Amarnath Amarasingam

@amaramarasingam.bsky.social

1965

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Prof@Queen's University | Work: Extremist/social movements, sociology of religion, conspiracy theories, online community, MENA, South Asia | Hip-Hop🎤

Posts Replies Media

New by Ben Makuch, with comment from me Far-right online attacks against Tim Walz focus on conspiracy theory www.theguardian.com/us-news/arti...

Far-right online attacks against Tim Walz focus on conspiracy theorywww.theguardian.com Users of online platforms spread conspiracy theory that he changed Minnesota flag to mimic Somalia’s

The American racial/gender paradox is the celebration of a black and brown woman presidential candidate, while in the same breath saying she can’t win without a heterosexual white male VP who can ensure she doesn’t throw an eat-with-your-hands dosai party in the oval office.

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Amarnath Amarasingam

🧵

1. At the risk of a "too soon" thread - and only because whatsapp groups are a flutter with talk about political fallout - let's look at what happened after the most recent assassination attempt of a US president: Reagan.

2. On 30 March 1981, Reagan delivers a speech and is walking towards his limousine when John Hinkley Jr. fires six shots at him. He is hit by one, which almost pierces his heart.

3. Following the attempt, Reagan's approval ratings went way up. His personality helped. He famously told his wife "Honey, I forgot to duck," and told surgeons, "Please tell me you're Republicans." Trump, who I've never even seen laugh, will take a different approach.

4. He will blame the Left, and continue to sow division. But it'll probably work to his advantage, because we are living in a different time.

5. Another difference is that Reagan was already in power. The assassination attempt helped him push through tax cuts and defense spending increases. Trump is in campaign mode, so his political capital will be spent mostly talking shit.

6. One interesting development, which seems like it happened on Mars now, was that Reagan actually brought in gun control. The Brady Act, named after James Brady (Reagan’s press secretary who was injured during the attempt), was a direct outcome of this incident.

7. It mandated federal background checks on firearm purchasers and imposed a waiting period on purchases.

8. The other question is about media coverage over the next 4 months. There was wall-to-wall coverage of the attempt against Reagan, which kept the public engaged and maintained a focus on Reagan, emphasizing his strength and ability to recover quickly. We can expect the same.

9. The media coverage after the attempt against Reagan focused on the vulnerability of public figures and the need for improved security measures, bravery (or scrutiny) of the Secret Service agents, stories of heroism.

10. Depending on developments and revelations over the next few days, we can probably expect similar dynamics. Basically, it will be difficult for Biden to get a word in about anything he is doing.

11. Anyway, just some out-loud thoughts comparing the two most recent attempts at the life of US presidents. We are living in very different times - politically and in media - so we shall see.

12. In an ideal world, we use this moment to become less tribal and turn the temperature down on our politics, but I'm not that naive. [END]

13. Actually wait, on motive: please let's just wait. What was the motive of the Reagan shooter? John Hinckley Jr. was motivated by a delusional obsession with Jodie Foster, which developed after he watched the movie Taxi Driver.

14. Hinckley believed that by carrying out a high-profile act, such as killing Reagan, he would impress Foster and earn her love and attention. All that to say, these dudes are weird sometimes. So, just give it a few days. [Actual end]

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Amarnath Amarasingam

"Academics researching online misinformation in the US are learning a hard lesson: Academic freedom cannot be taken for granted." @rcalo.bsky.social & @katestarbird.bsky.social: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

American academic freedom is in perilwww.science.org Academics researching online misinformation in the US are learning a hard lesson: Academic freedom cannot be taken for granted. They face a concerted effort—including by members of Congress—to undermi...

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In good, Declaration of Independence form, the Heritage Foundation has not only declared their support for a 2nd American Revolution in the form of Trump 2.0, they are also assembling a long list of grievances, er, enemies to explain why that revolution is justified. newrepublic.com/post/183015/...

Team Trump Is Creating Blacklist of Enemies in Federal Governmentnewrepublic.com Worried about Republicans’ Project 2025? Meet Project Sovereignty 2025.

Reply to

J.M. Berger

The word “reports” doing a lot of heavy lifting here

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Amarnath Amarasingam

🚨NEW🚨 article looking at right-wing extremism in the military based on a niche dataset of interviews with individuals who are both former extremists and have military experience. 👉 pt.icct.nl/sites/defaul...

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Amarnath Amarasingam

"More and more you're seeing ideas like the great replacement theory, QAnon, some of these movements quite quickly pushing everyday people who weren't even deeply immersed in these milieus push over, tip over into violence." — @amaramarasingam.bsky.social (Queen's University)

PART 3: Atomization & Political Instability | The striking rise of right-wing extremism | Unravelledyoutu.be Dive into the striking rise of right-wing extremism in our latest episode of Unravelled, where we examine the troubling trend of far-right groups and the phenomenon of atomization. Discover how individuals, disconnected from formal groups, are shaping ideologies to their liking and the challenges law enforcement faces in adapting to this new form of extremism. We also explore Canada's significant influence in the digital sphere and its repercussions on political stability both domestically and internationally. This in-depth analysis offers a comprehensive look at the forces driving political instability and the rise of atomization in today's volatile landscape. The number of far-right groups has tripled since 2015, but researchers are increasingly concerned with “atomization”. Unaffiliated individuals who “weave together ideologies, narrative and messages to suit their needs,” and who are coming to this information through online spaces. It’s taking law enforcement agencies time to catch up to the new global phenomenon. Unravelled guides you through how Canadians play a large role in this online realm and the implications for political stability in Canada and across the world. Unravelled is TVO Today’s digital video series where we clarify complex issues that shape our lives. Join us online to make sense of what’s happening now. Subscribe on YouTube for the latest episodes: YouTube.com/@TVOToday 0:00 Introduction to Atomization & Political Instability 0:05 The Threat of Far-Right Violence 0:14 Conspiracy Theories and the Push to Violence 0:28 The Role of Disinformation and Policies 0:40 The Shift from Group Membership to Individual 0:55 The Concept of Atomization 1:20 The Challenge of Detecting Networked Individuals 2:25 Financing of Independent Extremist Acts 2:44 The Online Far-Right Network in Canada 3:01 The Increase in Searches for Extremist Content 3:18 Canadian Far-Right Content Creation 3:52 The International Influence of Canadian Extremists 4:11 The Blending of Disinformation and Extremist Narratives 4:36 The 2022 Trucker Convoy and Its Impact 5:00 The Solidarity Among Extremist Groups 5:29 The Convoy as a Powerful Coalition 5:43 The Rising Anger Towards the Federal Government 6:03 Challenging White Supremacy and Political Hostility 6:47 Credits Stay up to date with Ontario Politics every day: https://www.tvo.org/    Follow TVO Today on social media:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theagendatvo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAgenda Threads: https://www.threads.net/@theagendatvo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/tvotoday.bsky.social Subscribe to TVO Today on YouTube: YouTube.com/@TVOToday   Subscribe to TVO Media Education Group newsletters: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters     Get the TVO Today app:   App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112  Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.tvo.tvomediaapp&pli=1 #atomization #rightwingextremism #Unravelled

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Amarnath Amarasingam

Important piece for #CivMilSky and beyond.

Four Corners investigation into Modi government's transnational repression in Australia Spies, secrets and threats: How the Modi regime targets people overseas www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg78...

Spies, secrets and threats: How the Modi regime targets people overseas | Four Cornerswww.youtube.com Narendra Modi has ruled India for a decade and will continue his reign following this month’s election, but he does not tolerate some critics. His government has been accused of foreign interference and assassinating dissidents overseas — and now Four Corners has uncovered the long arm of the Indian state here in Australia. This investigation reveals new details about the local “nest of spies” previously disrupted by ASIO and meets the Australian residents who say they have been threatened by India’s authorities. This episode was originally broadcast as ‘Infiltrating Australia’ on 17 June 2024 on ABC TV and ABC iview. Read more about Four Corners’ investigation into India's infiltration in Australia here: https://ab.co/4baID78 Four Corners is Australia’s premier investigations documentary series. Follow Four Corners on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abc4corners Subscribe to the Four Corners weekly newsletter: https://www.abc.net.au/news/subscribe Find out more at the Four Corners website: https://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/4corners #4Corners #4Corners #ABCNewsIndepth #ABCNewsAustralia

"The Greek coastguard has caused the deaths of dozens of migrants in the Mediterranean over a three-year period, witnesses say, including nine who were deliberately thrown into the water." www.bbc.com/news/article...

Greek coastguard threw migrants overboard to their deaths, witnesses saywww.bbc.com More than 40 people are alleged to have died as a result of Greek coastguard actions, BBC analysis reveals.

Oh. Israeli Intelligence Has Deemed Hamas-Run Health Ministry's Death Toll Figures Generally Accurate www.vice.com/en/article/y...

Israeli Intelligence Has Deemed Hamas-Run Health Ministry's Death Toll Figures Generally Accuratewww.vice.com Senior Israel officials are using the Gaza Health Ministry's death numbers internally, months after both Israel and the U.S. claimed those figures should not be trusted.

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Amarnath Amarasingam

“You ramp up the number of people who are hearing and talking in a hateful manner, and the percentage of one of those people actually doing something about it also increases.” — Amarnath Amarasingam on normalizing hateful rhetoric. Watch Unravelled.

PART 2: Normalization | The striking rise of right-wing extremism | Unravelledyoutu.be Why are hate crimes on such a rise across Canada? It’s not an easy question to answer. But a key component is the rise of right-wing extremism and normalizat...

Just 10 "superspreader" users on Twitter were responsible for more than a third of the misinformation posted over an eight-month period, according to a new report. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05...

'Superspreaders' are responsible for most misinformation on X — more than a third comes from just 10 peoplewww.abc.net.au These "superspreaders" — including the official accounts of Donald Trump Jr and the Democratic party — prove difficult for social media giants to rein in.

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Amarnath Amarasingam

The second installment in our series on Lawful Extremism is out! By @bcdaviess.bsky.social and myself, Lawful Extremism: The Chinese Exclusion Act looks at how White extremism was coded into immigration law in the late 19th century and well into the 20th. www.middlebury.edu/institute/ct...

Lawful Extremism: The Chinese Exclusion Act | Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Montereywww.middlebury.edu The first paper in the “Lawful Extremism” series considered whether the 1856 Dred Scott decision that denied Black people citizenship and constitutional rights functioned as an extremist ideological t...