I’ve chosen to highlight this news story because it shows how radicalization begins and also gives insight on how it is fanned. Paul Pelosi’s attacker David DePape has written in notebooks, on Facebook, and Twitter many kinds of screeds — racist, hateful against Jews, Black and trans people, Democrats, and even an invisible fairy that sometimes appears (to DePape) as a bird. The key question is where did he get his information?
The list includes “Gamergate” which shows online abuse of women and continues on to coordinated right-wing and bias-fueled troll attacks. Many people never see the ugly side of technology, i.e., the part that is so filled with hate and disinformation. Instead, we use it to post pictures of our grandchildren, our vacation trips, and during election season, documented information about candidates; we completely miss seeing the sites and the posts that generate the anger, the lies, and the extreme disinformation.
These “gamer” sites are extreme, but there is more. This “more” is the people who hold credible positions and could be role models, but they are not. For example, in no particular order, see these so-called national leaders:
- Rep. Clay Higggins (R-LA) who posted, “That moment you realize the nudist hippie male prostitute LSD guy was the reason your husband didn’t make it to your fundraiser” along side a picture of Nancy Pelosi.
- House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, “I want you to watch Nancy Pelosi hand me that gavel. It will be hard not to hit her with it.”
- VA Governor Youngkin’s response about Nancy Pelosi immediately after Paul Pelosi was attacked, “But we’re going to send her back to be with him in California. That’s what we’re going to go do. That’s what we’re going to go do.”
This hateful trash-talk comes from elected officials, and also from people like Elon Musk, the leaders of the January 6th attack on our democracy, radio talk show hosts, and many more. Judith Faessler, an analyst of extremism at the Bavarian State Office for Protection of the Constitution says the overlap of hate that causes mass shootings and individual attacks with groups like the NeoNazis, white nationalists, and the “haters” who attacked the U.S. Capitol can be used strategically to broaden movements and build constituencies.
Voters who choose the people who promote hate are part of this problem. These elected officials and other people who promote hate do it because voters applaud.
DEAR READER. We hope you aren’t applauding, or if you have, we hope you won’t ever again support the people who spew hate while they happily accept your applause. If you’re one of those people who applaud and who vote for the “hate”, you are part of the problem.