Trump's Assassination Dog Whistle Was Even Scarier Than You Think

[applegrove]

By David S. Cohen at Rolling Stone

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/trumps-assassination-dog-whistle-was-scarier-than-you-think-w433615

SNIP...............


But it's really irrelevant what Trump actually meant, because enough people will hear Trump's comments and think he's calling for people to take up arms against Clinton, her judges or both. Though most of the people hearing that call may claim he was joking, given what we know about people taking up arms in this country, there will undoubtedly be some people who think he was serious and consider the possibility.

In other words, what Trump just did is engage in so-called stochastic terrorism. This is an obscure and non-legal term that has been occasionally discussed in the academic world for the past decade and a half, and it applies with precision here. Stochastic terrorism, as described by a blogger who summarized the concept several years back, means using language and other forms of communication "to incite random actors to carry out violent or terrorist acts that are statistically predictable but individually unpredictable."

Let's break that down in the context of what Trump said. Predicting any one particular individual following his call to use violence against Clinton or her judges is statistically impossible. But we can predict that there could be a presently unknown lone wolf who hears his call and takes action in the future.

Stated differently: Trump puts out the dog-whistle knowing that some dog will hear it, even though he doesn't know which dog.


................SNIP

[Stonepounder]

1. K & R - Absolute MUST read!! n/t

[PJMcK]

2. All it takes is one

In another thread, I posted that most presidential shooters were loners acting from a political perspective. If only one disgruntled character hears the dog whistle, grave danger could ensue.

Donald Trump is a disgusting waste of space. He's also an idiot.

[Trust Buster]

3. I couldn't agree more but I'm shocked at how the media and the DU community is underestimating the

threat to a peaceful transition of power that Trump represents. Elizabeth Warren is portraying this as a sandbox fight between a boy and a girl. For weeks before Rabin's assassination in Israel, chants of "death to Rabin" we're heard and discounted.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

4. Looks like Ann Coulter tactics to me, except for #4.

Just search for what she has publicly said about liberals.

1. A public figure with access to the airwaves or pulpit demonizes a person or group of persons.
2. With repetition, the targeted person or group is gradually dehumanized, depicted as loathsome and dangerous—arousing a combustible combination of fear and moral disgust.
3. Violent images and metaphors, jokes about violence, analogies to past "purges" against reviled groups, use of righteous religious language—all of these typically stop just short of an explicit call to arms.
4. When violence erupts, the public figures who have incited the violence condemn it—claiming no one could possibly have foreseen the 'tragedy.'

[kestrel91316]

5. Excerpt:

"1. A public figure with access to the airwaves or pulpit demonizes a person or group of persons.
2. With repetition, the targeted person or group is gradually dehumanized, depicted as loathsome and dangerous—arousing a combustible combination of fear and moral disgust.
3. Violent images and metaphors, jokes about violence, analogies to past "purges" against reviled groups, use of righteous religious language—all of these typically stop just short of an explicit call to arms.
4. When violence erupts, the public figures who have incited the violence condemn it—claiming no one could possibly have foreseen the 'tragedy.'"
This explains Donald Trump's campaign against Hillary Clinton to a letter. He has 1) demonized her whenever he can by calling her "Crooked Hillary" and constantly degrading her; 2) organized a convention around which the central theme, repeated over and over, was that Clinton is a criminal who needs to be locked up, clearly using fear and moral disgust as motivators; and 3) is now using violent metaphors (or "jokes" if that's what you think his statements were) against her, just short of an explicit call to arms.
Now we just have to hope that #4 doesn't come about – that violence does not erupt. Though, if it does, we know exactly what Trump and his supporters will say: that they never could have foreseen this tragedy.

[Tobin S.]

6. I posted the same article in GD, applegrove, wthout knowiong you had already.

Do you mind if I leave it up?

[applegrove]

22. Oh go ahead. Leave it up. The more exposure the better.

[Tobin S.]

24. Good deal.

[Bob Buttons]

7. Cenk Uygur said it well

As Cenk put it on TYT today, this wasn't a dog whistle, it was a human whistle, and we all heard it.

[DawgHouse]

9. Granny over his left shoulder knew what he meant and she LOL'd.

[Bob Buttons]

10. Yeah, that made me cringe

So many people are tuned out of reality and lost in their own jumble of thoughts. If they were really present in the moment, I can't imagine they would've had the same reaction.

I also wonder how many of these people were driving home, or having a beer afterward, and had that "oh, shit" moment where it finally hit them what he was getting at. Call me a sucker, but I just can't believe anyone who "got it" would be okay with it unless they were really one of those out of touch Alex Jones types.

[Beartracks]

26. If Hillary spoke a veiled threat against Trump's life...

... that would be a bit different story for that granny.

But, ya know... IOKIYANEPATPHR.






(it's okay if you're a narcissistic egotistical passive-aggressive tea party hero Republican).

==============================

[chwaliszewski]

27. Is that a new spin on...

IOKIYASELHB?

(It's okay if you're a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot)

[Buckeye_Democrat]

13. Thanks. Good video to see the sick crowd reaction. n/t

[Skittles]

19. they need to interview these people

don't let them get away with the HE SAYS WHAT HE THINKS fawning - they need to ask them WHAT EXACTLY DOES HE SAY THAT YOU *LIKE*???

[peggysue2]

15. Haven't always agreed with Cenk

But . . . he is on point and absolutely right. This is just one more instance of Trump's careless, dangerous mouth. Not presidential, not funny, not okay.

Trump is vile enough but his surrogates apologizing and e'splaining for this maniac is equally demented. Really Guiliani? Really?

The whole episode is repulsive.

[Skittles]

17. I LOVES ME SOME CENK

his righteous anger reminds me of Lewis Black

[Demsrule86]

21. Good video and absolutely correct.

But what will the Gop do? Nothing. They don't care. Tonight a baby died in Florida of Zika...the GOP Congress could not be bothered to work on Zika before they want on their undeserved holiday...they do nothing...50 women in Florida carrying around babies that have died or will die...the Republicans don't care about this country or anyone in it but themselves.

[wiggs]

8. Same phenomenom as generated by the anti-choice crowds, including OReilly,

when they refer to doctors as murderers....ends up with a real murder perpetrated by someone who is swayed by strong words of fear and hate.

Trump is playing with fire.

[Hoyt]

11. People have been arming up in earrest for this kind of crud since Obama was elected.

[Hekate]

12. Been thinking that for awhile. RW radio specializes in stochastic terrorism....

It's why the fanatics who murder abortion doctors are always "lone wolves." Sure they are.

[Beartracks]

28. How many of them does it take until...

... we acknowledge there's a pack of them?

=========================

[world wide wally]

14. Another troubling aspect of this s is that a lot of people who are old enough to remember the

Kennedy's and Martin Luther King are cheering this shit. That includes Trump himself.
How soon we forget.

[SunSeeker]

16. K & R

[bucolic_frolic]

18. Even in UK

I think the crime of incitement is no longer on the books

Now threats have to be credible, specific, and imminent

[Bob Buttons]

20. Should be fine for general public, but not when running for office

Thing is, I really think we need two standards. One for regular citizens, and another for public officials.

- don't let your personal religion interfere with your public duty
- your words carry weight, use them wisely
- other obvious things like transparency in financial dealings etc.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Never imagined it would need to be a law, but sometimes it does feel like we've gone down a strange path in the past 20 years or so. Maybe it's just availability of information amplifying everything out of control.

[Ilsa]

25. Makes a lot of sense.

And if it can't be codified, it needs to be established as an ethical standard.

[Agschmid]

23. I know him!

So cool.

And it's a great article!

[Rex]

29. Amazing and with his ties to Russia...makes one ask a few questions.

Weakleakers now trying to sabotage our election from Russia. Gee, what the fuck is actually going on here? Of course the pathetic party doesn't pay any attention to this stuff. To them, Trump is rich and in simpleton terms that equals honesty and success.

[Pacifist Patriot]

30. That's the best analysis I've seen on this yet.

Breaks it down in the simplest terms. Scary as fucking hell!

[kimbutgar]

31. So by his attack on Hillary then you could say Cheeto is a terrorist

I agree 100% he would be our first terrorist president because the thought of him becoming president terrorizes me everyday!

[Xipe Totec]

32. Here is a DU post from 4 years ago on the same subject

Here's the mechanism spelled out concisely:

The stochastic terrorist is the person who uses mass media to broadcast memes that incite unstable people to commit violent acts.

One or more unstable people responds to the incitement by becoming a lone wolf and committing a violent act. While their action may have been statistically predictable (e.g. "given the provocation, someone will probably do such-and-such&quot , the specific person and the specific act are not predictable (yet).

The stochastic terrorist then has plausible deniability: "Oh, it was just a lone nut, nobody could have predicted he would do that, and I'm not responsible for what people in my audience do."


http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002982043

[applegrove]

33. Right on.

[napkinz]

34. K&R