I look forward to the op-eds about this. In fact, I’m looking forward to them so much I CAN WRITE THEM RIGHT NOW. It’s like a recipe. Put the following in a bowl:
- A cup of “both sides of the political spectrum bear responsibility for radicalization and polarization of their followers.”
- A half cup of “whence the serious conservative thinkers, who would not be able to win a primary today.”
- Two tablespoons of “these types of actions only occur when people feel they’re not being heard by their leaders.”
- Eight sifted ounces of diagnosis from professional expert psych professors at the American College of Sexologists, who were curiously available to the media on a Sunday.
- A pinch of unflattering comparisons to Black Lives Matter.
Whisk painfully. Add:
- Sixteen grams of quotes from people who, upon a cursory Google search, will turn out either to be white nationalists, or to owe them from the last time they paid for the pony keg.
- A teaspoon of walkbacks of claims made in the headline and lead.
- Four pounds of blaming the Internet and social media for “stoking political paranoia,” and longing for the old days, when you had to get your wingnut crazy from actual ink on actual paper.
Shove in oven, burn profoundly, force-feed to entire American public then blame on “conventional wisdom” and decry debunkers online as “haters” who “couldn’t make it in traditional media.”
Possible variations: Add “Obama should have denounced these people years ago before they were even born” for a liberal-leaning slant! Dip in “reverse racism forces people to do extreme things.” Or combine with “this is what happens in a country where abortion is legal” and “there are no gun laws that would have prevented this so SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.”
A.