This is a longer read about Maddison Welch, Pizzagate and the larger trajectory of toxic bullshit that is sluicing through the right wing in this country. It begins with Welch, the man who entered Comet Ping Pong pizza in 2017 armed to the teeth looking for the pedophilic dungeon that online nutters claimed was there. He has been released into a halfway house, and from the attempts to interview him or his friends and family, it doesn't seem like he's walked away from Pizzagate or it's larger, malignant successor, QAnon.
The piece makes fascinating connections to Welch's hometown of Salisbury, NC and issues like the removal of Confederate statues. Rachel Blum and Chris Parker have been doing research into MAGA and the results are unsurprising:
The demographic composition of the MAGA movement is overwhelmingly white, male, Christian, retired, and over 65 years of age. They’re attracted to the following groups, ones that include gun rights, charities, pro police, anti-lockdown, pro-life, and “stop the steal.” They’re extremely politically active, all in support of the Republican Party. However, only roughly 60 percent are solid Republicans, the rest either “lean” Republican or Independent. The MAGA movement overwhelmingly believes Trump’s election fraud claims, would have supported him for a “third term”(had it been an option), and don’t believe that voting should be made easier. They’re also of the opinion, to a large degree, that Covid-related restrictions should be eased, that Americans are overreacting to the pandemic, and that Trump told the truth about the threat to American public health posed by the pandemic. Further, responses to our survey suggests that MAGA is populated with a good number of racist, sexists, and nativists.
This is why it's fair to call the GOP the GQP. There is the behavior of the Mitch McConnells of the world, who know that this is all bullshit, but can't afford to upset the base too much. He famously said in November - about Trump's lies and tantrum about the election - "what's the harm in humoring him." We know the harm now.
As someone with a little experience in the small town South, people like Welch are invariably kind to their in-group. But they are so insular and suspicious (Welch himself is likely dealing with untreated mental illness) that anyone from beyond the borders of their small town is suspect. They will give from their scarcity to help the local kid with leukemia, but they won't vote for some city person who might give all kids healthcare.
I was optimistic, at one point, that internet penetration into these provincial burgs would remove the burden of ignorance from those communities, but it has instead acted as a multiplier. My town - very Trumpy - is being roiled because students wanted to get rid of the "Indian" mascot and adults are pissed that "their" mascot is being retired. Obviously, if a mascot creates divisions in the community then it's a crappy mascot, but for those supporting it, there's this pervasive fear of change that makes every nod and gesture towards out-groups some sort of threat. Who the hell cares about the high school mascot? People who feel left behind by a culture that is increasingly not OK with exploiting marginal groups.
As the zeitgeist - driven by cosmopolitan cities - leaves this demographic behind, they will believe more and more rancid nonsense. And it will impact the institutional GOP.
I don't know how you combat the Paranoid Style. I don't know why Alex Jones hasn't been sued into oblivion. I just know that, yes, Mitch, there is harm in humoring them.
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