Where the Rhetoric Leads: Tracking Proud Boys & Talking Terrorism in Advance of 2020
Hello Again from Sam, the “Proud Boys Whisperer.”
When I last wrote, I shared ways to overcome “fash fatigue,” the vicarious trauma associated with prolonged contact with fascists and people committed to lashing out at society for not rewarding them in the ways they expected.
It gets a bit easier every day.
The larger issue now is information addiction.
FOMO on the latest insanity coming from the white house is very real. the last time I went offline to focus on my comprehensive exams, I heard from my professor that Paris was literally burning.
In addition to prolonged contact with non-ironic fascists, and playing “will we or won’t we?” with Iran, here is a visual representation of the varying ways tech use can be maladaptive.
At some point, after getting funding, I will find a remote cabin in the woods and have my Walden pond moment, but while I am still extremely online, I would like to put my daily readings to good use.
Here’s a brief summary of what has occurred from June 20th 2019-present.
Extremism in Tech
As Proud Boys attempt to return to the main political stage at Trump led events, the country is grappling with how to combat extremism. Academics are currently meeting at the Terrorism and Social Media conference #TASMConf in Swansea to do the same.
https://twitter.com/JadeHutch00/status/1143896427527135232
In between grant writing and podcast appearances I’ve seen the news filter in. I have no crystal ball to predict what will happen in 2020. I am a researcher and I prefer to let my data speak for itself. There are, however, some disturbing trends to be aware of.
Let’s start first with the tech world.
Tech companies have been experimenting with systematic content removal, but it does not always have the intended effect. It can sometimes remove the people brave enough to cover far-right extremism, as award-winning journalist David Neiwert discovered.
A human perspective will always be needed to factor in context, but the cost is often too high. Human content moderators are not getting the financial support they need to do their work. Dialectica founder Joohn notes that human content moderation has become unscaleable.
Content moderators have not only been resorting to sex and drugs at work to cope, but Facebook contractors are leaving their content moderators with no access to counseling for the PTSD like symptoms associated with their work.
Experts have recently condemned what they call, “libertarian technocratic elitism,” and the misguided belief that “AI will solve everything.” Contrary to popular hope, AI cannot yet differentiate between educational content and content meant to incite violence against marginalized communities.
Now let’s look at extremism on the ground.
Did Republican senators really back far-right militia groups and support a government shutdown in Oregon’s state capitol? Yes. They really did.
GOP lawmakers abandoned their posts to avoid a vote on climate change.
Lawmakers in Oregon have been forced to cancel their sessions after militia members threatened democrats with violence for pushing climate change legislation.
Now, to understand the severity of this incident, it is important to understand the working components of terrorism and frame domestic terrorism in the same light.
The working components of terrorism involve pre-meditated, politically motivated violence, against noncombatants or soft targets, with the intent to coerce government into acquiescing to their demands.
with the intent to coerce government into acquiescing to their demands.
Let’s focus on this component.
Legislation on climate change has been stalled from both GOP inaction AND far-right militia threats. Not only do these two components converge in Oregon, but Republican lawmakers in Oregon are supporting militia member’s actions while hiding out in Idaho.
When asked to comment on government inaction, Republican Senator Kim Thatcher engaged in a DARVO response, claiming that democrats labeling her a “terrorist,” gave her no real incentive to return to the capitol.
You don’t have to be a terrorist to enable terrorism to thrive. You simply have to deflect blame and refuse to do the job you were hired to do, communicating both a subtle endorsement to the militia group’s efforts and a willingness to disrupt democratic practices for personal gain.
The behavior of GOP representatives in Oregon is disgraceful and sets a terrifying precedent for what could become regular occurances in the Pacific Northwest region in advance of the 2020 campaign.
What to do?
Let’s follow Canada’s lead and begin labeling these groups for what they are.
This is a major step forward and a somewhat hopeful bit of news to be thankful for. The daily churn of news is macabre and often self-defeating. Many close friends have made willful efforts to reduce their news consumption because it was affecting their wellbeing. I am happy for them, but I do not have that luxury.
I am one of two researchers in the country who received IRB approval to conduct ethnographic research with Proud Boys before their accounts were suspended from Twitter and Facebook and in the words of Bill Maher, I don’t want to “abandon my post.”
One of my responsibilities as a countering violent extremism researcher is to ensure responsible coverage of the Proud Boys. If you do not know them, here is a short summary of why I am more public than most in my field.
I was recently invited on to Jared Holt’s podcast to talk about my Proud Boys research, my incident tracking project, and what we might expect from the group in 2020.
I agree wholeheartedly with Jared Holt’s ending reference.
If Trump has cut the funding for countering violent extremism programs, and America’s concept of terrorism is still largely associated with the image of the suicide bomber, as opposed to say the militia member stockpiling guns and seeking tactical training, it is up to researchers to share information that can better inform policymakers on the severity of the threats we are facing.
Support A Data-Driven Rebuttal to Extremist Propaganda
In addition to organizing on Telegram Messenger to try and mass report journalists and academics on Twitter for free speech they don’t like, Gavin McInnes and the Proud Boys have announced frivolous lawsuits against the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization tasked with tracking hate groups. Gavin has followed through with his threats of litigation.
It is unknown if Proud Boys have followed through on their suit. Many aggressively posture to bolster their public image. In fact, one way you can understand the core ideology of the group is by this aggressive posturing. Another will be shared below.
Proud Boys consider their hate group label“defamation.” They also think that being de-platformed (for violating community guidelines) makes them free speech martyrs. Imagine that.
Lamenting about being a free speech martyr and having no platform…on Instagram is fairly silly.
But what if you platform yourself on Instagram…
to say you have no platform….
while simultaneously violating your gag order…
while saying things like John Brennan should be “hung for treason.”
What does that make you?
It makes you GOP operative and honorary Proud Boy, Roger Stone.
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1141823213275635712
All Proud Boy self-owning nonsense aside, let’s all make a commitment to each other before the 2020 campaign begins.
Let’s attempt to settle our differences on the left, unify against threats against democracy, and most importantly, attempt to understand the legitimate grievances behind the far-right recruitment propaganda.
I’ve been tracking Proud Boys incidents that have occurred since the group’s inception in 2016. I have been developing a data-driven rebuttal to Gavin McInnes claims that the SPLC, “Destroy’s people’s career’s based on nothing.”
2020 UPDATE
The Glitterpill Community, my Patreon, is where those who support my work as an academic and a public voice against far-right violence can help me continue this incredibly important work.
In addition to helping me contribute educated and well-researched information to our news outlets, members gain access to weekly self-care challenges and chats and monthly user-driven reading selections and reading schedules, and virtual meetups through our book club.
It’s time to tell Gavin and others…
The truth is not defamation.
