NEW YORK — Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country worried what would happen if their Telegram chat ever got leaked, but they kept typing anyway.
They referred to Black people as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.
I’d love to say this surprises me, but it does not in the slightest.
One thing that snapped me out of that phase was a psychology professor saying your actions define what you are.
I don’t think there are as many edgelords anymore anyways. Since the Trump MAGA era nobody pretends. It’s all out in the open now. You either are or you aren’t. Nobody hides behind the “it’s just a joke bro” stuff like in the older internet eras. The bigots aren’t hiding their power level anymore.