, in a word, legitimate. Much like when Mu’ammar Qaddafi produced a large, bored middle-class of men with his banking reforms, so too have we in America created a class of men and women who have lived for nothing while given everything. They seek challenge and discipline through communism because no one gave it to them in life. No one gave it to them because men failed to do so. And in that failure lies malaise, weakness, insufficiency.

Insufficiency–The Killer of Kings, The Cradle of Communists

What do I mean by insufficiency? Insufficiency, archetypally speaking is the failure to live up to the roles set out for us in life and to not fully engage in the energy necessary for a mature and prosperous adulthood. An example of those who fully engage in their roles are characters such as Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, the portrayal of GEN Patton in Patton or Christ fulfilling His role as Messiah; all three men came into their roles as kings, warriors, and prophets, bringing about balance to a world turned upside down. Antifa, even from just a visual inspection, appears to be made up of emotionally stunted, physically weak men (and women)—young tyrants who rely on anonymity, the power of the black bloc and the shrieking of voices to get their way. This energy is best defined by authors Robert L. Moore and Douglas Gillette in their book King, Warrior, Magician, Lover as the immature masculine archetype of The Highchair Tyrant—a “Little Lord Fauntleroy, sitting in his highchair,” screaming to be fed, loved, and adored. And when these needs are met, much like a cat, are brushed aside after some arbitrary limit known only to the child is reached. The food, adoration and love are splattered all over the wall in return.

An image any parent of a toddler can relate to.

The Highchair Tyrant is the exemplar of “arrogance…childishness and irresponsibility even to himself” (KWML, p.23). If a boy remains on this state, he becomes the Shadow King—the leader who starts with great potential but crashes and burns, often through his own folly. Examples of this exist in our stories and history: Anakin falling to the dark side, Nero letting Rome burn, Caligula in his degeneracy and Stalin in his paranoia-fueled purges. Each man had the potential for greatness while they technically were in positions of power as leaders, they each fell to hubris, due to a lack of maturity and growth.

What does this have to do with Antifa? Frankly, failed parenting—in particular failed, or distant fatherhood. Divorce (which is falling,  thank God), the welfare state , and cultural movements have driven a wedge between fathers and children for decades. This, coupled with scientific establishments like the American Psychological Association classifying the primal, competitive, and constructive urges of men as “psychologically harmful,” our young men don’t realize that their “psychologically harmful” energy must go somewhere—and it has been funneled into destruction, violence and the active seeking out of chaos. True toxic masculinity.

Without the proper role models to provide these young men and women the discipline, wisdom, and knowledge necessary to see through the lies of the world and in their need for struggle have, as Venerable Archbishop Fulton put it: “chosen the Cross in the sense that it has brought back to an egotistic world a sense of discipline, self-abnegation, hard work, study, and dedication” (emphasis added)—all without Christ. They wish for the strict father without the loving mercy of the mother, for they lack both. They remain insufficient.

A Way Forward

The way forward in defeating Antifa (and communism), in the long run, is not violence. We as a nation tried this for nearly fifty years and while material things reduced a material nation (Russia) it did not change the heart nor kill the idea. What is needed is a conversion of the heart—faith, love, hope, charity—for future generations and for those poor, lost souls who walk back from the clutches of this group. These virtues—faith, hope, charity—coupled with strength and unity, can keep our young men and women in the fold and break the back of communism and ensure they fulfill their archetypal roles as men and women.

Written by David Van Vranken. David works as a QA/QC inspector for a general contractor out of Houston, Texas. He also serves in the Army Reserves.. David has previously published at Entropy Mag and Every Day Fiction. Enjoy the article and want to buy David a coffee? Click here.