This is Tim Gionet, aka Baked Alaska, a neo-Nazi, anti-semitic conspiracy theorist, and social media troll. Yesterday he was arrested by the FBI for his role in the insurrection at the capitol.

About 6 years ago, he was a co-worker.

We didn’t work directly together, but he sat right across from me. Our monitors touched.

At first he seemed like a nice guy and was eager to please. We ate lunch together.

This thread is in no way intended to redeem his character. Fuck him. He’s a fascist, and I was oblivious.

After he got let go I heard stories about his demeaning behavior to women on his team. About verbally abusing our shuttle drivers, mostly POC. Bragging about Trump’s plan to build the wall.

That my experience was far from the same of others.

(I’ll add allegedly here to be safe)

My first somewhat obvious takeaway is to listen to the women and people of color around you. Tim treated me, a cishet white dude, WAY different than he treated others. Through my lens, Tim left and had this *wild* transformation into alt-right troll. To them, it was always there.

Tim wanted to be liked and to be praised. Reflecting I see an intensely sad and lonely guy who found the community and approval he craved in the worst places. People who encouraged the most toxic and deeply entitled tendencies within him, and who he radicalized right back.

After BuzzFeed he popped in and out of my newsfeed. First becoming an outspoken Trump supporter and entrenching himself in the Breitbart crowd with Milo Y, then marching in Charlottesville, and finally storming the capitol.

His transformation from troll to terrorist complete.

. @benyt wrote more about the ways Baked Alaska followed likes and virality during his descent. It’s frankly better than anything I have to say here. http://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/business/media/capitol-anthime-gionet-buzzfeed-vine.amp.html

It’s easier to think of the alt-right as one size fits all. That you’d know em when you see em.

I all but shared a desk with one for a few months and had no idea.

Fascism in America isn’t hiding. It’s infecting the people all around you. We just need to open our eyes to it.