With a suspect under arrest in the bombing case, we're just a few minutes from this whole thing being painted over as a "lone nut" situation and the context being completely and utterly lost. 1/
Obviously this person's unwell. But we have to look at where this stuff comes from. Our current political environment is inspiring people like this, and it's because Trump and the Republican Party are stoking paranoia and violent feelings. 2/
Trump and the GOP have framed this political moment as a do or die situation. According to their narrative, Democrats are actively working against the country and betraying it every single day. It's a war narrative, and they know full and well the cost of that business is this 3/
When they traffic in conspiracy theories, ideas that Soros is bankrolling an effort to destroy the country and Clinton and Obama are all in on it, this is what happens. You inspire people to take matters into their own hands. We've seen this time and again. 4/
We talk about these "lone wolves" like Dylann Roof and Timothy McVeigh, but they're inspired by narratives about loss of freedom, racist uprisings, internal wars in which they're the footsoldiers. Many, many have died already. More will die if this strategy continues. 5/
Listen, I'm not a big figure in all this. I'm a writer. But you would not believe the BIZARRE stuff I get sent on a daily basis. I'm talking in the mail, in my email, the class I get, the threats that are made against me. Our country is absolutely soaked in this right now. 6/
The cost of the Republican Party and Donald Trump using fear and division to score political points is that the idea of a free society is being endangered because these people are being activated by the national narrative and violent rhetoric. 7/
This bombing attempt, this assassination attempt, this attempted purge, isn't the beginning and it isn't going to be the end. If we just pretend this is an ill person doing irrational things instead of the symptom it obviously is...my god, I can't imagine where we're going 8/
America is extraordinarily bad at losing the context of the moment. We frame white murderers as "lone nuts" and look for cultural conclusions with everyone else. This is a giant symptom of a giant problem.
People will die if we just shrug and look away. 9/9
People will die if we just shrug and look away. 9/9
