The Boston Globe - 06.08.2019

TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2019 The Boston Globe Opinion A

betrayal and backlash against

elites deemed responsible. But

existential threats and

dystopian fantasies are also

used to call for cohesion,

shared purpose, and meaning,

offering youth who may be

vulnerable to such rhetoric a

sense of belonging,

brotherhood, and the

opportunity to engage in what

is seen as heroic action to save

one’s people. This

combination is proving to be a

deadly formula for

recruitment and radicalization

to far-right extremism.

What were once frequently

written off as fringe

conspiracy theories and

doomsday cult fantasies about

demographic replacement are

now increasingly understood

as underpinning global

connections across the far

right and inspiring individuals

to engage in terrorist acts and

violent action. This happens

in part through a specific

principle that motivates

extreme violence —

acceleration.

At the most extreme fringe,

far-right extremists not only

believe that a violent

apocalypse is coming, but also

argue they have an obligation

to accelerate this societal

collapseby speeding up

polarization and engaging in

violentacts in order to bring

about the ultimate phase of

rebirth and civilizational

restoration more quickly.

Terroristattacksfromother

ideological sectors — like the

recent Islamist-extremist

attacks in Sri Lanka — feed the

same narrative, sometimes

leading to what is called

“reciprocal radicalization” as

far-right and Islamist

extremists retaliate for each

other’s acts.

Acceleration means that

even if no far-right motive is

clear in the Dayton case, the

shooting serves global white

supremacist goals anyway.

Each massattack feedsthe

narrative.

What can we do to

interrupt this process?

In the short term, the

media, scholars, and the

general public must be more

intentional about how we

share information produced

by the far right, in order to

avoid being complicit in the

spread of white supremacist

ideas. Sharing links to full

manifestos, publishing photos

that show terrorists making

white supremacist hand

gestures, or glorifying the

shooters in other ways can

give too much oxygen to

extremist propaganda, help

extremists communicate with

each other, and contribute to

the far right’s valorization of

violence.

Much of the public

discourse will focus on the

need for serious and

transformative gun control

legislation. This is, of course,

essential. But gun control

alone cannot address the fact

that the dynamics fueling far-

right extremism will continue

to worsen, as we have more

climate-driven and economic-

driven migration to the global

north and as immigrant

birthrates continue to exceed

those of native-born

populations.

The only long-term

solution to interrupt the

growth of far-right extremism

is sustained education — in

schools, at home, in religious

communities, sports teams,

and anywhere youthgather —

that reframes demographic

change as a strength instead of

a threat. We also needto elect

political leaders who take

every opportunity to reinforce

this.

It may sound glib to say

that our diversity is our

strength. But the real question

is: What will it take for white

Americans to believe it?

CynthiaMiller-Idriss is

professorof education and

sociology at American

University. Her mostrecent

book is “The ExtremeGone

Mainstream.”

Domestic extremist-

related murders

in the US by movement

2008-

In the fewincidentswhere extremists

simultaneoulyadhered to more than

one movement, they are categorized

by the movement that seemed

dominant. Because of rounding,

percentages may not add up to 100%.

SOURCE: Anti-Defamation League

25% 54%

4%

14%

2%

White

supremacists

Domestic

Islamist

extremists

Other

right-wing

extremists

Left-wing

extremists

(Alltypes)

Anti-government

extremists

GLOBE STAFF

389

Totalmurders

Inbox

Tr ump’swordsstoke

thedanger in ourmidst

This is a publichealthcrisis,

not a mentalhealthcrisis

Following the most recent spate of mass shootings, in Day-

ton, Ohio;El Paso; and Gilroy, Calif., we hear once more the

same tired response. We are told that each of the shooters

is just a crazy person with a gun. We say, colloquially, “You

have to be crazy to do something like that.” That’s not the

same thing as having a mental illness.

Making this about “mental illness” just clouds the issue

and does a great disservice to thosewho are actually suffer-

ing frommajor mental illnesses. Pretending that the shoot-

ers did what they did because they are mentally ill gives

many of us the illusion of safety. We convince ourselves that

they are not like the rest of us.

This is not a mental health crisis — it is a public health

crisis, due to endemichate and bigotry and easy access to

semiautomatic weapons.These shootings did not occur be-

causethe shooters were“mentally ill.” Rather, the shooters

largely have beenwhitesupremacists who spout the same

hateful, racist, xenophobic, and bigoted statements that we

hear almost daily fromPresident Trump.

Trump calls the shooters “cowards,” and although this is

true, the real cowardice is failing to confront the National

Rifle Association and allowing the NRA to tell us what the

national policy regarding weapons should be.

ROBERTJ.SIMMONS

Leominster

Thewriteris a clinical andforensicpsychologist.

Connectthedotsalready—

Trump’srhetoricis dangerous

Donald Trump launchedhis presidential campaign calling

Mexican immigrants “rapists” who are “bringingcrime”

and “bringingdrugs” to America. Trump blamed “many

sides” and “both sides”for the violence and death perpe-

trated by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va. People

fromHaiti “all have AIDS,” he has said, and immigrants

fromNigeria would never “go back to theirhuts”once they

saw America. He referred to Haiti and African countries

with an expletive, and suggested that several black and

brown congresswomen should“go back” to their countries,

whose governmentsare a “complete and total catastrophe.”

More than 20 innocentpeople are slaughtered and

many more injuredin El Paso, which Trump has labeled

the southern border’s epicenterfor immigrant violence and

danger. The alleged shooter has beenlinked to a manifesto,

published minutes before the attack, filled with white na-

tionalist and racist hatred toward immigrants and Hispan-

ics. It doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.Shameon

Trump and the systems of oppression that spawned him.

Shameon elected officials who pander to Trump and kow-

tow to the National Rifle Association while innocents die.

Shameon Americans who do not decry Trump’s hateful

speech and actions. And shame on us all if this man is not

voted out of office in 2020.

FRAN SCHOFIELD

Brewster

‘Mydaughterservedhercountry—

now I fearfor her’

On Sunday, as I watched my daughter walkaway to her

flight at Logan Airport, I was struck by several thoughts

that mademe sad, frightened, and angry. She is a beautiful

Latina who first came through the gates at Logan 39 years

ago, as a toddler, arriving fromher native El Salvador. I ad-

optedher at the height of the war in that troubled nation.

She left behind the violence that oppressedher country,

joined our family, and became an American citizen. Follow-

ing college, she served her country in the US Navy for four

years, proud to express her gratitude for the opportunity to

do so in a placethat afforded her peace and security.

But now I am struck by a terrible irony in her situation,

and by my awarenessof it as her mother. In the current

race war raging here,fueled by the hateful rhetoric of the

president, my daughter, as a Hispanic woman, is a clear

target for those angry white men who see her and others

like her as part of an “invasion.”

Years ago, I was so grateful to be able to bring her to

safety, and to bless my familywith all that she has meant to

us. Now I worry that she is no longer safe in the country

she has served. This is us now, and I fear for her. And I fear

for our country.

NANCY O’MALLEY

Winthrop

Evil amongusdoesnot defineus

Your Monday front-page headline “This is what we’ve be-

come”saddened me, at first, because I thought it reflected

the truth. But then,after reading several accounts of what

happenedin El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, I realizedthat

Nestor Ramosand the Globeare so focused on the evil that

they are unable to see the courage and self-sacrifice that

weredemonstrated in countless ways in both cities: first re-

sponders rushing in to stop the carnage with little regard

for their own safety, parentsthrowing themselves on top of

theirchildren to protect them, people lining up almost im-

mediately to donate blood for the victims, citizens across

the country sending money and condolences.

In every incident of mass murder, we have seen the

samething. It certainly was evident here in Boston in 2013.

We have not become the evil crackpots who have inflicted

horroron schools, churches, shopping centers, and festi-

vals. Despite how often those awful people have surfaced,

they are still only a tiny fraction of our population. The vast

majority of us are, what we have always been, a nation of

brave, caring, and public-spirited people.

What we are witnessing is something that has always

beenoccurring: spiritual warfare of good vs. evil. The good

is winningand, with our continued vigilance,it always will.

ROBERT MACDOUGALL

Andover

The ‘thoughtsandprayers’ defense

WhenI go out, I bring a therapist and a priest. The NRA

and the Republicans tell me that’s the best protection in a

massshooting.

DAVID VALADE

Melrose

‘O

ur nation must condemn

racism, bigotry, and

white supremacy....

Hate has no place in

America.... The perils of

the Internet and socialmediacannot be ig-

nored.... We must stop the glorification of

violencein our society.”

After weekend massacresin El Paso,

Texas, and Dayton, Ohio,President Trump

uttered those words — but, really, who

takes him seriously? No one, especiallyhis

supporters.

He inspires racists, bigots, and whitesu-

premacists. His tweets give haters permis-

sion to hate. His own rhetoric glorifies vio-

lence in our society.

Riffing about migrants crossing the bor-

der during a Florida rally just last May,

Trump asked the crowd, “How do you stop

thesepeople?” When one man shouted,

“Shoot them,” rally-goers laughed. The

president smiled and quipped, “That’s only

in the Panhandle you can get away with

that stuff. Only in the Panhandle.”

That’s not so funny, is it, after Patrick W.

Crusius, 21, drove nearly 10 hours from Al-

len, Texas, to the Walmart in El Paso, and is

now charged with killing 20 and wounding

another 26 people. According to law en-

forcement officials, Crusius was targeting

Mexicansand Mexican-Americans at a lo-

cation where he knew he would find them.

He also wrote a manifesto that an-

nounced “this attack is a response to the

Hispanic invasion of Texas.” In his re-

marks,Trump said the manifesto was “con-

sumed by racist hate.” Look who’s talking.

He, too, has talked and tweeted aboutmi-

grants who are crossing the border as “an

invasion.” After the El Paso shootings, the

Washington Post and New York Times

scrutinized the appalling pattern of

Trump’s bigoted and dehumanizing rheto-

ric — referring to immigrants who enter

the country illegally as “aliens” who “in-

fest” the United States, and calling gang

members“animals.”

A motive for the shootings in Dayton

has not yet been determined. The gunman,

identified as ConnorBetts, 24, killed nine,

including his own sister, and wounded 27.

According to news accounts, Betts

described himself as a pro-Satan “leftist”

and authored favorable social mediaposts

aboutDemocrat Elizabeth Warren. But

what fueled his hate is unclear. The result,

as Trump said, is a cultural issue. As Trump

also said, “Cultural change is hard, but

each of us can choose to builda culture

that celebrates the inherent worth and

dignity of every human life.”

Too bad the president of the United

States constantly makes the opposite

choice, and not just about migrants. Last

monthhe told four congresswomenof col-

or, who are all American citizens, to “go

back”to where they came from. Then he

attacked Baltimore as a “disgusting, rat,

and rodent infested” city. And that doesn’t

even begin to address the cascade of ugly

racist and incendiary tweets from him.

As for Trump’s call for “bipartisan

solutions” to end gun violence — that’s a

joke. He proposed no majornew gun laws,

and merely mentioned “red-flag laws” that

workto identify people with mental illness

who should not be allowed to purchase

guns.“Mental illness and hatred pull the

trigger. Not the gun,” said Trump,echoing

the usual NRA mantra that gunsdon’t kill

people, people do.

Haters and people with mental illness

do pull the trigger. Rather than blame vid-

eo games,as Trump did, the president

needsto take ownership for his contribu-

tionsto the culture he’s supposedly decry-

ing. But Trump will never take ownership,

and the glazed look on his face as he read

remarks preparedfor him to deliver show-

cased his lack of engagement. He tweets

what he believes. If you want to know what

he reallythinks, watch him at his rallies.

He’s at his most honest whenhe’s grinning

as people chant “Send her back” aboutIl-

han Omar, a Somali-born congresswoman

fromMinnesota.

Monday’s remarks were theater, and the

reality TV star who plays the president

couldn’t even get that right. “May God

blessthe memory of those who perished in

Toledo,” said Trump.

He got the name of the city torn apart

by gun violence wrong — for the moment,

anyway.

Joan Vennochi can be reachedat

[email protected]. Followheron Twitter

@Joan_Vennochi.

JOANVENNOCHI

No one takes Trump’s condemnations of

bigotry seriously — especially his supporters

His tweets givehaters

permissionto hate. His

ownrhetoricglorifies

violencein oursociety.