Read on Twitter
1/14 A common derailing technique of the Far Right is to say they are not racist or fascist or similar. This shifts the argument to what someone is rather than what they do. This makes the argument about something unprovable: the content of hearts and minds.
2/14 Far right actors are extremely adept at deploying this type of argument in a controlled interview environment. Joey Gibson for example is very good at modifying strains of this argument to suit both liberal and right audiences.
3/14 Then he goes and has a beer with a bunch of Nazis. So the metric for judging racism or fascism is not whether someone says: “I am a white supremacist.” Or even if they are POC. Nearly every variety of the Far Right has a work around for this by now. https://twitter.com/afainatl/status/1302664384024543233
4/14 The important thing is whether their organizing benefits the cause of white nationalism, normalizes fascism, and grows a base of violent street enforcers for the Far Right. That is definitely the case for Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer, & similar orgs. https://itsgoingdown.org/unite-the-right-patriot-prayer-joey-gibson-the-proud-boys/
5/14 RCA reports on what people have done and are doing. Our articles are based on physical evidence and observable behavior. Every piece of information is independently verifiable. https://twitter.com/RoseCityAntifa/status/1304542726927441920
6/14 The argument of what someone internally believes is irrelevant. The impact in the world is what matters. A far better metric of gauging racism or fascism is what they actually do rather than what they say.
(CW: sexual assault discussed in following 2 tweets)
(CW: sexual assault discussed in following 2 tweets)
7/14 (CW) An example of the futility of focusing on internal motives:
Let’s say there is a fraternity with an established pattern of sexual assault. Many have reported this. There is ample additional evidence including video footage, online bragging, & other receipts.
Let’s say there is a fraternity with an established pattern of sexual assault. Many have reported this. There is ample additional evidence including video footage, online bragging, & other receipts.
8/14 (CW) The fraternity defends itself by saying that they aren’t sexist. They point to female supporters. Does it mean we try to determine who is actually sexist? Does this mean we can no longer figure out if they have raped anyone? No. We focus on who did what.
9/14 Men join the fraternity for a lot of reasons: friends, power, prestige, parties, booze, job contacts… some are true sadists & misogynists, many go along to get along & just get acclimated to the internal culture.
10/14 This is the same as the Far Right. People join for a lot of reasons. They may get sucked into right conspiracy theory, be searching for meaning or belonging, just enjoy violence, be actual white nationalists, or opportunists looking for personal fame & fortune.
11/14 The overall effect of an increasingly violent, state-sanctioned Far Right movement is the same regardless. A lot of good Germans supported Hitler. It doesn’t matter if they considered themselves nice people at the time.
12/14 The Far Right is poised for a Civil War to purge undesirables. The ideology has boiled down to shared participation & obsession w/ neo-fascist violence. The Trump admin has signaled support hoping to thwart the election. The right media cheerleads. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/27/us-far-right-violence-terrorist-threat-analysis
13/14 We should not waste energy having a bad faith argument or be asking these guys for their self-assessments. Rittenhouse traveled to a city to literally murder unarmed BLM protestors. The right made him a millionaire for it. Believe what they do.
14/14 If you want to know what Patriot Prayer, Proud Boys, or any of the chuds who attack our city believe, look at what they do. Antifa puts this information in the public sphere so ppl can make judgments based on facts. Focusing on evidence deflates this gas-lighting.
