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This all reminds me so much of the assassinations & clinic attacks in the 90s and 00s. Anti-abortion extremists carried them out. But TV anchors, talk radio hosts, and Republican Party members told them: "these people are killing babies and no one is doing anything about it." https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1347241552209330177
So many feminists were sounding the alarm, saying that these inflammatory lies have consequences. Bill O'Reilly calling George Tiller "Tiller the Killer" on his extremely popular TV show helped to put a huge target on Tiller's back. Then he was gunned down in church.
Of course I blame the individuals who commit these bad acts. But when there's an entire ecosystem of people you trust who are in positions of power, and they tell you that an egregious crime is occurring and no one is doing anything to stop it--what do you do if you believe them?
If you TRULY believe that across America people are murdering babies, well, it's not so insane to take matters into your own hands to try and stop it. Most people, even pro-life ones, don't actually believe this, regardless of what they say--they can tell an embryo from an infant
But some do. And those who are egged on by right-wing media and "pro-life" politicians have, very predictably, taken matters into their own hands. After all, they were told by trusted leaders that this is a life-or-death situation and no one is acting.
The same thing happened yesterday. The folks who descended on DC are of course responsible for their actions, and they should be held criminally responsible. But they were also acting in accordance with what trusted, powerful people told them was going on.
I don't say this to deflect responsibility from the rioters who stormed the Capitol yesterday -- quite the opposite. I say it to appropriately extend responsibility to all those who deserve it.
