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During the weekend’
Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert, said that the protests “are not kings” are a summary of the time when the catharsis of the country and the civic movement began to fade.
“What we’re seeing is a kind of street gang therapy,” he told Fox News Digital.
Louise Stark, left, and Ken Hughes wear flaming clothing (Mexican Salamander) as they join thousands of other people in the second “No kings” protest. (Clifford Oto / The Stockton Record / USA Today network via imaging photos)
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The demonstration, which drew thousands to the nation’s capital and other similar gatherings across the country, was intended to bring out the participants described as President Donald Trump “and Donald’s Authoritarianism.
According to investigators at the American University who track protest movements, and their findings were first reported by axios, DC Atteeve is an educated white woman in her 40s who reads through friends’ shows or social media.
“The ‘No Kings’ movement allows people to feel a sense of belonging and community,” Alpert said. “Sharing grievances with like-minded people feels good, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
Dr. Jeanine Standard of Canton Sports in a Chicken Chicken Suit as she joins hundreds of other protesters for the Oct 18, 2025 Rally and War Memorial Drive near Peoria Stadium. (Matt Dayhoff / Star Star / USA Today Network via imaging photos)
Alpert, author of his forthcoming book “Therapy Nation,” says that “talking therapy” is everywhere in our culture.
“Talking therapy is everywhere — on dating apps, in the news, even in political news,” she said. “People begin to label others as narcissists or suffer when that can shape me in clinics.”
Demonstrators wearing flaming clothes rally on Pennsylvania Avenue during a protest of kings in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo / Jose Luis Magana)
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Alpert sees that hunger for communication as a nod to “no kings”.
“People have a desire for community, and this gives them a place to dictate that. They are surrounded by others who confirm how they feel,” she said. “Some protestors equate the movement of kings with the civil rights movement. In their mind, there is equality, but in reality it is not. They want to be part of something historic – and nostalgia can distort the perception.”
That category of catharsis, Alpert added, can also detect something dark.
“Many times people are not happy in their life,” she said. “They can have anxiety or anger, and they do that to others. That’s partly what we see playing out in these circles.”
Kim Armstrong wears a flaming ivory robe in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as she joins the protesting kings, a nationwide protest against Donald Trump’s presidency. (Gary cosby Jr. / USA Today Network via imaging photos)
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Why do people wear flaming clothes to protest?
During the “No Kings” protests in all nations last Saturday, each person sporting Rex, elephants and other brightly colored clothing filled the streets. Supporters say burning hats draw attention without violence. The strategy began in Portland, Oregon, during protests against immigration and cultural empowerment activities.
“They want us to be violent,” protester Claudia Schuentz, wearing a hot pig outfit, told the Miami Herald. “You can’t get any less violent than this.”
