Scientific American - USA (2022-05)

May 2022, ScientificAmerican.com 7

ESTABLISHED 1845

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EDITORS EMERITI Mariette DiChristina, John Rennie

drills. I’ve dealt with the spectrum of Coot-

er’s well-defined characters countless times

over the decades and in as many contexts,

from grilling them in jury selections to de-

bates while some work on our farm equip-

ment. As I was ticking off points of agree-

ment with Cooter, I was anxiously awaiting

her take on a topic I’ve found the militia

world fixated on: Antifa, which she describes

as “the antifa (antifascist) movement.”

Militia-speak can’t seem to settle on the

finest-sounding string of bad words to de-

scribe antifa. Having been shot at as a vet-

eran of the Vietnam War, I know fear and

see it in the militia world when its mem-

bers discuss the organization. I’d like to

know if that fear is justified. Cooter’s piece

leaves us with scant tidbits on the subject.

Guy V. Martin, Jr. Montgomery, Ala.

COOTER REPLIES: What we do know is

that groups that long for a fictional past,

especially those with overtly racist motiva-

tions, are more organized and more threat-

ening than those on the left. Antifa is not

represented by a single organization, and

engagement with it is often considered

more of a transitory action, in which some

people may participate for a single protest

or other action rather than necessarily

having a meaningful, long-term group af-

filiation. Strongly ideological individuals

of any political persuasion have the poten-

tial for violent action. But in my opinion,

the fear of antifa in militia communities

and beyond is more about the social change

its presence represents rather than a real or

systematic threat of violence.

E R R ATA
“Lemur Rhythm,” by Jack Tamisiea [Ad-
vances], should have said that the study on
indris showed the first confirmed case of a
nonhuman mammal possessing categori-
cal rhythm similar to that in human music,
not categorical rhythm in general.
Ian Battaglia’s review of The High House
[Recommended] incorrectly describes Flor-
ida as the novel’s setting. The character
Francesca dies in a hurricane in that state,
but the plot centers on the English coast.
In the March 2022 issue, two Advances
articles included illustrations that should
have been credited to Thomas Fuchs:
“Phantom Finger,” by Matthew Hutson, and
“Unusual Flow,” by Rachel Berkowitz.