OUTLOUD Interview with
Anti-Flag’s Pat Thedic and Chris Barker
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Anti-Flag’s Chris No.2
on Politics and Youth Activism
By Katie Condon and Laura Herrera
Flower children and activists of all ages made their way under the trees in Greynolds Park in North Miami on April 26 for an anti-war protest organized by Allison Academy senior Sam Glasser. Speakers expressed their views through powerful speeches, poetry and music.
About an hour into the protest, bassist/vocalist Chris No.2 and drummer Pat Thetic of Anti-Flag arrived. Their band, Anti-Flag, is well known for their protestinspiring music. They were asked by Glasser to join the protest and raise awareness before going on stage for their show in Miami.
“We didn’t have anything to do before the show,” Chris No. 2 said. “A friend asked for our help and we backed him.”
Both members spoke to the group with enthusiasm and played Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” Everyone was encouraged to sing along.
We caught up with Chris No.2 before he had to leave to play at Revolution.
Q: Since you are a big band, what made you come for a group of 57 people?
A: We knew that it wasn’t going to be a massive protest. A lot of people believe that you need a million voices to make a change and you don’t. The passion of a few people is what’s going to translate into other things.
Q: What is your personal opinion on youth activism?
A: We believe strongly that change in this world has never come from the top. It has always come from the bottom, and generally it comes from young people fighting for an idea and making it happen. They’re less jaded.
Q: There is a stereotype that the youth is jaded. How do you think the youth can be motivated?
A: I don’t think that it’s the responsibility of anyone to go and knock everybody on the head and say, “You’re not progressive enough.” But it is your job to talk to your friends. I think that there is a correlation between the community that surrounds us and the people we reach out to. But I think that leading by example is a powerful tool.
Q: Since you started Military Free Zone, can you tell us more about the organization and about opting out?
A: There is a provision in the No Child Left Behind Act that states any school receiving federal funding must turn over the roster of its students to the military for recruitment purposes. This has become detrimental. With the recruitment numbers at an alltime low, the military is coming out with shady and predatory practices to get more people to join. The main purpose of the organization is the opt out form. You turn it in and that will remove your name from the list of military recruits.
Q: With the presidential election coming up, do you think any of the candidates are really capable of solving the Iraq war?
A: I know that John McCain is just an extension of the Bush White House. You hear him talk about the hundred years in Iraq. Those aren’t the things I want to hear from a presidential candidate. You hear Barack Obama saying he’s going to end the war, deliver universal health care, aid Darfur and shut down Guantanamo Bay. That excites me.
Q: Barack Obama is known for getting the youth involved. Do you think that youth should be involved in politics?
A: For sure. Honestly, I would lower the voting age to 16 and ask for mandatory voting.
Q: [Everyone has to have an off-topic question.] What was the initial reason you became a vegetarian?
A: For me, I’ll be honest, it was a girl. She was a vegetarian, and she was way cooler than I was. I went to a Bad Religion show and got information from PETA and it further confirmed my decision that she was cooler than I was. Therefore, I became a vegetarian.
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