A Compilation of Hate 1

I decided to make this post in part as a response to the recent events in Charlottesville.

First of all, counter-protesters should be proud. They did it. They were louder, and they were braver than the neo-Nazis. This picture sticks out in my mind:

(Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

It shows the alt-right surrounding a small group of protesters at the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville on Friday, August 11th. But in the video of the symbolic confrontation, you can clearly hear the counter-protesters shouting “black lives matter!” louder than anything the alt-right was shouting.

The left has shown that they are a strong force capable of effective resistance. However, what concerns me is that many leftists seem to wait until events like these before they unite aggressively in opposition to bigotry. There needs to be a concerted effort, and strategy in combating harmful ideas. And this should be something that leftists are actively fighting all the time, not just in Charlottesville.

One specific place where the fight is needed is on social media. Many bigoted ideas on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook etc. often go unchallenged, but they get large platforms, and spread like wildfire. Some leftist groups have started to catch on to this, but it isn’t enough.

What we saw from the alt-right is just the beginning. They will likely grow in numbers, and white supremacist hate crimes will grow along with that. For the past several months, I’ve been compiling screenshots of the worst things I’ve been seeing from the alt-right on social media. I will share the first batch of what I’ve gathered for all to see.

The point of this is to demonstrate that we are not facing an overnight threat, we are facing the spread of unchallenged speech, and while leftists argue over whether they’re supposed to have discussions with neo-Nazis or not, the neo-Nazis take advantage of their echo chambers to poison the internet with their filth. This allows them to grow, to coordinate, and plan for events like ‘Unite the Right’. Let’s stop waiting for another neo-Nazi rally, let’s stop waiting for more deaths and violence. Bring the *fight to them.

*I didn’t blur any names out or anything. They should know that what they post on the internet can follow you around forever. Feel free to track these people down, contact their employers or whatever else – use good judgment. I do not condone harassment.