LogFAQs > #926022974

Balrog0 posted...

I mean, the thing that seems conspiratorial to me is the idea that this process is intentionally crafted as a recruitment strategy for white supremacist/white supremacist organizations. The memes you see on places like 4chan or the donald aren't subtly racist at all in my experience, they're openly bigoted. But the process that this person is describing only works if the boys partaking in these memes perceive them as being socially acceptable and find out in embarrassing or shameful ways that they aren't. I'd argue the opposite, they like them because they aren't socially acceptable.

I actually do believe that white supremacists and white supremacy organizations drag these kind of forums for recruits and use them as part of a recruitment strategy; I mean at the end of that thread that person links to the research that shows YouTube radicalized Brazil. But that's an example of a very unintentional rise in extremism, not a particularly tailored or crafted message. The example they use is a dude who does guitar tutorials and bitches about feminists, how is that an example of tricking someone into being alt-right

I just think this particular explanation of how it works is a bit of a stretch like I said. It seems easier to just say that white teenagers are drawn to right wing extremism because they're stupid, don't know or care to know minorities (something they probably pick up from their parents) and lack any other outlets for racial solidarity than to argue they're innocent and not totally going down the rabbit hole of their own accord. I guess that's where she lost me.

but like I said Im not an expert on these issues I could be wrong

I'd go a step further: teenagers (of ALL KINDS) are drawn to counter-culture. Right now the left overwhelmingly dominates the culture war, so teens gravitate to taboo subjects. Teens going goth/punk in the 90s was a counter-culture push LEFT against an at-the-time dominant right culture of authority and "good christian morals". Every kid across every race has their own rebellious phase and they're going to gravitate towards whatever is opposite of their parents.

What she said that IS right, and that I'm willing to bet 99% of people who agree with her will ignore, is that if the cause is shaming someone until they find an outlet, then the cure is empathy and engagement. To take these kids and not try to publicly shame or humiliate them in a combative way, but expose them to other viewpoints in a positive, collaborative way and let them come to their own conclusions without feeling like a spotlight is on them.

But I'd bet good money the takeaway people will get from this is "the right is trying to indoctrinate our children!" and not "this is a monster of our own making".
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"History Is Much Like An Endless Waltz. The Three Beats Of War, Peace And Revolution Continue On Forever." - Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz