On Parkland & Donald Trump:
Earlier I listened to Nik Cruz’s attorney and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Hear me out.
Cruz was radicalized by alt-right, MAGA, white supremacists. He went on to carry out a heinous act of domestic terrorism.
But this didn’t happen overnight. 1/
Earlier I listened to Nik Cruz’s attorney and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Hear me out.
Cruz was radicalized by alt-right, MAGA, white supremacists. He went on to carry out a heinous act of domestic terrorism.
But this didn’t happen overnight. 1/
This is a child who was adopted. His father died six years ago, and Nik was orphaned again when his mother died in November. He was on his own. No family to speak of.
NOWHERE TO BELONG. 2/
NOWHERE TO BELONG. 2/
By all accounts, he was the weird kid. The creepy kid. The awkward kid. The different kid.
Teachers say he was quiet in class, unremarkable. Acted out previously.
Classmates say he was anti-social, awkward with girls. Seemed sad, aloof. Didn’t fit in.
NOWHERE TO BELONG. 3/
Teachers say he was quiet in class, unremarkable. Acted out previously.
Classmates say he was anti-social, awkward with girls. Seemed sad, aloof. Didn’t fit in.
NOWHERE TO BELONG. 3/
Nik Cruz did what lonely people do. He sought attention. Somewhere he fit in.
He went to the outer fringes of the internet; where the most obscure, misunderstood, marginalized young men in our society go, and hear what they’ve been longing for:
YOU BELONG HERE. 4/
He went to the outer fringes of the internet; where the most obscure, misunderstood, marginalized young men in our society go, and hear what they’ve been longing for:
YOU BELONG HERE. 4/
In these dark corners of the internet—where a broken person can hide behind a screen and be whoever they want to be—he was equipped with the tools and indoctrinated by the lies of toxic masculinity, nationalism, and revenge by force. He was told:
YOU BELONG HERE. 5/
YOU BELONG HERE. 5/
In the real world, this small, quirky, insecure, confused kid was outcast. There are countless other kids like him in America, all looking to belong.
Nik went where some of these kids—primarily boys—go to find friends. They bonded over their shared miserable obscurity.
6/
Nik went where some of these kids—primarily boys—go to find friends. They bonded over their shared miserable obscurity.
6/
He found that as he conformed to racist, bigoted, violent ideology, he gained confidence, relevance, and notoriety in the group.
Enter: Donald Trump.
Closeted racists, white supremacists, sexual abusers, liars, cheaters—the scourge of society—saw their guy rise to power.
7/
Enter: Donald Trump.
Closeted racists, white supremacists, sexual abusers, liars, cheaters—the scourge of society—saw their guy rise to power.
7/
The bottom feeders—once relegated to the fringes of the internet—were told:
YOU BELONG HERE.
MAGA.
IT’S YOUR TIME.
I’M ONE OF YOU.
GET WHAT’S YOURS.
VERY FINE PEOPLE.
They heard it from the most powerful man in the world:
YOU BELONG HERE.
8/
YOU BELONG HERE.
MAGA.
IT’S YOUR TIME.
I’M ONE OF YOU.
GET WHAT’S YOURS.
VERY FINE PEOPLE.
They heard it from the most powerful man in the world:
YOU BELONG HERE.
8/
Not all mass murderers are mentally ill. Not all mass killers are white supremacists. Not all school shooters are terrorists or Trump supporters.
But all are men—young and old—who didn’t belong.
All subtly cried out for help. All wanted attention.
BELONGING.
9/
But all are men—young and old—who didn’t belong.
All subtly cried out for help. All wanted attention.
BELONGING.
9/
In this case, I believe Nik Cruz—a kid with no one and nothing to lose—became so deeply radicalized by the obscene, violent, toxic masculinity he found in dark places. He was then *empowered* when the embodiment of such scourge was elected President of the United States.
10/
10/
Empowered by the cult, enabled by blood money that bankrolls its members, emboldened by vile, hateful ideology’s return to modern American life; all thanks to the newest occupant of the Oval Office.
A kid with nothing to lose made one last attempt to be seen and heard.
11/
A kid with nothing to lose made one last attempt to be seen and heard.
11/
So I’m not surprised to hear his attorney call him broken, sad, remorseful. I believe he is all of those things.
He didn’t expect to live through this. He expected to die in grand fashion, having exacted revenge, notorious for all of time, like his predecessors.
TO BELONG.
12/
He didn’t expect to live through this. He expected to die in grand fashion, having exacted revenge, notorious for all of time, like his predecessors.
TO BELONG.
12/
Another senseless tragedy. Another life gone terribly wrong. Countless lives changed forever.
It’s blood money, gun lobbies, assault weapons, mental illness. But it’s more than that.
The scourge is perverse.
It’s co-signed by the most powerful person in the world.
13/
It’s blood money, gun lobbies, assault weapons, mental illness. But it’s more than that.
The scourge is perverse.
It’s co-signed by the most powerful person in the world.
13/
Violence, hate, greed, corruption, racism, xenophobia, bigotry, lawlessness; all co-signed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Who yesterday, left work early.
Ate cheeseburgers in bed.
Went to sleep.
Couldn’t be bothered to address what he created.
14/
Who yesterday, left work early.
Ate cheeseburgers in bed.
Went to sleep.
Couldn’t be bothered to address what he created.
14/
We have a boy crisis. A gun crisis. We have a racism crisis. A violence, greed, mental illness crisis.
We have a Donald Trump crisis.
Parkland is a new crisis. It is but one of a long list of school shootings.
But it’s the first one with roots in MAGA.
15/
We have a Donald Trump crisis.
Parkland is a new crisis. It is but one of a long list of school shootings.
But it’s the first one with roots in MAGA.
15/
The first deeply rooted in the ideology that drives this administration.
We’ve crossed a new threshold.
It’s time. Time to shut down DC, mobilize.
It’s time to make the propagandists pay.
It’s time to tell them about themselves.
Before they kill again.
#ParklandStrong </>
We’ve crossed a new threshold.
It’s time. Time to shut down DC, mobilize.
It’s time to make the propagandists pay.
It’s time to tell them about themselves.
Before they kill again.
#ParklandStrong </>
P.S. My thoughts on reports that #NikolasCruz was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 11, and how—as mom to an autistic boy myself—this further exacerbates the totality of how we got here:
**UPDATE**
First of all, thank you to everyone who has shared. As noted previously, this is *not* an attempt to garner sympathy, pity, or exoneration for the shooter. It’s not about shifting blame.
It’s about opening up the conversation to a long, deep and narrow inquiry. 1/
First of all, thank you to everyone who has shared. As noted previously, this is *not* an attempt to garner sympathy, pity, or exoneration for the shooter. It’s not about shifting blame.
It’s about opening up the conversation to a long, deep and narrow inquiry. 1/
As I previously stated, when I learned of Cruz’s behavioral history, I immediately recognized him.
He sounded much like my son, who is autistic. I’ve detailed my thoughts earlier in this thread.
New reporting on the his behavioral history knocked the wind out of me. 3/
He sounded much like my son, who is autistic. I’ve detailed my thoughts earlier in this thread.
New reporting on the his behavioral history knocked the wind out of me. 3/
I’m attaching some preliminary thoughts here. I will break down the details of these behaviors in a forthcoming thread.
This is CRITICAL to prevention. I hope you’ll read and share.
@dcpoll
@joanwalsh
@goldengateblond
@JoyAnnReid
@TheRickyDavila
This is CRITICAL to prevention. I hope you’ll read and share.
@dcpoll
@joanwalsh
@goldengateblond
@JoyAnnReid
@TheRickyDavila
