Anarchist is a bad word in America. Americans think Anarchist means "chaotic and violent". Usually when the US media calls somebody an Anarchist, they mean that the person is an enemy of the US government, not that they read Kropotkin or something.

The other narrative angle that the media tries to push is that he switched from one "extreme ideology" to another. The headline mentions that he grew up on a christian compound. This terminology "christian compound" is associated with cults. Americans also believe that anarchism is an extreme ideology because they can't imagine a society without the state and they think Anarchy is chaos. The implication of the headline is that he was prone believing extreme ideologies and therefore not a logical actor.

[–] EelBolshevikism@hexbear.net 17 points 1 year ago

Well yeah I know all that, but still

[–] SubstantialNothingness@hexbear.net 2 points 1 year ago

The comment reads like it agrees with the opinion that anarchist is a bad word - as if the redeeming feature of his anarchism is that he was correct on Gaza. At least that's the way it reads to me and I assume u/EelBolshevikism.

[–] cosecantphi@hexbear.net 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I think it would because most Americans don't actually know what anarchism is. The average person off the street will give you the dictionary definition of anarchy and say it's when you have no laws and can do whatever you want. When they hear this guy was an "anarchist" they'll instantly write him off the same way we instantly write off libertarians.