Something About The Rally That Still Floors Me

[Initech]

Is how many young people there were on the white supremacist side. I feel like my impression of the angry middle aged department store manager is not the people who we need to worry about. Instead it's kids. It's young and easily impressionable white males who are the angriest and most manipulated. Most of the white supremacists were between 19 and 25 years old. And then this generation will become parents who will raise an new, even angrier and more hateful generation than the one before it.

And the question I want to know is where are these kids getting this money from? Who is funding them? If I were a parent and my son had asked me for money for a trip to attend a rally like this, I'd say hell no!

The other question is where does the hate come from? You saw the one guy who denounced his own son on TV. It's not the parents. Is it Fox News? Is it radio? Is it the internet? Is it online gaming?

So how do liberals get the message out to the youth? Or is this a lost generation?

[virtualobserver]

1. It was actually a small number considering these people came from all over the country

Trump is just bringing this tiny group out of the woodwork

[MineralMan]

2. It is the young people who have the time and energy to

do these things, both for good and evil. They are also the ones who are the most easily convinced to follow whatever path is proposed. It's not just on one side. You'll find youthful faces on both sides. They can participate, so they do participate.

As for funding, most of them are traveling on credit cards, however they travel. They don't have to pay now. They may never pay at all.

[SharonClark]

8. Agree.

[Whiskeytide]

3. For the last 9 years, what...

... do you think they've been hearing at home from their angry middle aged department store dads?

[speaktruthtopower]

4. It's the internet...

[HopeAgain]

5. Their parents are racists too in many cases, I am sure

But they grew up in a time when racism was less emboldened. They keep a lower profile.

[Initech]

7. So I wonder where it suddenly became cool to love Hitler?

I have been going crazy trying to figure this out.

[SweetieD]

6. They are being radicalized online mostly by dating pick up sites and gaming sites. These sites

attract unsocialized and angry young men. Also trolling is seen as being funny. Most of those donald looking like an emporer or god saving whites was spread by young white guys thinking it was funny or ironic, then the leaders in these groups say no they are serious.

The process of radicalization is similar to how isis and Islamic terror groups get young men to join them. The promise of women, turning absurdity into serious matters, giving unsocialized men an identity and purpose.

Also there are many articles about this online. Im just giving a summary.

[SharonClark]

9. Good analysis.

[brush]

10. 30 years of 24/7 hate radio and FOX, and now trump is where they get it from.

You're right, young 20-somethings becoming nazis and white supremacists does not bode well for the future.

[Initech]

13. Yup, and I feel like these people will pass the hate down to their kids.

If this generation is the one that loves Hitler, I fear for the next.

[Books_Tea_Alone]

11. Yes- I'm a teacher and parent

And luckily work with like-minded individuals in a special ed school. However at my daughters school in affluent NNJ I am constantly shocked at the number of high schoolers who profess T.rump's racist views. Every week last year my daughter would come home with examples of hate/racism/sexism spoken out loud in the classroom. The field trip to D.C. in April was alarming with groups of boys buying Maga hats and chanting malicious words to minorities. These kids have no problem espousing their racist views both in and especially outside the classroom. The anger they spout is absolutely stunning for being only 14 yrs old.

They live privileged lives and sadly most of their parents also hold these views. I would say it stems directly from their parents who have no problem with allowing them to access certain white supremacist sites in the internet. These boys are looked up to by their peers and display a lot of secret WP signs.

This is at a top high school in the state. Our town has a 10% minority population and a community of Orthodox Jews is looking to build a temple here. You would not believe the outrage amongst the community and this is passed down to the kids. The comments I've heard from 12 yr olds would shock most people. I took action with the school administration but that frustrating story is for another post.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. They seem to be getting recruited by these white supremacist groups

in much the same way and using the same psychological tools that ISIS uses to recruit young men. Web sites extol the glories of the "cause" and encourage alienated young guys to join up and become "heroes." Here's how ISIS does it:

ISIS recruiting pitches on the Internet are warm and welcoming, with stirring imagery and professionally produced videos. Most are reasonable in tone and content. They are expertly targeted to address real or imagined ambitions and grievances, to appeal to a potential recruit’s sense of adventure, and to offer an attractive cause worth fighting for. The pitches are designed to produce and support a virtual community of ISIS fans, an echo chamber reinforcing the description of ISIS as a social movement devoted to protecting Muslims and to fighting an unfair global system.

The low-hanging fruit for ISIS in its Internet recruiting are people who feel inadequate, disrespected, full of unfulfilled ambitions, angry at real or perceived injustices, and who are blaming other people or institutions for their woes. ISIS supports their grievances and reinforces their belief that the cause of their frustration is outside themselves. By drawing the potential recruits into a fantasy world on the Internet, ISIS channels their blame to “anti-Islamic forces” intent on dominating the world and keeping Muslims down. The only way to alter their dismal situation, ISIS tells these people, is to join the battle to transform the world.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-graham/who-joins-isis-and-why_b_8881810.html

Change a few words and you've got the same hook for young white supremacists: They call to "people who feel inadequate, disrespected, full of unfulfilled ambitions, angry at real or perceived injustices, and who are blaming other people or institutions for their woes" to become heroes and to save "their people" from an unfair multicultural society that keeps white people down. They don't call it "Vanilla ISIS" for nothing.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. I Just Had That Same Conversation With A Guy Here At Work

I too am astounded by how many people have gotten this angry over imaginary slights by their mid=20's. One hasn't lived long enough to be that bitter by that age.

I know it's rooted in white privilege and since they aren't already dot.com billionaires, they feel they've been cheated, but that just makes them totally delusional.

Then their inability to achieve their delusions is someone else's fault?

Weird. But, of course, that's what 50 years of "politics by division" does. Politics is no longer about finding common ground where opinions differ.

[Initech]

15. Bill Maher was so right last week.

His new rule was about how the GOP has become the democrats' crazy ex girlfriend. It's not about politics, it's about how much the republicans hate the liberals. It's very sad.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. You Are Correct!

I saw that too, last week, and didn't make the connection to Bill's piece until you reminded me.l It's sad and ridiculous.

Petulant little brats.

[AlexSFCA]

16. the danger of the alt right is that it leans young

[Iggo]

17. I'm never surprised.

You give kids permission to be assholes and they're gonna be assholes.

[DBoon]

18. Crminal gangs always attract disaffected young males

This gang just happens to be white and privileged