Attacks on the LGBTQ+ Community Amount to Stochastic Terrorism
The U.S. has seen increased violence in recent years, and a specific path has emerged. It begins with poisonous rhetoric that inspires individuals and groups to engage in violent behavior.
It's called stochastic terrorism, and it's a big problem online.The danger with this violence is extreme because it is inspired by politicians and media personalities who aren't held accountable.Stochastic terrorism is based on a psychological phenomenon in which someone is inspired to act violently in the name of something they perceive as wrong from messages they receive that are designed to inspire such action.
Put another way, it refers to terrorism that is statistically predictable but unpredictable on an individual basis.One can find an example of stochastic terrorism in the attack on a Cincinnati Federal Bureau of Investigation field office days ago inspired by anti-FBI rhetoric.Immediately after the news broke last week that the FBI had searched former President Donald Trump's Palm Beach, Fla., home, Mar-a-Lago, right-wingers — including politicians — began attacking the federal law enforcement agency.Media figures on the right instigated outrage over the lawful search, and sitting congressman urged that the FBI be destroyed."The FBI raid on Trump's home tells us one thing," tweeted Rep.
