But then Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old electrician, was arrested. Robinson is white and from Utah, the son of a MAGA family with a passion for guns; that’s why Cox was crestfallen. On Sunday, Cox started trying to insist that Robinson still holds a “leftist ideology”—not quite “one of us,” then—but he just seemed to be spiraling.
As details emerged, the Journal took back its reporting on the shooter’s leftist leanings. The Guardian did too. Robinson’s grandmother was stunned to discover the suspect was one of her tribe. “I don’t know any single one [of my family] who’s a Democrat,” she told The Daily Mail. “I’m just so confused.” (TikTok wags jumped in: “Tyler Robinson’s meemaw got on the internet and she said, ‘My grandson [may be] a murderer, but he is not a liberal.’ Don’t get it twisted.”)
Then the other shoe dropped. The far-far-right, those to the right of Kirk, appeared to recognize Robinson as maybe, just maybe, one of them.
MirthandMystery on September 16th, 2025 at 02:20 UTC »
These were young teens and young 20somethings when Trump first ran and held office, more prominent on Twitter or 4Chan, spread Pepe the frog and red Pill memes, were mostly male, lived at home, some identified as incels, most had no social skills, had problems with women and childish awkward sexist attitudes, many were gamers, some influenced by gamer gate, didn't have jobs or had lousy ones they hated and spent whatever cash they could raise in trading meme stocks and obsessed about crypto. All loved Elon Musk. Many self radicalized slowly simply by spending a huge amount of time online sh*tposting initially (anti Hillary memes etc), then got totally sucked into an alt right world of insanity on every level. Gab became their new home when kicked off pre-Elon Twitter or Facebook.. then some joined Truth Social when Trump released it, saying he wanted a site where "free speech" was protected and libs couldn't "silence conservative voices" then went back to Twitter now rebranded as X, made to be a simple model of Elons technocratic + crypto fantasy prototype.
The rest leads right up to last year where everything was blooming fast like a cancerous cell.
Early on it was easy to see them all online, playing around without restraint or rules, a type of anonymous male bonding on a grand scale, who self radicalized during Trumps first term, and were dangerously influenced by foreign created or amplified disinformation and crap boosted by bots and key influencers. Then they got hooked on Livestreamers who kept upping the gags and campaigns for attention- especially after being able to monetize it. By the Jan 6 Capitol attack when Republicans post election simmering rage exploded after having lost, you can see who took it to the next level and became vicious, organizers, starting to attack 'their own' for not being extreme enough, being too supportive of old Trumpers, Jewish and Israeli causes, et c.
So it's not just MAGA and Trump vs dull old school Republicans, it became groypers attacking MAGA, Trump, Republicans and Dems, vying for more power now they have have a taste of meme mob influence and have a little money (from trading meme stocks and crypto) making them feel smart and invincible. They still think this online fantasy world is the real world, seemingly unable or unwilling to step into the actual real world, grow into being adults, merging with the rest of us, taking on responsibilities and doing hard work instead of craving or fighting for power, influence and money.
On Twitter I mused (warned people) of it in 2016 and 2017.. how those seeds Trump et c planted would grow into toxic weeds. How do you de-radicalize them now? They never knew what normal was and still crave crazy entertainment.. have no respect for a boring, functioning government run by adults who need to be held accountable, won't abuse their position of authority to just enrich themselves or start domestic wars or incite fights, and refuse to sell out their country.
fxkatt on September 16th, 2025 at 01:45 UTC »
There may be lots of wisdom in that last sentence. In any case, it's what I oft seem to be experiencing.
gexckodude on September 16th, 2025 at 01:31 UTC »
Groyping sounds like something the right would do.