Red pill, black pill, accelerationist and other terms you should be aware of.
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The alleged gunmen in several recent mass shootings in the US -- in Highland Park, Illinois; Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and recently a mall in Greenwood, Indiana -- were all found to have used racist, misogynistic or other hateful language in online posts. Finding repugnant messages on the internet is nothing new, but it's become almost routine to uncover such extremist posts after mass shootings.
These attitudes aren't developed overnight. Instead, they fester in online spaces where others share the same frame of mind and cheer on hate and despair.
As is the case with many online spaces, users create their own vernacular or hijack terms to describe their attitudes, themselves or how they view others. It's important to understand the words used by extremists in order to recognize when someone you know may be succumbing to hate-filled online groups.
"Friends and family members who are concerned about possible extremist ties and activity can be on the lookout for red flags, which include using terminology frequently found in extremist attackers' online messaging," said Jessica Reaves, editorial director of the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism. "A rapid escalation of threatening language or increase in usage of these terms is also an alarming sign and should be taken seriously."
Here are some extremist terms and attitudes you should be aware of.
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