Brief: Antifascist Woodshed 3: The Kids are Alright

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Apr 5, 2025

The discussion dives into the challenges of anti-fascist parenting, highlighting the impact of contemporary figures like Andrew Tate. It critiques the Netflix series 'Adolescence' for its portrayal of education and misrepresentation of youth experiences. The hosts reflect on Sophie Scholl's bravery against tyranny, emphasizing the need for moral courage in today's political climate. They explore how adult anxieties influence children's perceptions and stress the importance of genuine engagement, role models, and fostering critical thinking in young minds.

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ANECDOTE

Adolescence Depiction

The Netflix series Adolescence portrays a chaotic school environment filled with disengaged teachers and out-of-control students.
This depiction reinforces negative stereotypes about schools and ignores the complexities of school quality.

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INSIGHT

Conservative Viewpoints

The series Adolescence promotes the idea that schools are failing and kids are inherently difficult.
This reinforces conservative viewpoints that individual discipline and personal responsibility are the solutions.

insights

INSIGHT

Southgate's Speech Analysis

Gareth Southgate's speech combines valid concerns about declining community support with conservative viewpoints on boys and online activity.
His statement about boys owning smartphones more than living with dads erases the role of mothers.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Navigating Anti-Fascist Parenting and Role Models

02:09 • 2min

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Understanding Children Beyond Political Projections

04:35 • 2min

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Navigating Modern Education and Youth Challenges

07:02 • 30min

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Striving for Anti-Fascist Education

37:27 • 5min

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Sophie Scholl: A Voice Against Tyranny

42:47 • 4min

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The People's Republic of Neverland

The Child versus the State

Robb Johnson

This book is both a personal memoir and a critical analysis of the education system. It celebrates children's innate desire to learn and critiques the bureaucratic interference in schools. Johnson argues that schools have become contested spaces that need to be reclaimed from state control to foster creativity and autonomy in children.

Trust Kids!

Stories on Youth Autonomy and Confronting Adult Supremacy

Carla Joy Bergman

Matt Hern

Trust Kids weaves together diverse perspectives from scholars, activists, and artists to explore relationships with children, emphasizing youth autonomy and questioning adult supremacy. The book offers a fresh perspective on how children can be included, loved, and cared for in more just and egalitarian ways.

Antifascist Dad

12 Conversations to Have with Young People in Tough Times

Matthew Remski

Antifascist Dad offers a framework for parents and educators to have meaningful conversations with tweens and teens about fascism, social justice, and personal empowerment. The book aims to provide accessible tools for navigating complex societal issues.

Anarchist Education and the Modern School

A Francisco Ferrer Reader

Mark Bray

Francisco Ferrer Guardia

Robert H. Haworth

This book gathers Francisco Ferrer's writings on rationalist education, revolutionary violence, and the general strike, providing a comprehensive view of his educational philosophy and its impact on the Modern School movement. It includes translations of Ferrer's works, along with analyses and critiques from various perspectives.

Out of the Ruins

The Emergence of Radical Informal Learning Spaces

Robert Hayworth

John Elmore

Teaching Resistance

Radicals, Revolutionaries, and Cultural Subversives in the Classroom

John Mink

Teaching Resistance is a collection of essays by activist educators from around the world, focusing on radical practices in education. It covers topics such as community self-defense, Black Lives Matter, punk/DIY subculture, anarchist education, and more. The book aims to transform educational spaces and empower students and teachers to fight for genuine change.

C. Thi Nguyen's "Games: Agency as Art" delves into the philosophical underpinnings of game design, exploring the concept of agency as a core element of the player experience. Nguyen argues that games are not merely entertainment but also artistic expressions that shape player agency through their mechanics and narrative. The book examines how different game designs influence player choices and actions, highlighting the interplay between player freedom and the constraints imposed by the game's rules. Nguyen's work challenges traditional notions of art and expands our understanding of how games can be both engaging and thought-provoking. It's a significant contribution to game studies and philosophy.

But the parents? Meh.

When fascism rises, and some young people are drawn into its orbit, because everyone from Jordan Peterson to Andrew Tate has figured out how to exploit resentment at the failures of capitalism, we have an opportunity to give our kids a lot more than moralistic calls for a return to normalcy, compliance, warnings about screen time, striving to be better students, doing more sports, and not making too much of a ruckus (as Marco Rubio calls it).

The kind of parenting that limits itself to restoring the status quo for younger people in an age of fascism is not engaged parenting.

It’s not enough to be a good boy or girl. Antifascism takes more than that.

In this Part One, Matthew previews our main feed discussion of Adolescence (coming this Thursday), parses a speech by Gareth Southgate, wonders why Jonathan Haidt knows nothing about gaming, and remembers Sophie Scholl.