Antifa: Role Playing Cowards

In our hectic, everyday lives, many of us focus so heavily on work and family commitments that we neglect the idea of play. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, dear reader, you probably stopped playing. Today, when we somehow manage to carve out some leisure time, we’re more likely to zone out and watch Netflix than engage in actual play. That’s a shame, because play is not just essential for children; it’s an important source of relaxation and stimulation for adults as well.

Engaging in play offers one the opportunity to forget about the nagging boss, loan repayments, PTA meetings, and that expanding waistline. Play offers the opportunity to be social in an unstructured, creative way. This can, of course, involve role play, where individuals assume the identity of fictional characters and embark upon adventures. Some of the parameters of these adventures are specified by the game one is playing; play also allows for lots of imaginative improvisation.

However, as Fifty Shades of Grey demonstrated, improvised play can take a nasty turn very quickly.

In a 2005 article, Vince Londini discussed the dangers associated with extreme improvisation. Players may find themselves swallowed up in an imaginary world, largely detached from reality. They may even confuse the fantasy of the game with the real world. Perhaps Londini should write another essay on Antifa, a group of cowards who engage in sporadic bursts of improvised violence. Though this medley of black-clad anarchists doesn’t have an official leader or headquarters, members tend to worship at the altar of wokeness.

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