How To Radicalise A Normie In 5 Easy Steps | By TheHedonisticHorse

How to radicalise a normie in 5 easy stepsTheHedonisticHorse5 min read·Jan 8, 2020

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In the past 10 years, far-right movements have been transitioning to the online. Radical conservatism is de-centralizing: still radical, and often still violent, but now comprised of white nationalists less likely to join a formal organisation. This de-centralization and adoption of the internet as a means to spread their message and organize their affairs provided two major advantages. Firstly, it drastically increased their reach, given the immense opportunity for the propagation of ideas that the internet offers. Furthermore, the lack of a formal association between members means the movement cannot be held responsible, either socially or legally, for any illegal action committed on their behalf. These advantages do come with a trade-off however: a diminished amount of control over their followers.

Step 1: Identify the audience

The path to radicalisation starts with identifying the audience. The alt-right primarily targets cis-het white males who feel emasculated by modern society, as well as people who are at a vulnerable point in their lives and are thus susceptible to recruitment (Hawley, 2018). The far-right targets these demographics and sells their ideology as a solution to their anxieties and problems.

Step 2: Establish a community

This can be done either through creating communities that internet users can stumble into, or by infiltrating and radicalising existing communities or fandoms.

The stumble-upon method has two main-branches. First, many “normies” come into contact with the ideas of the radical right by visiting anonymous forums such as 4chan. The second method is the polar opposite of 4chan’s cult of anonymity: through the fandom of far-right thought leaders. These media personalities can get traction on a number of different platforms such as blogging, podcasts or YouTube. They do not present themselves as entry points to the alt-right, and some may not even consider themselves as such. Instead of selling politics as politics, they sell conservatism as sort of a lifestyle brand, which makes them seem appealing. Thus, the face-to-face relationship an extremist forms with his recruiter is replaced here by a para-social relationship with a complete stranger (O ‘Callaghan et. al, 2015).

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The second method, infiltration, consists of the alt-right pervading certain communities that could be vulnerable to radicalising. The infiltrators then spread their bigoted rhetoric, often camouflaged as jokes, in order to get people to argue. Any member who critiques this is automatically labelled as “having an agenda”, which is perceived to be ruining the community. Thus, the alt-righters can drive wedges between community members, and even between the community itself and the left. Given the proper conditions for this, a previously harmless and apolitical community can devolve and become radicalized.

Step 3: Isolate

Once a normie starts interacting with the alt-right, it is their goal to become more and more his primary online social space. This is done through disrupting his relationships with other communities and alienating him from the left. Conservative media is doing a lot of takedowns and responses in an attempt to make the left look pathetic. This is a constant repetition of the left’s arguments for the purpose of mockery, and for some it slowly starts to replace any direct engagement with progressive media. As this rhetoric slips into his day-to-day conversation, it starts to strain relationships with others who don’t hold the same views. Additionally, the adoption of the meme terminology of these communities makes its members less and less comprehensible to outsiders, further isolating them and contributing to their alienation.

It is important to keep in mind that this process happens entirely at the normie’s discretion, and at his own chosen pace. This behaviour has not been forced onto him, only encouraged and rewarded, and this makes him all the more willing to accept it (Munn, 2019).

Step 4: Get red pilled

After a normie is successfully isolated, it comes time for him to “get red pilled”. This term references the movie Matrix, and is supposed to signify the choice of harsh knowledge, desperate freedom, and the brutal truths of reality over the blissful ignorance of “the blue pill”. However, in reality, “getting red pilled” on a certain issue means accepting extremist views and believing others are too uneducated or not intelligent enough to hold those beliefs (Evans, 2018). What is supposed to follow, what the alt-right promises, is that this knowledge helped our normie in some way. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. Blaming immigrants won’t fix the economy, and hating women won’t make men feel less lonely; but having been alienated from everything else outside his corrupted community, the only recourse on offer is to seek out the next pill. And pills are easy to find.

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Step 5: ???

If we were talking about a traditional hate movement, the final step would be receiving a mission. However, as previously stated, this is the one thing internet extremists can’t do. But where does this leave the average member? After undergoing this process of indoctrination, our normie is still left without a purpose. The alt-right has created this large mass of unfulfilled young men that is full of militant fervor and is left to stew in their own hatred. It is almost like a machine for producing lone wolves. Perhaps if we considered this aspect, the increasing rate of mass shootings over the past few years would be less surprising.

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One’s journey through this complicated maze can take many forms, as this article is by no means comprehensive. It is intended to serve as a framework to how the alt-right recruiting system operates, as well as a cautionary tale and a means through which readers could identify harmful influences of this sort at an early stage in their development.

References

Evans, R. (2018). From Memes to Infowars: How 75 Fascist Activists Were “Red-Pilled” — bellingcat. [online] bellingcat. Available at: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2018/10/11/memes-infowars-75-fascist-activists-red-pilled/ [Accessed 23 Dec. 2019].

Hawley, G. (2018). The Demography of the Alt-Right. Retrieved 23 December 2019, from https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-demography-of-the-alt-right

Munn, L. (2019). Alt-right pipeline: Individual journeys to extremism online. First Monday, 24(6).

O’Callaghan, D., Greene, D., Conway, M., Carthy, J., & Cunningham, P. (2015). Down the (White) Rabbit Hole: The Extreme Right and Online Recommender Systems. Social Science Computer Review, 33(4), 459–478. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439314555329