84-year-old Andrew Lester was described by his grandson as radicalized and immersed in Fox Information earlier than he shot teenager Ralph Yarl.
The Kansas Metropolis Star spoke to Lester’s grandson and reported:
“However within the final 5 or 6 years or so, I really feel like we’ve misplaced contact,” he mentioned. “I’ve gotten older and gained my very own political opinions, and he’s turn out to be staunchly right-wing, additional down the right-wing rabbit gap so far as doing the election-denying conspiracy stuff and COVID conspiracies and disinformation, totally shopping for into the Fox Information, OAN type of line. I really feel prefer it’s actually additional radicalized him in lots of methods.”
Ludwig mentioned his grandfather had been immersed in “a 24-hour information cycle of concern and paranoia.” “After which the NRA pushing the ‘stand your floor’ stuff and that you need to defend your property,” he mentioned. “Once I heard what occurred, I used to be appalled and shocked that it transpired, however I didn’t disbelieve that it was true. The second I heard it, I used to be like, ‘Yeah, I might see him doing that.’”
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It’s chilling that Lester had turn out to be so radicalized that his circle of relatives members might see him capturing an harmless teenager who mistakenly went to the mistaken home to choose up his siblings.
The radicalization of older Individuals who watch and eat conservative media is an issue that has been studied for years, however the radicalization has moved from holding political views which are based mostly on inaccurate data to really capturing harmless individuals as a result of consumption of conservative media fuels a state of concern and paranoia.
Fox Information, OAN, and Newsmax make their cash in the identical method that the NRA sells weapons, and Trump and Republicans court docket voters. Concern is the motivating pressure inside the conservative motion.
Weapons and a conservative media tradition that feeds individuals nothing however concern and paranoia is a harmful mixture.
The concern for revenue business on the appropriate is damaging the nation, and getting individuals killed.
Jason is the managing editor. He’s additionally a White Home Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Diploma in Political Science. His graduate work centered on public coverage, with a specialization in social reform actions.
Awards and Skilled Memberships
Member of the Society of Skilled Journalists and The American Political Science Affiliation
