White supremacists are riling up thousands on social media

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-group-technology-buffalo-government-and-politics-4e3dc9e6aeee05161acdc3c0e17a278b


WASHINGTON (AP) — The social media posts are of a distinct type. They hint darkly that the CIA or the FBI are behind mass shootings. They traffic in racist, sexist and homophobic tropes. They revel in the prospect of a “white boy summer.”

White nationalists and supremacists, on accounts often run by young men, are building thriving, macho communities across social media platforms like Instagram, Telegram and TikTok, evading detection with coded hashtags and innuendo.

Their snarky memes and trendy videos are riling up thousands of followers on divisive issues including abortion, guns, immigration and LGBTQ rights. The Department of Homeland Security warned Tuesday that such skewed framing of the subjects could drive extremists to violently attack public places across the U.S. in the coming months.

These type of threats and racist ideology have become so commonplace on social media that it’s nearly impossible for law enforcement to separate internet ramblings from dangerous, potentially violent people, Michael German, who infiltrated white supremacy groups as an FBI agent, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

*snip*

[multigraincracker]

1. We may need

more and larger jails.

Thanks for making me aware of the problem.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

2. Horrifying

The internet had tremendous potential. All the knowledge you can imagine at your fingertips. The ability to socialize with people halfway around the world. "The information superhighway." Such potential to grow - and grow together - as people.

Yet, so many use it to spread hate and conspire with like-minded fascists to create a nation of terror and bigotry.

Instead of using the internet to learn and quit being so ignorant about people not like them, they use it to gather and conspire to harm and kill them.

Technology is neutral, as they say. So, no, I don't blame the internet. I blame what's being done with it.

Sadly, we've learned that a lot of people aren't mature or intelligent enough to handle guns... or the internet.

[brush]

4. They've always been around but with the internet...

they have a tremendous communication tool that they're using. I hope the FBI and other leo agencies are monitoring the sites they frequent.

We also have to help, like the person who saw a bunch of them in the Northwest loading into a van about to attack an LGBTQ+ event.

See something, report something.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

18. I saw them back in my pre-internet BBS days in the early 90's...

It just seems to have gotten so much worse over the last 30 years instead of better. It seems going from local to global has only caused it snowball.

You're right, though. We all have to step up and help. Strength in numbers.

[NJCher]

5. Revised internet

Without evil. I don’t know how they have accomplished it, but it’s written up in this month’s Wired magazine. I didn’t have time to read it when I saw it st the library this morning. Cover story.

[Cheezoholic]

7. The same was said about the printing press n/t

[Abolishinist]

8. Huge difference.

While true that the printing press allowed wholesale dissemination of events, the recipients of such information were widespread and had no way of instantly communicating with each other. With the introduction of 'social media' this has changed.

[Cheezoholic]

11. I agree but there is a difference and a common thread

If you look at history, and try to live at the speed of history, from the 15th century moving forward there has been an age of enlightenment, albeit ever subtle, that continues to this day. Sure, there wasn't the ability to respond to someone on the other side of the planet then, it was argued if there was another side of the planet then. I would argue that the press engaged conversation on a local level that ended up influencing history 10 fold over social media today.
To be arrogant and ignore the past is exactly how we end up where we are.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

19. This

Negative works and "spreading information" for negative goals has existed for centuries. The problem we have now is that there are those who can posting something hateful/violent/bigoted and not only be seen instantly, they can get an instant response.

[hurple]

9. I remember

Back in the mid-90s when Harlan Ellison had a show on the then new Sci-Fi Channel, he predicted exactly this happening if we let "everybody" on that new "internet" thing...

[IngridsLittleAngel]

20. Harlan was often right

He sure could be a pain to deal with but he so often was right when it came to the facts.

[kimbutgar]

15. The internet has been a blessing and a curse at the same time

[IronLionZion]

17. DU is internet. It can be used for good or bad

it's a way to communicate and organize and learn and work, and so on. Unfortunately it can be used to share malicious content and teach people the wrong things.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

21. As I said in the post above

"Technology is neutral." Whether it's the internet or a hammer. If I use a hammer to build a house, that's a good thing. If I use Maxwell's very own official Silver Hammer™ the way Maxwell Edison did.... now it's not a good thing.

The problem isn't the internet.. It's what millions of nutjobs have done with it, sadly.

[vercetti2021]

3. Glad I've taken so many training courses

I want my community to be safe and arm themselves. Sadly its overdue and we need to be prepared for the worst. We don't need to be statistics.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

13. "Walk softly, and carry a big stick."

I don't particularly like guns, and didn't want guns in our home. Where I grew up, everyone had guns for hunting, and I learned to shoot at an early age, and took firearms safety courses.

For some time now, the fascists in the deeply red rural area where I live have been quietly organizing and preparing for violent revolution, and recently I felt forced by necessity to rethink my stance about having firearms in our home.

If the day should come when fascists are kicking in the doors of peaceful, innocent people who disagree with them, we will not be going quietly into the night.

[vercetti2021]

22. Exactly

We've had talks about this for awhile. Especially over the last couple of years. Better to be ready than to be caught with your pants down

[Deuxcents]

6. Sign an Executive Order n draft em.

They wanna fight, they’re full of anger, they got plenty of time on their hands and they wanna be warriors. Perfect. There’s a great place they could be dropped off n they need the help.

[keep_left]

10. What's funny (and prescient) about your suggestion (draft 'em) is a remark made by...

...the Chapo Trap House (podcast) guys a couple of years ago. They mentioned that the morons who join the Proud Boys and other fash groups are the Western world's version of the frustrated young men from Islamic cultures who sign up to be cannon fodder for terrorist organizations like ISIS and Boko Haram.

[uponit7771]

12. K&R,

[moondust]

14. Imagine.

Every day is a Nazi Klan rally and you never have to leave mommy's basement to get a piece of the action.

[haele]

16. Geez, do they want to turn their "precious white boys" dead or felons?

Pretty soon, they're going to be putting a lot of their oh so special young white men into the same keep them ignorant "lifestyle" punishments they've been putting young men of color into over the past 50 years with the socially crippling drug war and subsequent gang prosecutions.
Oh, but this time they'll win? Because they're white?
Cops don't care about White Trash or "extra" punks. They care about keeping their personal peace ( where they don't have to respond to anything that could put them in danger...), protecting property of corporations and rich folk.
Punk white kids shooting stuff or people up threatens their peace and duty.

Example:If Rittenhouse had 1) shot and killed more than two people in such a manner that 2) he could possibly claim "self defense" under a poorly written law, he would be a felon in prison for a long time. He got off on a very specific stretch of a technicality that I don't think can be replicated by any other stupid white punk or Nationalist Thug.

Haele