In which Trump is guilty of Stochastic Terrorism

[pokerfan]

I hadn't thought of that term since, IDK, Gabby Giffords or Dr. George Tiller. Because let's face it. Trump didn't go off script today because this is what Republicans do.

Trump's Assassination Dog Whistle Was Even Scarier Than You Think (Rolling Stone)

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."

[C_U_L8R]

1. Sure seems that way

And it seems that they've lost control of their own terrorist movement.

[napkinz]

2. yep