Path To Radicalization: A Mother Turns to Hate

[imwoahvicky 4,248]

I was watching this earlier with my mom since we found it scrolling through Facebook and I thought it was really interesting and thought I should share it with all of you

"Jacob Goodwin, a self-proclaimed white nationalist, was charged with injuring a black counterprotester in the wake of the August Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. As Goodwin awaits trial, his parents become increasingly more involved in Goodwin’s extremist group, following a gradual path to their own radicalization."

[Miracle 14,068]

Ew.

[OBEY 57,109]

16 minutes ago, Miracle said:

Ew.

If you come here to say that, might as well not post at all  

[Miracle 14,068]

16 minutes ago, OBEY said:

If you come here to say that, might as well not post at all  

I can't do anything but show disgust to white supremacism and its spreading. it's not necessary to post a long rant about everything you see on the Internet, especially if you're on a Lady Gaga forum, and the thread is about such a complex topic that could take hours and hours of debate. So I chose to post a two-letters word.

 

[jsn 1,669]

It's scary how delusional these people are.....this video was really interesting, but also so sad.

[Qualle1 1,385]

Thank you very much for posting this really interesting report, which was actually quite shocking to watch.

[Stigma 205]

On 4/23/2018 at 2:08 AM, Miracle said:

I can't do anything but show disgust to white supremacism and its spreading. it's not necessary to post a long rant about everything you see on the Internet, especially if you're on a Lady Gaga forum, and the thread is about such a complex topic that could take hours and hours of debate. So I chose to post a two-letters word.

 

Are you this confident in your disapproval towards black supremacists, reverse racism, the religion of peace and s.o.?

[Bebe 17,289]

Really confronting viewing. It made me feel like things are a little bit hopeless honestly - but it's interesting to see how this radicalisation works.

There is this kid with no friends, no job, no community who found a group of friends and a community and somewhere to put his energy into. They are getting together and having BBQs... They are writing letters and cards to this kid in jail, they are raising money for him, his parents who obviously don't want to see their son in prison and don't want to see him as 'evil' are willing to look past the despicable things that this neo-nazi leader is saying BECAUSE they are showing them love, they are supporting them in their darkest time, they are caring for them and their son, they are acting like true friends and like a true supportive, loving community.

Obviously it's strange to describe a neo-nazi group as "caring", "supportive" and "loving" - but on the extremely micro-level they are targeting these people and creating an environment for them where they feel supported, loved and taken care of.

The family is racist, their actions and their support for these groups are inexcusable - I don't want to sound like I'm defending them or the awful, degenerate, racist, evil people they associate themselves with but it was telling that when the director read out the quote from Neo-Nazi leader Billy Roper ("I am a biological racist. I'd rather have the entire species become extinct, except for one white boy and one white girl, who are raised by a pack of wild wolves, then our race go under and be inherited by Asians and mulattos") and told them they where aligning themselves with this man and supporting his organisation the mother said "I see your point there, that's a good point" and both parents disagreed with him but ultimately the parents said they felt "pushed" into supporting him.

Why? Because this man and his organisation are supporting them emotionally, they are raising money for them so they can visit their son in prison, they are raising money for their son's legal fees. These people are vulnerable and they have found a community that supports them in every way, while they recieve letters from the other side that include death threats and celebrations that their son is in jail... It doesn't justify their support for these organisations one bit, but it does explain how this sort of radicalisation happens. 

And as time goes on and they associate themselves more with this group - that is supporting them emotionally, financially and are holding fundraisers, protests and rallies on their family's behalf - you see them begin to adopt some of their view points and get "red pilled" you hear the mother say that Billy Roper is "awakening" her. 

They are clearly ignorant about race issues and politics to begin with (something the mother says herself multiple times), they found a community that supports them, they slowly become totally immersed in this group because it's their only source of emotional support at a time when they really need support, they start getting exposed to this propaganda, they are not hearing the other side or the other arguments and they quickly begin to adopt at least some of those ideas their new friends are exposing them to. Before you know it they are totally gone.

This quote from the mother:

"I just want to do my job, I was just born to be a mother. I wasn't born to be in politics or to understand what Hitler done. I was just born to be a mother"

This quote from the father:

"I don't care how you feel about me. The only people helping my son are these people"

Are the quotes of the documentary. That's what is boils down to. That's how these groups recruit. They find people who are ignorant about politics, ignorant about history and who are badly struggling. They offer them love, support and take care of their emotional (and sometimes financial) needs. They provide these people with a community. The mother didn't set out to become a neo-nazi - she set out to help her son, she set out to find love and acceptance. It's kinda sad, but it's also terrifying.

Also I know this is long, but I like how they ended it confronting her. They didn't defend or excuse what she was doing, they told her that she can't do what she is doing and confronted her for associating with these people and not confronting her son, they just provided an explanation for how this indoctrination happened and how it's effective. Really great documentary.