This was tweeted yesterday by @polNewsNetwork1:
The twitter account’s name is a reference to /pol/, the “politically incorrect” section of 4chan, the message board for miscreants, and source of a lot of what’s poisoning internet culture, from GamerGate to alt-right memes to the current state of politics. The account pretty much is an echo of what you’ll find on /pol/, or any other place where you’ll find angry, disenfranchised, poorly-socialized (and mostly white) men who feel cheated out of a birthright they were promised by the dominant culture.
This reaction reminds me of a quip that I use to tease certain people:
Conservatism is the dread fear that somewhere, somehow, someone you think is your inferior is being treated as your equal.
In the photo, @polNewsNetwork1 sees the destruction of American society, but what I see is its ideal: people doing their own thing, in their own way, and somehow not trying to trample the other for being different.
I’m not the only one who interpreted the photo that way:
When the fascists accidentally make a strong case for your values https://t.co/fHPHY8QUf9
— Emil Seidel (@mayorseidel) March 2, 2017
@Buddha6883 @dumbmongreldog @mayorseidel ugh look at them blatantly existing
— im chuggo! im chuggo (@irlchuggo) March 2, 2017
@polNewsNetwork1 two people calmly sitting on a bus. oh the horror! I thought it was the SJWs who were supposed to be easily offended
— Sunny Burn ☀ (@sunweasel) March 1, 2017
@sunweasel @polNewsNetwork1 Looks like a typical Monday morning. I really see this as my city being a great place to live.
— Darrin Riggins (@driggins67) March 2, 2017
@polNewsNetwork1 looks like a dope party to me
— cx cope (@cxcope) March 2, 2017
@polNewsNetwork1 I think it looks nice — cultures existing comfortably together, no one being hurt in any way.
— Jane Espenson (@JaneEspenson) March 2, 2017
@polNewsNetwork1 People wearing what they want to? Feeling comfortable in public? Going outside without fear? AWESOME LET’S DO IT.
— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) March 2, 2017
@KevinMacTweets @polNewsNetwork1 we’re just worried about the L train being on time.
— Darrin Riggins (@driggins67) March 2, 2017
@polNewsNetwork1 it’s better than what y’all want pic.twitter.com/pUuAOBgWh7
— yaz (@yasssmean) March 1, 2017
@polNewsNetwork1 How cowardly do you have to be for this image to seem even vaguely threatening to you?
— Susan Bennet (@oohstlou) March 1, 2017
@BradConcor @polNewsNetwork1 exactly,freedom to be, it’s AMERICA..radical Christians want a country of religion,they should move to Iran
— ☮ JacquiUpNorth ☮ (@JacquiUpNorth44) March 2, 2017
@polNewsNetwork1 people with differences quietly existing next to each other? How horrific!
— Dane Rauscheberg (@SeeDaneRun) March 2, 2017
@polNewsNetwork1 Well, this certainly didn’t get the result that this Right Wing account was hoping for.
— Dex Farkin (@dexfarkin) March 2, 2017
2 replies on “When an alt-right troll unintentionally makes a case for a liberal future”
You know what is a great way to undermine liberals? Show that muslims can live peacefully with taboos they find in the west WHILE showing how hum-drum everyday peaceful a perceived deviant is while permitting open religious identity and freedom.
This is like trying to demonize conservatives by showing an image of responsible gun ownership classrooms held at a baptist church. What kind of point are you trying to make?
“OH NO! I might stop and pause for a moment before getting back to my iPhone music playlist on this morning commute? The terror of it all!?”
Matt: It’s @polNewsNetwork1 that’s trying — and in my opinion, failing — to make the point, not me.