I think three of the things that happened yesterday showed three aspects of right wing extremism in the US.
Atlanta shooting - This is the domestic terror aspect. It shows how there is always some of them that will use violence and commit mass murder over their beliefs. It also displays the response from the white supremacist hegemony. The media repeats their stated motives instead of focusing on actual causes (ie media creating a racial boogeyman to cover for their shitty economics). You see the typical stuff of giving him the benefit of the doubt and making excuses for him unprompted. There’s the police response which is to also cover for him and run PR for him. It’s the “buy him burger king” treatment of these extremists. A brown person could hit 8 people with a truck and national policy would shift overnight to cover it. But a white guy shoots up a place and it’s kid gloves.
Utah highway standoff - This is the funny/farcical expression of right wing extremism. A guy in a truck, that looked like he tried to convert it to a technical, covered in American flags, confronts police. He pulls out a sword and puts on a show. It’s silly, it’s funny. But it still has serious implications. It exposes the same white supremacy existent in the way we deal with it. Cops didn’t shoot him. They basically let him run it out before catching him. From the same state a POC man was shot for wearing a cosplay costume and carrying a sword.
Guy trying to dome Kamala - Finally, this shows the tragedy of circumstance aspect. The guy was former military. He had clear and documented mental health problems. Because the system was unable to treat it, he stopped taking meds. He had experienced something traumatic overseas and brought it back home. He was drone operator, so murder was gamified for him as a vocation. He was able to get an AR-15 before traveling to DC. Before the pandemic you could get an AR for less than $500. This whole thing shows how blatant systemic problems intersects with individual mental health issues and right wing conspiracy theories about shadow cabals.
Before going to bed I couldn’t help but to notice how these three events perfectly display the ways which we deal with this shit as as society. From the truly hateful fuckers who want to kill you to the funny 4chan losers to the people who would be something else if it weren’t for living under a failed state.
