(((The Jewish Cowbell))): Unpacking a Gross New Meme from the Alt-Right

[Martinus]

Even if some of these memes are actually inspired by hate (as opposed to just a desire to rile people), is this really a pressing issue we should be caring about? All kinds of nasty right wing white supremacists, antisemites etc. are the margin of the margin in the US right now - they are completely irrelevant. They are not the ones burning down police cars or causing people to lose their jobs because of a not-well-thought-out tweets.

[Jacob]

I don't understand the "troll" point.  Is there any reason to think these people don't believe what they say?  Is there something about degenerate racists harassing people that somehow becomes cute or acceptable because it is done through an internet connection?

Of course we don't understand it. We're all normie scum to be triggered for lulz. Anon chan culture + 17 year old lettowites = /pol/.

I don't think Minsky was saying he doesn't understand the trolls. He was saying he doesn't understand that the argument they're trolls somehow mitigates their actions.

[Legbiter]

Well yes, again, trolls live on the internet. Grow a thicker skin? Journalists complaining about mean tweets is just pathetic.

[Berkut]

Even if some of these memes are actually inspired by hate (as opposed to just a desire to rile people), is this really a pressing issue we should be caring about? All kinds of nasty right wing white supremacists, antisemites etc. are the margin of the margin in the US right now - they are completely irrelevant. They are not the ones burning down police cars or causing people to lose their jobs because of a not-well-thought-out tweets.

<boggle>

I know Marty's embrace of ultra-right bigotry should not really be a surprise anymore, but somehow it still is...I guess that says more about me than it does about him.

[FunkMonk]

Even if some of these memes are actually inspired by hate (as opposed to just a desire to rile people), is this really a pressing issue we should be caring about? All kinds of nasty right wing white supremacists, antisemites etc. are the margin of the margin in the US right now - they are completely irrelevant. They are not the ones burning down police cars or causing people to lose their jobs because of a not-well-thought-out tweets.

[Jacob]

Well yes, again, trolls live on the internet. Grow a thicker skin? Journalists complaining about mean tweets is just pathetic.

Many people live on the internet, not just journalists and trolls. You may chose not to care about what happens online - or to enjoy it for the lulz - but that doesn't mean the rest of the world should ignore it.

[Legbiter]

Agree to disagree.

[LaCroix]

while places like /pol/ of course encourage bigotry, and the attitudes there probably have/do convert people, the same can be said of LGBT and other progressive movements. the internet and its anonymity has done a lot of good and bad, and I agree with the point that I think marti's trying to make: the vast majority of kids who come from chans and other off-color internet communities aren't a threat. they're too few and unpopular; these are the social outcasts.

[MadImmortalMan]

I think for most teenagers, you should assume it's trolling. Even a sincerely held belief when 16 is just a passing (usually)mistake. Most kids say incredibly dumb stuff and then they grow out of it. Sad for these that their bad ideas are on record for internet eternity.

[The Brain]

I'm not a fan of the "young and stupid" line of thinking. "Young and stupid" people do bad things because they (the people) are bad, not because they are young. Lots of people don't act like assholes when they're young.

[Legbiter]

I think for most teenagers, you should assume it's trolling. Even a sincerely held belief when 16 is just a passing (usually)mistake. Most kids say incredibly dumb stuff and then they grow out of it. Sad for these that their bad ideas are on record for internet eternity.

One can imagine a female typist like in the OP writing clickbait for bored office drones on KAPLand, getting tag-teamed by a young Fireblade and Jaron and then writing a similar virtue-signalling screed about the horrible, terrible misogyny on anon message boards. Fetch the smelling salts! 

[LaCroix]

I'm not a fan of the "young and stupid" line of thinking. "Young and stupid" people do bad things because they (the people) are bad, not because they are young. Lots of people don't act like assholes when they're young.

very few young people do bad things because they're actually Bad People. most young people who do bad things do so because they're highly susceptible to external influence: some of these internet communities. then, once they mature and enter the real world, many drop those attitudes.

[Admiral Yi]

very few young people do bad things because they're actually Bad People. most young people who do bad things do so because they're highly susceptible to external influence: some of these internet communities. then, once they mature and enter the real world, many drop those attitudes.

I'm reminded of a certain discussion about root causes of Islamic terrorism. 

[The Brain]

I'm not a fan of the "young and stupid" line of thinking. "Young and stupid" people do bad things because they (the people) are bad, not because they are young. Lots of people don't act like assholes when they're young.

very few young people do bad things because they're actually Bad People. most young people who do bad things do so because they're highly susceptible to external influence: some of these internet communities. then, once they mature and enter the real world, many drop those attitudes.

I have been young myself. You are not some puppet without a will just because you are young.

I'm reminded of the "12-year-olds don't know that you don't shoot people" discussion from a while back.

[Sheilbh]

The No True Republican fallacy. 

I don't think it's a contraversial statement to make that Trump engineered a hostile takeover of the better and doesn't actually believe in its ideals. He's been rather up front about the matter.

A takeover's a takeover. He's the Republican candidate for President and has been endorsed by, from what I can see, everyone but Romney. Sorry but he's the face of Republicanism in 2016.

Even if some of these memes are actually inspired by hate (as opposed to just a desire to rile people), is this really a pressing issue we should be caring about? All kinds of nasty right wing white supremacists, antisemites etc. are the margin of the margin in the US right now - they are completely irrelevant. They are not the ones burning down police cars or causing people to lose their jobs because of a not-well-thought-out tweets.

Less of an issue if  Trump hadn't made a habit of retweeting white supremacists and anti-semites. For what it's worth I have the exact same issue with the anti-semitism that I think's been unleashed or unmuzzled on the British left since Corbyn won.