reflectivepundit

What to Make of Last Week’s Shocking Violence: Hate Speech Radicalizes and Violent Words Beget Violence

By Brigitte L. Nacos

When leaders like President Trump describe the would-be mail-bomber Cesar Sayoc and the synagogue mass-shooter Robert D. Bowers as wackos or crazies, they conveniently ignore how domestic terrorists just like their transnational counterparts are radicalized and prompted to translate anger and hate into actual violence.

By all reports, both men were loners, social outsiders, in search for identities by consuming, spreading, and posting themselves right-extremist propaganda and conspiracy theories on social media platforms. Both adored one particular leader—Donald Trump in the Sayoc case and Adolf Hitler in the Bowers case--, both vilified those rejecting their idols and their admired leaders’ ideologies.

If you saw the images and slogans plastered all over the Floridian bomber’s van, you got an idea of the man’s obsession with MAGA Trump propaganda and his hate for those Democrats who are most often rhetorically attacked by the president. As revealed by the Sayoc family’s lawyer, Cesar was utterly apolitical until Trump ran for the GOP presidential nomination. From then on, he embraced everything Trumpian, most of all the divisive “us” versus “them” demagoguery.

Since he had no personal contacts with Trump, the would-be bomber cultivated what social scientists have called para-social interactions with his idol who was a celebrity media personality even before moving into the political arena. Apart from the mainstream media coverage of Trump the pseudo “interactions” occurred via social media.

While for most fans such para-social interactions take place side-by-side with actual relationships, for some individuals they become their sole social life. One should remember here that the term “fan” is related to “fanatic.” When fans become obsessed with their idols, they completely commit to their admired persons’ causes. If that embrace includes rhetorical hate speech, it can lead to hate crimes or terrorism against declared evil-doers, enemies of the people.

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Yesterday, President Trump was eager to point out that the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter was not a supporter of his. True, but not the whole truth! Mass shooter Browers expressed in vile social media posts his complete devotion to violent Neo-Nazi/White Supremacy ideology that during Trump’s candidacy and presidency moved from the fringe closer to or even into mainstream GOP dogma. In the process, right-extreme violence increased in the last three or so years dramatically.

Where the Pittsburgh anti-Semite differs from the bulk of right-wing extremists was seemingly the timing of the endgame: Whereas some well-known neo-Nazis/White Supremacists consider Trump not a “pure” white nationalist but a convenient vessel to bring them closer to their ultimate fight for white supremacy, mass shooter Browers did not share their patience.  

We may never know whether the present atmosphere of hate and anger, stirred by the highest level of governmental leadership, contributed to the unspeakable massacre in Pittsburgh.

We do know that the Florida bomber’s targets were all singled out and attacked by President Trump.

We also know, if there ever was a time for President Trump to show real leadership, real empathy, and real commitment to counter partisan and ideological polarization, it is now.  

President Trump’s Rhetorical Support of Violence and the Mail-Bombs: Violent Words Result in Violent Deeds

By Brigitte L. Nacos

When President Donald Trump in the fashion of a populist demagogue celebrates a congressman who assaulted a reporter for asking a perfectly legitimate question;

When candidate Trump promised to pay legal fees for his fan boys who beat up protesters at his rallies;

When the President and his disciples call for jailing political opponents;  

When the Presidents calls opponents “evil,”

Nobody should be surprised that Trump and his GOP enablers in the Congress and other high offices incite and condone violence.

Yesterday, a pipe bomb was sent to financier George Soros who supports liberal causes. Today, there are reports of possible improvised explosive devices addressed to two other persons that Mr. Trump has relentlessly attacked since he declared his candidacy for the highest office in the land: Ex-Secretary of State und former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton and  Ex-President Barack Obama.

Given the President’s daily dose of lies, alternative facts, and post-truth statements combined with his attacks on Democrats/Liberals as an existential threat to the America he and his equally reactionary supporters want to recapture, nobody should be surprised when more consequential violence will follow.

Under President Trump the United States has become more and more like a banana republic.

The old children’s rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is simply wrong.

Rhetorical attacks on individuals or groups can and do result in great harm. Hate speech can and does encourage individuals and groups to resort to violent actions against the targets of violent rhetoric.

Take the example of Dylann Roof who in 2015 shot to death nine African-Americans at the end of a bible study meeting in a Charleston, S.C., church. In his online “manifesto” he described how posted words on White Supremacy web sites had awoken his racial awareness and convinced him to move from mere words of violence to actual deeds. Since others did not act, he wrote, he had to...

By declaring himself a “nationalist” the President spilled the beans. His ideology is the same as that of those alt-right ideologues, nativists, and racists that marched in Charlottesville. The President’s divisive propaganda at each of his campaign rallies emboldens the violent characters on the extreme right further.

Just think of the members of far right hate-group Proud Boys that brutally attack the political opposition and seem reminiscent of Hitler’s Brown Shirts and Mussolini’s Black Shirts.

What will happen on Election Day and thereafter?