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.
Now that I’m an adult and in not such a red area, I do notice times when I’ll get what I think are probably a few trial balloons. When I don’t bite, they don’t go any further. For example, some comment about “men in women’s sports”. Or how they will say they “identify as an attack helicopter”. Or how they should “put on a wig and a dress” so they can go into the women’s bathroom. That last one always amazes me, and I think I’ve heard it way too many times for it to be purely anecdotal. I do think the trans stuff is the go-to for this kind of thing as attacking trans is still considered mostly okay, and it’s the gateway drug for the rest of it…
But back when I was a kid/teen/adolescent - in the 70s/80s/early 90s - wow, some of the stuff just said casually, nearly all the time - unbelievable, even back then.