The man suspected of murdering three Baton Rouge police officers in what’s being called an “ambush” shooting earlier today has been identified as a 29-year-old ex-Marine named Gavin Long.
On the internet, Long was better known as Cosmo Setepenra, a self-described “freedom strategist, mental game coach, nutritionist, author and spiritual advisor” who expressed his peculiar worldview at length in a number of YouTube videos, in blog posts and in several self-published books with titles like “The Cosmo Way: A W(H)olistic Guide for the Total Transformation of Melanated People Vol.2 The Ascension (Volume 2).”
“Cosmo,” who was killed by police in the shootout this morning, seems to have dabbled in an assortment of ideologies, many of them fringe. In a video posted earlier this month that looks in hindsight like an announcement of today’s shooting rampage, he declared himself both a former Christian and a former Nation of Islam member. Police say he carried a membership card for a black “sovereign citizen” organization. He was a regular poster on conspiracy websites and a member of a group that claimed to fight against the imaginary evil of “gangstalking,” as well as “Remote Brain experimentation, Remote Neural Monitoring of an entire Humans Body” and “Patented Voice-to-(Human)-Skull (the forceful 24/7 of projected noise to a citizen’s head).”
While it will take some time to untangle his paranoid, often delusional, worldview, a few things are pretty clear. He had a deep animus towards police, and was angered by recent police shootings of unarmed black men. In a Tweet, he hailed Dallas police shooter Micah Johnson as “one of us!” and declared that “my religion is justice.”
He was also a raging misogynist, a self-proclaimed “alpha male” and “alpha preneur” who believed that men need to keep women “in check.”
In a blog post/podcast in June, he declared:
The Man is the leader, he has to take responsibility for keeping his woman in check at all times. Dont get a woman if you cant keep her in check. …
Alpha Males Dont Leave A Bitch Un-Checked!
He then listed the names of a number of celebrity athletes who, in his mind, illustrated the dangers of allowing “bitches” to remain “un-checked.”
Ray Rice, Terrel Owens, Ben Rothlesburger, Ray McDonald, Lamar Odom, etc etc etc They let their woman get them into some shit and it cost them Millions. Well Its because they didnt have their woman in check.
Ray Rice, as you probably recall, was caught on a surveillance camera knocking out his fiancee with a blow to the head. Ben Rothlesburger has been accused more than once of sexual assault. Ray McDonald has been charged with “rape by intoxication … domestic violence, felony false imprisonment, child endangerment, and violating a court order.”
But in Cosmo’s mind, the real crime of these men was insufficient bitch-checking.
Yea Ray Rice woman swung on him first, but my thing is that…Do you think that’s the first time that she did that? Im sure she displayed signs of un-Checkability before. Because if a bitch is swinging on you, then you know she been out of line before. Violence against a Man is a clear sign that you simping. There is no worst violation than to be assaulted by your woman.
In another blog post, Cosmo urged men to “be territorial” with “their” women. “Sometimes you might need to invade her independence,” he explained.
Why bring any of this up? Gavin Long/Cosmo Setepenra didn’t target women; he targeted cops, and the three cops he shot dead were men, two white and one black.
I bring it up because there are deep links between traditional “macho” masculinity and violence. But it isn’t just the most macho men who turn to violence to “check their women” or assert their dominance over other men. Men who are anxious about their masculinity are also more likely to resort to violence. As Salem State University professor Felix Amato notes in a recent study, “men’s fear of femininity” can lead to an assortment of “maladaptive and restrictive behaviors” including violence.
The sort of hypermasculinity that “Cosmo” preached on his blog — in which even the brutal woman-abuser Ray Rice is deemed insufficiently macho — looks a lot like a fantasy dreamed up by someone deeply anxious about their own masculinity. That also seems to describe the hypermacho “Red Pill” lifestyle preached daily on the Red Pill subreddit and on sites like Roosh V’s Return of Kings.
In many cases, the victims of this anxious hypermasculinity are women and children. Indeed, murder-suicides — in which a man guns down his girlfriend or wife or ex-wife and sometimes her children before killing himself — are so common they rarely make it beyond the local news, though the body count from such crimes (to be crass about it) is far higher than the body count from domestic terrorism.
Several weeks ago, a Las Vegas man murdered his wife, chasing her down and shooting her in the parking lot of a Walgreens; he returned to their apartment, where he shot and killed their three children and then himself. None of the networks cut away from their programming to go live to the scene of the crime. Trump didn’t Tweet about it; Obama didn’t make a statement. Outside of a handful of stories (on Raw Story, the Inquisitr and the Daily Mail), the only coverage this horrendous crime got was in the Las Vegas media.
Terrorism makes the headlines. But domestic violence, much of it driven by macho entitlement and/or anxious masculinity, causes more deaths and more damage to our society. If we want to fight violence, we need to start talking about this.
And 1 more fuckin thing, completely unrelated. Need this off my chest while I’m still in that mood of mine
@David Futrelle
Taboola ads:
Donald Trump Left in Disbelief When Ex Wife Finally Speaks Out
Link leads to anti aging cream ad, the irony of which is mesmerizing
And this one I’ve held onto for a while, cos I thought I was just being stupid
Melania Trump’s Latest Dress Makes Donald Furious
Has a pic of her looking like a mixture of indignation and concern for her safety
Considering what his ex wife could be speaking out about, and how brutally policing his current wife’s appearance is exactly the kinda thing he would definitely do…
Do with this as you will
On point as ever, Dave. This is some scary stuff.
@ooglyboggles
Wait, it’s possible to keep ones pets in check? I’m going to have to talk to my dog about it, she probably won’t be at all interested in that idea. Thankfully she’s only 14lbs so it’s unlikely that I’ll be stuffed into her kennel to have some time to think about speaking to her in such a manner for a good long while.
@ Kat
I’ve been pondering on this for a bit. Now obviously I don’t have the expertise of your DV counsellor, but I am wondering if this is always the case. In the criminal justice system I have of course come across many socially inadequate or incompetent men who take out their frustrations on women (and kids, wankers).
But there also seem to be at least a certain number of abusers who, on the face of it, do have highly developed social skills. They’re often perceived as charming and likeable by outsiders. They seem successful in life and work. People often express surprise or disbelief that someone so apparently ‘nice’ could be an abuser.
Now it may be that their superficial charm is just a manifestation of the manipulation that they also employ in the abusive relationship, but they do seem to be able to get along with people generally.
Apologies if I’ve misunderstood what you’re saying. It’s just seems to me that the stereotype of the abuser as social misfit isn’t always the case.
Like is say though, it may be I’m just misinterpreting the point your counsellor is making.
Black power, to these guys, always means black male power. They’re the exact mirror image of white supremacists: Women are property. Control “your” women. Don’t let them date outside your group. Women have a sacred duty to preserve the race. Women are queens and goddesses, but no really they’re broodmares, so they shouldn’t be educated or have jobs. And while we’re at it, let’s police every aspect of women’s bodies. Oh, and black men are more oppressed, even though black women face discrimination from both men and non-blacks.
Fuck these idiots. Women don’t want their “protection” or their “sacred mission” to preserve the races. Frankly, I don’t see anything worth preserving if it means spending our lives confined to a kitchen and popping out babies, subject to the abusive whims of some entitled and insecure rageaholic who complains nonstop about the burdens of family (and adult) responsibility. I don’t see what’s so goddamn holy about the goal of racial separation – all that’s ever given us is more anger, more violence, more guns, more threats, more deaths, more terrorism, more erasures of women and LGBTQ and disabled people. Toxic masculinity is killing the world and it needs to stop.
This crap makes me feel the way I do when my 4 year olds argue about ownership of legos when I’m tired and trying to get things done. I don’t actually care about the legos. I just want peace, undamaged surroundings, and the freedom to do the work we all need to survive.
@OoglyBoggles – I’m so very, very happy to hear how well you’re doing. I recall my first depression recovery, when I sat on the kitchen floor in the dark and cried, and my (then) partner said “are you ok?” and I said “very ok – I actually feel happy.” I’d forgotten what happy was like. I’d forgotten what getting up in the morning ready to face the day was like.
This is not to suggest that I know how you’re feeling, as it’s annoying when people do that, but I do think I recognise some of it. And I’m so happy for you!
Did I mention I was really happy for you?
Keep going 🙂
Wow. Just, wow.
We need to learn that the best way to win an argument is to bring our opponent to our side, rather than destroy them.
We need to change our culture into one where we realize that if that person who disagrees with you can no longer do so, than we have lost the opportunity to learn about them and ourselves.
We need to realize that the death of one lessens all of us.
In the meanwhile, we need to do something to keep down the body count. I don’t know what, exactly, but fewer guns seems like a good start.
As an aside, what exactly is ‘gangstalking’? I’ve heard of most of the other fringe theories in the post, but not that one.
Also, @Oogly: glad you’re doing better. I think we also need a society where mental illness is looked at the same was as any physical ailment, and not stigmatized, and where people struggling with mental illness feel safe seeking help.
@Axecalibur: I think you’re right about this year feeling worse because the tragedies are closer to home. I guess everyone cares more when they feel personally threatened.
@EJ: Looks like you’ve hit your limit for horrible news. Think rainbows and flying kittens. I’m not trying to trivialize anything you’re saying. From what I’ve learned about the subject of ‘toxic masculinity’, you’re spot on about how we all share some responsibility for it. I don’t know. Maybe it’s time for people to start getting angry, but it seems like we’ve got way to many angry people already. Maybe getting more people angry just feeds the flames? I don’t have any good answers. Sorry if that comes across as rambling.
@OoglyBoggles:
I’m really glad that you’re doing better, and it’s very kind of you to share it with us. Often the internet gets filled with people being negative (as I was above) whilst we keep our joys to ourselves. You’re reminding me (and everyone else) that there is hope and positivity in the world too, and I’m very grateful for that.
@Buttercup: I think you’ve got a point on ‘black power’ being similar to ‘white suppremacy’. Also, why shouldn’t the ‘races’ mix? Do people still think humanity evolved independently in Australia, Africa, and Asia? If we all came out of East Africa in the first place, than what harm if we still act as if we’re the same race?
@Axe –
Thank you. I’ve been falling into the habit of “omg 2016 is just awful” and I needed this reminder.
@LaterSpaceCowboy – on a much more frivolous note, best name ever from best anime 🙂
Speaking of the police as an institution, how hard is it to get accepted into it? Is there a screening process that at least attempts to filter out those applicants with violent, racist or homophobic tendencies? The subject is getting a lot of media coverage right now and recently there was a documentary about police brutality and racism in the US that left me speechless, because I’ve never imagined police officers could act like that. Even in “normal” situations the officers seemed very aggressive and confrontational and the commentator said that US police were trained to develop that attitude. Is that true?
I imagine that the power police officers get to wield would appeal to a kind of person who you don’t want to have in that job. Like violent or aggressive people or those who would like to make up for their own insecurities by having power over others. Is there some kind of evaluation in place that looks for those traits? Is it there in theory but simply fails horribly? I assume police does get some kind of school and a minimum education level, although sometimes the media here makes it sound like you just have to know how to shoot a gun.
As far as I know here police has special deescalation training and at least some kind of psychological evaluation before you can join. [My best friend applied after school, but got rejected because she failed the physical tests.]
@lkeke35,
I’m Black too and had never heard of Black Sovereign Citizens until yesterday. What’s scary is that not only are these people paranoid but they’re also well armed. Something has to give regarding to the way this country allows pretty much everyone to have access to assault weapons. Or we’re going to have more of these type of dangerous people acting out their violent fantasies in public.
What is scary about this is how Black women often support Black misogynists at their own expense. I recall Ashley Judd having to back down when she correctly called out rappers for their misogynistic lyrics. She simply said what many Black women have been saying about rap lyrics for decades. Yet she was forced to apologize.
TIL there’s a black version of the “EVROPA”, blonde-maidens-in-wheat-fields subset of white nationalism, and they’re called “Hoteps”.
What is ‘hotep’? Is it Egyptian thing?
Little Lurker,
Many departments actually screen out applicants who do too well on intelligence tests.
http://www.mintpressnews.com/can-someone-be-too-smart-to-be-a-cop/192106/
The claim is that people too smart and/or educated will get bored and leave. But I think there’s an unstated reason. They don’t want people who might question the institution’s policies and culture and they certainly don’t want people they think might challenge systems of oppression in the wider culture as it is one of the duties of police to uphold those systems of impression.
It’s a little scary! Or a lot scary!
@Patricia Kayden, lkeke35 and our other Black commentors:
Is there a specific meaning to Long identifying himself as “Ethiopian”? I get that people want to identify with Africa, but why that country in particular? Is it a Christianity thing?
Pfft, trust me, I don’t see much of that happening around here.
——
I kind of agree with Ax. There are a lot of people in the world who probably wouldn’t regard 2016 as any less horrible than what they’ve been dealing with for years.
@Alan
Yeah, I sensed that my writing was not crystal clear.
The counselor was saying that batterers don’t know how to engage in the give and take that characterize good relationships of any kind. They see other people as objects to manipulate, and they’re willing to use violence to get their way.
No apology necessary — the Interwebz is an often imperfect way to communicate.
Valentine says:
Here’s something of an explanation with a bunch of object lessons showing up in the comment section.
@ Kat
No, I get you now; just me being thick.
Yeah, I think if there’s one stand-out feature of abusers, whether physical or psychological, is that they see others as ‘means not ends’ (to plaigiarise Kant). Everything is about how others can service their needs. So even when they’re being charming they’re probably thinking “This person could be useful to me at some stage, so I’d better keep them sweet”.
What’s that old thing about you can tell a person’s true nature by seeing how they treat people who can be of no use to them? Hence the common ‘How does he treat the waitress?’ test.
And people wonder why I can’t just laugh at these kinds of things.
This right here is why.
I am a Woman of Color and I used to feel safe talking to police (admittedly, I am light-skinned, so apparently I don’t read as PoC, don’t take my experiences as standard). Now? I’m going to go talk to a psychiatrist today about the possibility of putting me on medication to control the screaming panic attacks I have every time I so much as think of the news. For bonus points: I live in Baltimore. Moved here about 6 months before Freddie Gray died.
Toxic masculinity has, like a disease, surfaced in big, ugly sores. Between Orlando, Dallas, France, and Baton Rouge, I can’t stand to see a newspaper or listen to public radio. Add Turkey and and the stuff in Africa no one is bothering to report anywhere but Tumblr, I’m ready to just fast forward through all this crap and get back to the good parts of the world and life again.
Failing that, I’m gonna play a lot of Sims.
@ll, wwth: my brother in law is training to join the Montana highway patrol, and he does have an undergrad degree (something mechanical). I’ll ask him what their requirements were.
Regarding personal/intellectual screening, he’s obviously just one case, but he’s never shown any violent tendencies beyond being an avid hunter and fisher (which pretty much goes hand in hand with living in Montana). He’s not abusive in any way, and as he and my sister still live with my parents, and as the entire family is relatively combative, I’d have heard if he was.
Regarding intelligence, Jack’s fairly bright, but his talents go more to rebuilding car engines. I do know that he changed majors in undergrad because he couldn’t handle the math involved in geological engineering, but that doesn’t really generalize.
Just some observations. Take them for what they’re worth.
Neumann: Hoteps are black people who believe in a lot of fringe ideas about mythological Egypt, and apply a lot of the mythology to today’s African Americans. There’s a link in one of the posts above. Mostly it seems to be an excuse to try to rule over black women, and trying to shame them about being independent.
Patricia: I know! I know a woman at work, a librarian, no less, who believes in a lot of fringe ideas about gay people based on some bullshite she heard or read on the Internet. She’s not a full on Hotep, but she is lodged waay too far up the worship of men’s butts to think very critically about such things.
From time to time she enlightens me about her thoughts, and as a rational, careful thinker, who likes to listen to all sides of an issue, do the research, and investigate, Im often appalled at the things she says. ( I think sometimes she sees the look of horror on my face and just stops talking. )
Her biggest problem isn’t that she just adopts ideas she’s fond of but that she doesn’t view any other opinions afterwards. Like I said before, a lot of people lack the ability to discern what information is real and what’s shite. All information has equal status to them and they can just pick and choose the facts they like. She often accepts what’s she’s told on authority. On the other hand she is also very young and maybe that has something to do with it.
For example, there was another woman at my job who was a straight up Hotep and the two of them were exceptionally chummy. I know the other woman greatly influenced her. That influence seems to have calmed some, since she left, but I can still see it. The young lady I’m talking about had a tendency to adopt the ideas of her friend, who had a much stronger character than her.
A lot of the Hotep stuff is people pulling sh&t out of ther a$$, and people claiming authority (like Ph.D.s and doctorates) to talk about ancient history. Sometimes this is the same thing.
EJ: I got nothing on that one. This is my first time hearing about this Ethiopian thing too. Other than it having something to do with General Hotep Egyptian stuff, idk.
Patricia Kayden – I’m sure nobody “made” Ashley Judd apologize, but that she chose to do so. That phrasing really irks me, tbh. If I were to guess, I’d say that the problem was not pointing out misogynist rap lyrics. The problem is usually white folks pointing out the misogyny in rap while ignoring or glossing over the fact that nearly every genre of music with lyrics contains misogyny.
EJ I’m definitely safe since I didn’t see anything to admire or emulate there. I’m not four, someone swearing a lot isn’t exactly noteworthy. But thanks for the condescension ?