This week on Banner & Backbone Media’s Anti-Fascist Book Club — Nick Paro, Tara Devlin, and Kristofer Goldsmith continued our discussion of To Catch a Fascist, by Christopher Mathias — and our most important takeaway is this:
The extremist movement in America is not fringe. It is organized.
For years, too many of us dismissed (and continue to dismiss) neo-Nazi and accelerationist groups as scattered, unorganized street thugs. But as Kristofer Goldsmith put it during our discussion:
“This book is everything I have wanted people to know for like five years.”
We reference both Chris and Kris’ reporting and experiences — showing how deeply networked these groups are, how they self-radicalize online, how they infiltrate institutions, and how they deliberately structure influence pipelines. Doing so brings our discussion through
One of the most important themes we returned to was masculinity. These movements rely on a masked and performative masculinity — cosplaying strength while hiding behind pseudonyms, avatars, and coordinated anonymity. We confront it with transparency because the fight against fascism is cultural, digital, and institutional — and this book forces us to stop pretending otherwise.
We encourage you to read along with us, with get a copy of your own — we recommend these resources:
Sign the Petitions:
Call your public servants on important issues:
Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement and de-flock the States:
Service members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:
The America we strive for — it is one where we willingly remember the teachings of our past, humbly learn from our failings, proudly celebrate our successes, and boldly lead the way into a future for all people.
~ Nick Paro | Kristofer Goldsmith | Stephanie Wilson | Tara Devlin ~