Kyle Rittenhouse and the scary future of the American right

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22792136/kyle-rittenhouse-verdict-militia-violence-self-defense


In the apocalyptic imagination of the American far-right, violence plays a central role. The right’s radical extremists believe that mainstream American institutions have been rotted from within, undermined by the nefarious influence of Blacks, Jews, and liberals. White Americans are justified — maybe even obligated — to take up arms to protect their people and their culture.

Immediately after Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal on Friday, the fringe right’s online forums lit up with celebration — and among some, a belief that they too can kill without legal consequence. On Telegram, a secure messaging app popular with extremists, the leader of a neo-Nazi group wrote that the verdict gives “good Americans legal precedent and license to kill violent commies without worrying about doing life in prison if we defend ourselves in a riot.”

There is every reason to take such rhetoric seriously. “It has never taken more than a whisper of approval to fan the flames of militant right action. The Kenosha acquittal is a shout,” writes Kathleen Belew, a historian of white power movements at the University of Chicago. Based on how it’s been cheered in some quarters, the verdict is potentially setting the stage for future violence.

Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project shows that, between January 2020 and June 2021, there were 560 protest events where either demonstrators or counter-demonstrators showed up with guns — about 2 percent of all protests in the United States during the studied time period. The data also shows that these demonstrations are more than five times more likely to involve violent or destructive behavior as compared to unarmed ones.

*snip*

[Ocelot II]

1. Even if he continues to be used by the RW as a symbol of the idea

that ideological opponents can be violently attacked with impunity, Rittenhouse himself will soon be discarded. Once he's done a few TV interviews on Fox and its ilk they'll tire of him. He's a dumb kid who wanted to play hero, and now he's got his wish, but being an ideological football with no more control over his life is gonna suck for him, sooner or later. He even has a publicist now, FFS. If he had a lick of common sense, which is doubtful, or at least if he was getting advice from someone whose goal wasn't to play ideological football with his sorry ass, he or a spokesperson would issue a statement to the effect that he's relieved that the trial is over but he will not be doing any more interviews or making any public appearances, and that he wants to go back to school and carry on with his life, or some such thing. And then lay low for about ten years. But that isn't going to happen, and he'll end up either in trouble again or broke and trying to be relevant, like that loser George Zimmerman. Not that I'll feel sorry for him. But while he might be loving the attention and being feted by some of the very worst people, his fifteen minutes won't last long.

Meanwhile, right-wing assholes will stir up more violence, and they will discover that Rittenhouse's trial was a one-off and that claiming self-defense doesn't work when you're just shooting people because you hate them.

[Nevilledog]

2. Now he's saying he's going to sue the "liberal" media and Biden for defamation.

[Ocelot II]

3. That won't go anywhere, but it's obvious that people with an agenda

have got ahold of him, hoping to milk the whole thing for as much as possible, both for propaganda and for money.

[Initech]

4. Yeah the phrase "useful idiot" comes to mind.

The right wing loves him now - he'll be used as a prop to advance the cause of the gun nuts, MAGA, and the far right's war on protestors. He'll make a few appearances on Fox News and at CPAC, a Trump rally or two, and various events around the country (like the next time Mike Lindell has a brain fart about voter fraud). Then when they no longer need him they'll cast him aside like yesterday's news.

[Cosmocat]

5. Eh

he is going to make mint on it ... probably going to run for office and win.

[Ocelot II]

6. Doubtful. He's just another George Zimmerman.

See what George has been up to since he killed Trayvon Martin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Zimmerman I expect Rittenhouse's life to follow a similar trajectory of arrests, lawsuits, hokey business enterprises, frauds and failures.

[Cosmocat]

8. Zimmermann isnt part of the club

Meaning he isnt white.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/kyle-rittenhouse-is-acquitted-republican-lawmakers-fall-over-each-other-to-offer-him-a-job&ved=2ahUKEwjk3efFjrD0AhVbhXIEHa9nAL4QFnoECA0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw073Xc4fcSkmWw3pSmDXFKW

[I_UndergroundPanther]

7. Another fucking sociopath

Getting a get out of jail free card.

I think that
white "culture" white people defend is racist and evil,but if you look at the personalities and traits of these trash I would bet they are somewhere along the dark triad personality scale.

The culture they are really to save is America becoming one huge abusive "relationship".