{"id":10542,"date":"2025-10-31T11:18:48","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T15:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/?p=10542"},"modified":"2025-10-31T11:18:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T15:18:49","slug":"radicalized-online-violent-offline-how-americas-youth-are-turning-toward-extremism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/2025\/10\/31\/radicalized-online-violent-offline-how-americas-youth-are-turning-toward-extremism\/","title":{"rendered":"Radicalized Online, Violent Offline: How America\u2019s Youth Are Turning Toward Extremism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why Trump\u2019s words and digital echo chambers are driving the next generation toward political violence.<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Isaiah Muniz
<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An American political activist was gunned down on a college campus, not an unthinkable act in a country long plagued by school shootings, but still a deeply jarring one. The assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah did not shock the country because violence is rare on campus, but because of why<\/em> he was killed: not as a bystander, but as a speaker. In a nation built on debate, the idea that someone could be murdered simply for expressing political beliefs crosses a threshold that even America\u2019s long history of violence has rarely breached.  

Charlie Kirk was one of America\u2019s most controversial political figures. He founded Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization that would come to assist Donald Trump\u2019s reelection. He was a devout Christian, from where he has derived many of his justifications for his political beliefs. His viewpoints were controversial at best and hateful at the worst. He was a proponent of the Great Replacement Theory, which says minorities are systemically replacing white people. His views<\/a> on feminism led to some calling him sexist. 

This killing has become a spark in a country already primed for conflict, exposing the poisonous rhetoric that has seeped into everyday life. For some, Kirk\u2019s death is cause for celebration; for others, a call to arms. But the true story is not just about one man\u2019s murder; it is about how America reached this breaking point, and how it reflects just how detached the country has become from its founding values.

Debate has always been part of America\u2019s identity. It was through hours of argument at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that the Founding Fathers crafted the U.S. Constitution \u2014 a document rooted in the belief that liberty and disagreement could coexist. From that moment to the Seneca Falls Convention and today\u2019s digital debates, the right to speak, challenge, and argue has been central to America\u2019s promise. The assassination of a speaker, for their speech alone, represents a dangerous unraveling of that legacy.

For some time, though, the discourse in this country has taken a rather different tone. Presidential debates, which were once professional events where highly qualified and well-spoken candidates would outline and debate their visions for the nation, have evolved into theatrical performances, marked by personal attacks and constant interruptions. Political commentators from all across the political spectrum have spoken out in favor of continual security, from Ben Shapiro to Hasan Piker. Perhaps most shockingly, acts of political violence are becoming commonplace, including attacks on Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, Nancy Pelosi, and Gretchen Whitmer. 

Many Americans are probably wondering why the political rhetoric in this country has taken such a violent turn. The New York Times<\/em> recently did a public consensus survey, with many describing America as \u201cbroken\u201d and that we are \u201cliving in insanity.\u201d I am here to provide two probable explanations: Donald Trump and social media. Donald Trump\u2019s rise to political prominence has single-handedly brought America down an unfamiliar path. Donald Trump\u2019s divisiveness, with the rise of social media, creates a formula for toxic discourse that, if not changed, could tear this great nation apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Political Rise of Donald Trump<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Donald Trump stormed onto the political scene in 2015, and the difference between his demeanor and that of standard politicians was noticeable from his very first speech as a Republican candidate. He began his infamous candidacy announcement speech with thought-provoking, aggressive statements such as \u201cThe American dream is dead\u201d and expressing his desire to stop Americans from getting \u201cripped off by everybody.\u201d He expressed his concern for issues such as ISIS and illegal immigration, promising to be a breath of fresh air compared to politicians in D.C. 

Donald Trump\u2019s rallies were, as Tim Reid at Reuters put it, \u201call-day spectacles blending evangelical revivalist meeting and carnival, designed to deliver an emotional experience to his base and bring new backers into the fold.\u201d Trump conducted himself far differently than standard candidates during these events, opting for an unscripted experience, rather than reading off the teleprompter. He encouraged crowd participation, including infamous chants such as \u201cBuild the wall\u201d and \u201cLock her up,\u201d the latter of which refers to Hilary Clinton. Attacks on legacy media were also commonplace, labeling them \u201cfake news\u201d and, more recently, \u201cthe enemy from within.\u201d 

Trump\u2019s divisive rhetoric was on full display from day one, always opting to blame various groups for the nation\u2019s issues, from undocumented immigrants to Democrats, and even the media. 

His debates were even crazier. In these settings, Donald Trump was borderline unhinged, from his verbal spouts with Megyn Kelly, his insults of Rand Paul\u2019s and Marco Rubio\u2019s appearance, to his infamous battles with Hillary Clinton. Perhaps his most famous debate moment was when Hillary Clinton said she was grateful someone with Donald Trump\u2019s temperament wasn\u2019t president, to which Donald Trump responded, \u201cBecause you\u2019d be in jail.\u201d 

As Donald Trump\u2019s political career has progressed and he has received increased public scrutiny, his rhetoric has become even more divisive. Just look at the difference between the following quotes:

\u201cCountless innocent American lives have been stolen because our politicians have failed in their duty to secure our borders and enforce our laws\u201d – Donald Trump, 2016 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKamala has imported criminal migrants from prisons and jails, insane asylums and mental institutions from all around the world, from Venezuela to the Congo.\u201d – Donald Trump 2024 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donald Trump has been called out for his words, some calling them merely divisive, while others say they\u2019re fascist-like, such as when he claimed that undocumented immigrants were \u201cpoisoning the blood of America.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donald Trump has been irresponsible with his language for many years, a trend that has only worsened since Kirk\u2019s assassination. In an Oval Office address, he states how the assassination \u201cfilled him with anger,\u201d using vague phrases such as the \u201cradical left,\u201d which can be interpreted to insinuate that all Democrats in America were somehow responsible for this attack. Perhaps the most indefensible comment came at the Charlie Kirk memorial in St. Louis in September, when he said, \u201cHe [Kirk] did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry. I am sorry, Erika.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When confronted with these statements, supporters of Donald Trump often deflect to the rhetoric used by democratic commentators and panelists, which is a fair point. I have listened to analysts and commentators on CNN and MSNBC say Trump is the new Hitler, a comment that is both harmful and ahistorical. If you search on TikTok, you can find dozens of influencers celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk. These types of statements are morally abhorrent, as one cannot claim to be against gun violence and then celebrate when it happens to people they don\u2019t like. However, we must assign different degrees of rhetorical responsibility depending on fame and influence. Donald Trump is the president of the United States, and until he stops speaking like an X user, it\u2019s going to be difficult for this country to heal its deep wounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Effect of Social Media\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

YouGov recently did a poll<\/a> that demonstrated how violence is becoming a more acceptable remedy to political disagreement in this country, with about 30% of Republicans and Democrats thinking it is justified. However, what\u2019s perhaps a more disturbing trend is the growing acceptance of political violence among young people, with only 68% percent believing political violence is always unacceptable, including only 56% of people 18-29 who identify as \u201cvery liberal.\u201d Despite the increased intensity of public political discussion, why is our youth becoming increasingly more radicalized?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer to this question lies within our phones. Social media has allowed our youth to create digital echo chambers, closed online spaces where users are only exposed to information and opinions that reinforce their existing beliefs. At the same time, alternative viewpoints are ignored or ridiculed. These echo chambers have become breeding grounds for radical extremism, a trend playing out on both ends of the political spectrum. Through online influencers like Nick Fuentes and Steven Bonnell, young people are increasingly becoming sympathetic to violence as a solution. The most disturbing example of this radicalization is Connor Estelle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connor Estelle is a self-proclaimed fascist who recently participated in a debate with journalist Mehdi Hasan on an online YouTube platform known as Jubilee<\/a>. In this video, Hasan presented a series of claims, and the conservatives took turns attempting to disprove them. In one such segment, Hasan claimed that Donald Trump was defying the Constitution, and Connor ran to the podium to proclaim he didn\u2019t care. In this viral encounter, Estelle named himself a supporter of an American autocracy, Nazi theorists such as General Franco<\/a>, and Holocaust denialism. This encounter resulted in Estelle being fired from his job once his employer became aware of Estelle\u2019s ideology.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Estelle\u2019s story received attention from media outlets such as NBC, which tried to identify more information about him. They found out he was a follower of online far-right extremist Nick Fuentes<\/a>, as he was spotted speaking at one of his events. Connor Estelle is a symptom of a much larger disease plaguing young men; they feel aggrieved by the state of America, and then turn to the wrong role models. Young men nowadays can join online communities with far-right extremists, where they are radicalized and emboldened to share harmful opinions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The realities of social media allow extremism to spread faster than ever, which puts further responsibility on our politicians and leaders to collectively make an effort to tone down the rhetoric in this country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But responsibility cannot end there. Parents, educators, and communities must also step in to teach digital literacy and critical thinking, equipping young people to recognize manipulation and resist being pulled into extremist echo chambers. If we fail to address this crisis, the normalization of political violence will only deepen, and the next generation will inherit not just a divided nation but a dangerous one. America must act now, before radicalization becomes the new normal.
<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why Trump\u2019s words and digital echo chambers are driving the next generation toward political violence. By Isaiah Muniz An American political activist was gunned down on a college campus, not an unthinkable act in a country long plagued by school shootings, but still a deeply jarring one. The assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah did…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":703,"featured_media":10543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/703"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10542"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10546,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10542\/revisions\/10546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}