this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2023
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[–] stopthatgirl7@kbin.social 125 points 2 years ago (4 children)

On the day of the killings, Veltman denied that he went out on the day with the intention of conducting murders despite the fact he had written a manifesto, put on a military helmet, a bulletproof vest, and a white shirt with a cross on it that was a reference to an online meme about crusaders killing Muslims.

Dude is just trying to save his skin and pass the blame for what he did elsewhere.

[–] fiat_lux@kbin.social 35 points 2 years ago (8 children)

You're right, but the blame does lie with multiple people too. Yeah, his only chance of saving his skin is if other's responsibility somehow diminishes his own culpability, but he will soon find out this is not a zero-sum game.

But shouting "fire!" In a crowded theater isn't free speech and will get you a jail sentence if it creates a disaster. Infowars (and Alex Jones specifically), and other organisations (they identify libertarian and mainstream conservative content plus youtube algorithm) also need to be held to account for inflammatory speech that encourages violence; provided that it can be demonstrated that they're pushing dangerous misinformation. Especially if they are making money doing it.

I won't hold my breath waiting to see that happen though.

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[–] Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)

He didn't intend to do any murdering, he just was fully prepared just in case the opportunity for some murdering came up. You know how one might pack a few snacks just in case they get peckish between meals.

[–] kool_newt@lemm.ee 10 points 2 years ago

Ah the Rittenhouse defense

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 3 points 2 years ago

I'm pretty sure you can't claim a crime of passion if you put on a bulletproof vest, it's not exactly normal attire even for NRA idiots.

[–] jarfil@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

denied that he went out on the day with the intention of conducting murders

What did he expect, that they would respawn?

[–] PeleSpirit@lemmy.world 96 points 2 years ago (3 children)

These are the most important bits:

“I consumed libertarian content, mainstream conservative content,” he said on the stand. “Then I slowly started looking at some alt-right content on YouTube, and then stumbled across some of the more fringe.”

The content he described focused on the Great Replacement—a popular conspiracy theory among the far-right focused on minorities taking over white majority countries—and the idea that Muslim violence is under-covered by mainstream media. He said that he consumed conspiratorial content like Alex Jones’ Infowars where he found “conspiracies that Middle Eastern wars were a conspiracy to try to bring Muslim immigration into Europe.” This then led him to white nationalist content.

[–] ZeroCool@feddit.ch 64 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

He said that he consumed conspiratorial content like Alex Jones’ Infowars where he found “conspiracies that Middle Eastern wars were a conspiracy to try to bring Muslim immigration into Europe.” This then led him to white nationalist content.

I'm not surprised he said that. Alex Jones is a stepping stone toward radicalization but I consider it a distinction without a difference. Alex Jones has been a white nationalist his entire career despite his shallow denials and subterfuge. The 'Knowledge Fight' podcast has done an excellent job of documenting the fact that Alex Jones has never been a "harmless crank" by examining and debunking his own contemporary claims and those going back to the earliest days of his career. The only difference between Alex Jones and blatant white nationalist content is his conscious use of dog whistles. But even those have mostly been abandoned now that he's seemingly drunk every time he records a show.

[–] TinyPizza@kbin.social 16 points 2 years ago

It's funny because at the beginning of that show Dan does think Alex is just some kind of a grandstanding/ridiculous pill, gold and water filter huckster. He was listening and watching ironically, largely for cheap laughs, and as kind of a game to peel back the layers of the "turn the frogs gay" onion.

It took a decent amount of time for them to get a handle on how awful he truly was, but more importantly, the intent. When you look at it through the lens of the current episodes you can see that the beliefs were always there but that there was way more effort to maintain the mask and disguise the true sources. Pretty much like you said.

Part of what makes the show interesting, in hindsight, is how long he was given the benefit of the doubt. And I say that as more of a testament to who Dan and Jordan are and the difference of the times from then and now. His fascination morphs into disgust and the novelty becomes more of an accidental chronicle of right white radicalization. I wonder who Alex will say was really behind this.

[–] QHC@lemmy.world 43 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Oh wow, that last part about wars in the middle east being a conspiracy is totally new to me. I suppose it's no less unbelievable than the planet being a flat disc or moon landing hoaxes.

[–] Touching_Grass@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago

Check out way back machine to look at early YouTube and you'll find so many videos with this crap and all of them had images of crusaders because those were the groups making these videos. They were organized racist Nazi fucks who built up this imagery of a new holy war. But it was too obvious the following waves racist social media posting just hid that it was coming from these fucking losers.

[–] Hackerman_uwu@lemmy.world 26 points 2 years ago (5 children)

Fucking YouTube my people.

I am South African. Considering a move to another country so we were watching expat videos from that country. Fuck me if YT didn’t take two searches to start serving up content about white slums and the impact of Affirmative Action on the whites of SA.

To be clear I want to move for an adventure and to further my career. I’m mixed race and have no beef with AA, YouTube wants name to be a frustrated white person who wants to leave due to politics. Get fucked.

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[–] Szymon@lemmy.ca 45 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (6 children)

Hey Canada, can the confessed murder of most of an entire family inspired by far right propeganda finally be enough justification to ban that content in this country?

Seriously, can I just ask my MP this question? Can we all ask our MPs this question?

[–] Kilnier@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 years ago

Man, Cheryl Gallant sends me enough crazy flyers already.

We take free speech seriously around here!!! Canadianflagbaldeagle.gif

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

How about slapping an "aiding and abetting" on Infowars?

[–] irreticent@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The Qanon cultists in congress would never allow that.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

That's not an issue for congress, this is a legal affair and job of the DA and the court.

[–] irreticent@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Like legalities have ever stopped them.

[–] llama@midwest.social 15 points 2 years ago (1 children)

How do these people watch conspiratorial content and miss the fact that pale male European colonialism literally is the conspiracy?

[–] shasta@lemm.ee 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

How is it a conspiracy? It's a fact that's been quite well known for hundreds of years

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

That's mostly the modern understanding, but the word also still means people working together to achieve something.

[–] shasta@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

I thought that's collusion/collaboration

[–] EatATaco@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

A conspiracy is working with people secretly to do some illegal or wrong in some way. You aren't conspiring with your teammates to win a soccer game.

[–] BlinkerFluid@lemmy.one 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The blame my upbringing defense. Nice.

[–] VantaBrandon@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yeah we pretty much already just assumed that

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

We 100% knew that. What I'm curious about is how this shapes legal precedent moving forward. We have legal testimony proving the stochastic terror risk to right-wing media outlets like this, which may help clamp down on this rhetoric down the road.

[–] weirdwallace75@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

"It isn't my fault I was a monster! It was that nasty Alex Jones! Honest! YA GOTTA BELIEVE ME!"

Yeah, pull the other one.