don't give in to the radicalization pipeline

I’ve been thinking a lot about my post on gaslighting ourselves. We live in a tumultuous time marked by rapid decent into full blown fascism celebrated by too many people. It’s hard not to take stock and wonder why. We shouldn’t be here. There isn’t any good reason Kamala Harris should of lost the election. Why would we elect a felon? But here we are anyways.

A big piece of the puzzle is the alt-right radicalization pipeline. It’s mostly focused on how memes and such are used to strike a chord with people and then re-shape their algorithmic input to be increasingly alt-right oriented, which re-shapes their thinking. Practically, it’s like “liking” a #savethechildren post on FB, as innocuous as it may seem because who doesn’t want to save children???, and finding yourself getting served crazier #savethechildren posts which quickly turn into crazier alt-right theories which quickly turn into trying to decipher Q drops in a made up political cult. Before someone realizes what has happened they’ve been formed by an algorithm used by petty men wanting to maintain power and turn you against all the things they hate.

The algorithm isn’t the only piece of the puzzle though. We play a part too, for better or worse. This past week RFK jr presented a great test case for how we might play a part. He recently said something with a tiny sliver of truth about some autistic people and how they might not contribute to society (ie, pay taxes) like other members of society. That is potentially true of one end of the ASD range but it lacks a whole lot of nuance and is no where close to the truth for many people that find themselves in that spectrum. It also has to be noted: he brings his own context to the table in statements like that (rather than the context that we might have).

So what would happen if I shared a post on social media promoting his words? Is it a worthwhile venture? Personally I’d say no. Promotion like this can be participation in the alt-right radicalization pipeline. Lets look at how the different pieces fit together

table of contents

the alt-right grifter

RFK jr has a less than stellar reputation when it comes to health and human services. He’s been a vocal anti-vaxxer, promoting all sorts of wild theories¹. He’s got a documented incredibly cruel streak when it comes to animals (beheading whales, leaving dead bears in parks, blends baby chicks and mice in blenders, etc)². He’s full of misinformation about health and healthcare all around³.

When it comes to his comments about autism in particular, all of the above form a bit of context but what’s more important is his thoughts around autism and similar issues. For one, he’s long been on the record trying to link autism to vaccines (see the links above for more information on that). That’s something that has been thoroughly debunked⁴ (but it’s also something antivaxxers have made a lot of money continuing to promote). He also has a troubling record when it comes to issues surrounding mental health. Last summer he promoted sending those taking ADHD and depression meds to off the grid farms to work for a few years to “cure” them⁵. He now has included building an autism registry as part of his plan to “cure” autism⁶.

All of that brings a lot of subtext and context to what RFK jr means when he’s making statements about autism. He has an agenda that is self-serving first and foremost (particularly in attempted links between autism and vaccines) but then also an agenda that aligns more closely with a eugenic perspective (ie, elimination) more than anything else.

and when we promote him?

There are three sides to promotion worth considering:

• What happens with the grifter
• What happens with the promoter
• What happens with a viewer

What happens with the grifter

They get normalized to some degree. When good people promote even a tiny aspect of what the grifter says and does, it to some degree even if tiny sanitizes their image. This is what they want: to be seen as normal, sane, acceptable, respected, someone to listen to. This is how they get followers and people to con. This allows them to get in the doorway to start people down the radicalization pipeline.

What happens with the promoter

It could begin to soften them to the words of the grifter and alt-right messaging systems. It’s I suspect easier for a promoter promoting a tiny piece of something said to ignore the context that the grifter brings to the table but it might still begin the process of softening them to the message.

I think the more important piece worth considering: as people around them turn on them for their promotion, they begin to be isolated in such a way that solace is then found in alt-right spaces. This I think is an important part of the pipeline that people are involved in - isolating so that comfort is found in the wrong spaces. When this happens it becomes easier and easier to accept the messaging coming from that side regardless of its truth.

What happens with those that view the post

Not everyone is aware of everything. Not everyone that views a post might know who RFK jr is. For these folks, not being aware of context might push them into the alt-right jungle without them even realizing it. They might look up more about him thinking he gets a pass because someone they know and respected promoted at least some of his words. They might find themselves sucked in because I was careless enough to promote a grifter grifting in alt-right spaces.

closing things up

When we promote the half truth said fully accredited to the grifter, we promote with their context not our own regardless of any caveats. We can’t be sure every viewer will take them time to look up the differences and our own caveats matter little because we attach the grifters name. If we send people to him (which is what we do when we credit someone with something) they are the ones defining the context.

So what should we do instead? Don’t promote the grifter. Let’s not give any avenue for people to get sucked into the alt-right radicalization pipeline because it’s destroying us. Even though a broken clock might be right twice a day we don’t have to use the broken clock.

Instead, say the thing yourself in a clearer, problem free way. If there’s something to be said about autism, for example, share your story or your experience or wisdom without involving a guy that wants to build a list of all of the autistic people in the country.

I’d readily argue that we have a responsibility not to share the words of those involved in the alt-right radicalization pipeline. Many/Most/All aren’t acting in good faith anyways - they are grifting. They are after your attention first, then your money and once they have those things, they are guaranteed loyalty. We don’t ever have to share their words. They don’t have to be in our spaces. Don’t let their grifts and gaslighting continue.