By David Futrelle
On Gab — the “free speech” social media site that has become something of a haven for the internet’s worst people — some of the regulars have come up with a rather inventive explanation for the Parkland, Florida school shooting yesterday that left 17 dead. It’s all the fault of the Jews.
Never mind that an explicitly fascist group claims the accused shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, as a member, and says he participated in their paramilitary training exercises. As some of the best minds on Gab see it, Cruz is actually the puppet of a vast Jewish conspiracy — and probably a Jew himself.
Their evidence? The fact that Cruz is such a well-known Jewish surname.
Wait, what?
While Cruz isn’t probably the first surname one thinks of when one thinks about Jewish surnames, there were some Spanish Jews who adopted the name to hide their Jewishness from the authorities … during the Spanish Inquisition. 500 years ago.
That of course isn’t proof that Cruz himself was Jewish.
Also, he was adopted.
But more than a few on Gab have something of a vested interest in trying to blame yesterday’s horrific carnage on a Jew or the Jews. See if you can figure out what the hidden agenda is as you scroll through these lightly censored comments from a fellow who calls himself DrGasChamber.
A Gabber called stevec, meanwhile, isn’t completely sure there even was a shooting yesterday. But whatever happened, he’s pretty sure Jews are to blame.
One commenter, the not-so-accurately named @NameTheJew, even made a little meme.
And no, there is no evidence that Elliot Rodger — that’s him on the left — was Jewish either.
Needless to say, not everyone on Gab blames the Jews for whatever they think happened in Parkland Florida yesterday. A fellow called Pho Chan, for example, had a rather different take on the Jewish Question.
Lovely.
For more on Nikolas Cruz, a possible incel who has been hailed by incels online as an Elliot Rodger style hero, see my post yesterday.
@wwth
Something something fuck your feelings, something something freeze peach, something something all sides, etc.
and if you can’t understand there is time and place for such discussions, and harm it causes after situations like Parkland then you really don’t understand at all.
I’m late to this party but, @WWTH
Thank you.
I don’t hate mrex, and I empathized when reading what she’s gone through. But I didn’t like her arguing for no good reason and ignoring the comment policy.
I can relate to the “stubbornness” aspect, since I still have anger problems and it’s a tough emotion to handle, but I’m trying actively to change my anger responses so I won’t hurt/annoy others. I’m not saying mrex isn’t doing that – hell, in general, she’s probably a better person than me – but the problem is what she was doing in this place. if I started repeatedly picking fights here, I’d be banned too, and justifiably.
<3 to everyone here. And seconding WWTH:
@mrex & GOM
http://i.imgur.com/r6FPw0G.gif
Bye, Felicia.
<3 WWTH for
We might not deserve you, but you are the hero we need.
Aw, shucks!
WWTH is doing a great job with this here imo. I appreciate it.
The only problem is trying to explain why “crazy talk” is ableist ANYWHERE else in the world. (Or even what ableism is)
@Hambeast,
I meant Catbeast!
Apologies for that mistake! ?
^^^^^
Word.
@epitome of incomprehensibility
Thanks for writing that. I felt similarly; and I really hated the accusations of parental abuse. But I think banning was the right call, all things considered.
Nthing the appreciation for WWTH’s comment ?
@GrumpyOSJM,
I wish you well, and I hope you’ll pop back in at some point.
First of a big congratulation to the young people who protest against weapons. They made international news and the message that it can’t continue like this is the right one.
Second somethink about the mental ill discusion. Is somethink not right with this shooter and others. Probably. We could argue if we could call it mental disorder but to use that to discredit every person who is mentaly ill, is pure evil. I wouldn’t give certain mentaly ill persons a weapon, but in general I would be more afraid that they hurt themselve.
I know of some cases were people who did somethink so evil, that something must be wrong with them have been tryed by a criminal trial. Normally they are full responsible for what they are doing. (This is from german law and no courts don’t ignore everythink that speaks for the accussed here)
Nevertheless one reason in a german newspaper given by an expert for the question why german schools are safer than american school is that there is therapy for people who need help.
so yes there are 2 problem that are helpful to take care of:
1. Guns
2. more help for young people who have problems
but I don’t think Trump will do anythink about one of them.
(For another topic that would be interesting for David to tackle: Black Panther that one had some very interesting reaction from very stupid people, even if I learned recently that one of the movies that the alt-right really hate is Frozen)
I’m really having to dig my nails into my palm to avoid breaching the comments policy here.
https://thinkprogress.org/the-new-smear-campaign-against-students-who-survived-the-parkland-massacre-b71c1e1d722c/
@Alan
Read the link title and I’m not going there. Dodgy mood today anyways, and don’t want to tip it.
Shadowplay, I’m fortunate enough to not be in a place where that article would bother me (more than usual, anyway) and my takeaway was that the MRA is doomed. And they probably know it.
These kids are done with this; they’ve awakened to the fact that going to school should not be an act of courage. They won’t be the last. This group of high school students isn’t sitting back and taking the shit these shitty reich-wing pundits are flinging at them, either. I admire them greatly.
Or maybe I’m just in a hopeful mood today?
@Hambeast
Is that supposed to say NRA? Both can go, for all I’m concerned.
@Hambeast
Your words to gods ears.
And as for you being hopeful today – thank you. Needed that reminder of how awesome the students are. A little morale boost. 🙂
Who?
I was going to link to this post anyway, but then I saw your comment and I think this whole post (not a long read) is the perfect answer
http://www.shakesville.com/2018/02/the-thing-about-mental-illness-and-mass.html
I’ll copy and paste the important parts.
That sums it up perfectly. Nobody who is eager to talk about the mental illness angle ever addresses why mass shootings are so uniquely male. They’re uniquely American because of the gun issue. But when women are just as likely, if not more so than men to have mental health problems, why aren’t women more represented among mass shooters? Or violent criminals in general?
Hopefully that’s the last that needs to be said about it. Because we’ve already covered it a lot.
Kupo – Yep, a typo, but I agree, it works either way.
Shadowplay – So many people here have done the same for me so many times, I’m glad to have been able to do that for someone else!
weirwoodtreehugger: chief manatee:
Interesting read, thanks.
Just to make myself clear: My point was more that people want to define what the shooter has(I would call it very low empaty towards others) as mental ilness.
To use that against the people who are mentally ill, is criminal.
It should have read as: Look more on the individuals and don’t catagorize evil people as mentaly ill to discredid mentaly ill people.
Also this is such a wide catagory that catagorising everyone the same way is completly wrong.
I will not cease the point that having someone to talk to, might have helped the guy and programs to help young people with problems are a good think.
I am sorry for any disconfort that my posting brought anyone and wished I had formulated it clearer.
Why so many criminals are male is a question that I can’t answer. If I have to guess I would blame how society tells boys to behave: “Be a man defend yourself” and other thinks.
@Who,
Welcome! You seem now around here. We can be a bit spiky sometimes, but I think we’re a pretty good community. I hope you hang around a bit and listen.
I want to comment on a few little bits you mentioned in your last post. This one:
Your guess is a good one! Keep digging into that idea. This is a concept called toxic masculinity – the concept that there are parts of “traditional masculinity” which are violent, domineering, and rapacious. They’re considered healthy by traditional society – boys are supposed to taunt girls by pulling their hair, they’re expected to be angry when confronted, they’re excused when they react with violence. Boys will be boys.
That’s why almost all of these mass-murderers are male, and why almost all of them have a history of being domestic abusers. Because we as a society teach boys that they’re entitled to what they want, and that it’s allowable for them to get angry and violent if they don’t get what they feel they’re entitled to.
When you reply, do keep in mind that this is a community of people who are (largely) the targets of these people. That’s why we can be a bit spiky.
Scildfreja Unnyðnes:
Thanks for the welcome.
And I tried to make it clear that I don’t want to hurt anyone here.
I can be ignorant and as everyone learned in the tread have a talent to say thinks that come out totally wrong.
I was aware that men are resposible for a big majority of violent crimes, exspecially young men. The why is like I wrote somethink I have only theories.
Just 2 questions come to mind:
First what factors make those men/boys go the violent way. There must be other factors than society to make some people very open for toxic masculinity and others not so much?
Second can society do somethink to stop young people from going that way?
This is not an attempt to stop everythink else going on.
Some parents lay on the toxic masculinity thicker than others. I think that’s all there is to it, really. Some parents teach with mixed messages, some just pour on the macho sauce.
Stop teaching their children that it’s acceptable for boys to be violent, stop teaching them that they’re entitled to success (in work, with relationships, in sex, etc). Teach them compassion, teach them that emotions aren’t bad or wrong.
More directly, we can stop accepting rapists as “boys being boys”, can stop ignoring domestic abuse, can start treating harassment seriously. Among other things.
This is a generational, society-level problem. Real solutions will take a long time and a lot of effort. The current efforts started like a century ago, and are still pushing against the same garbage. Exhausting. But worth it!
Hello.
Speaking of conspiracionists, it seems that the alt-rigth and them are bombing David Hogg, one of the survivors, because he speaks against the current weapon laws.
Memse, fake news and ludicrous theories, some repeated by famous (wrong) people, like Donald Trump Jr. (surprise ! No).
Have a nice day.