It may not be wise to parse exactly what kind of crazy a mass shooter is, but in the wake of the absolute torrent of condemnations of “white supremacy” after the horrific Walmart shooting in El Paso, Texas, it seems right to set the record straight. You see, the man who murdered 22 people and injured 26 others — and who is still living — isn’t exactly a white supremacist, at least not according to his manifesto. Instead, his attack was motivated by hatred of immigrants, hatred of corporations, and radical environmentalism. (So long as his manifesto is more than just a “troll.”)
Like the villain Thanos from Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), the eco-terrorist advocated for a great many deaths or deportations in order to save the environment. He defended this position by citing The Lorax.
Here’s the salient bit from the shooter’s disgusting manifesto:
The American lifestyle affords our citizens an incredible quality of life. However, our lifestyle is destroying the environment of our country. The decimation of the environment is creating a massive burden for future generations. Corporations are heading the destruction of our environment by shamelessly overharvesting resources. This has been a problem for decades. For example, this phenomenon is brilliantly portrayed in the decades old classic “The Lorax”. Water sheds around the country, especially in agricultural areas, are being depleted. Fresh water is being polluted from farming and oil drilling operations. Consumer culture is creating thousands of tons of unnecessary plastic waste and electronic waste, and recycling to help slow this down is almost non-existent. Urban sprawl creates inefficient cities which unnecessarily destroys millions of acres of land….
The government is unwilling to tackle these issues beyond empty promises since they are owned by corporations. Corporations that also like immigration because more people means a bigger market for their products. I just want to say that I love the people in this country, but god damn most of y’all re just too stubborn to change your lifestyle. So the next logical step is to decrease the number of people in America using resources. If we can get rid of enough people, then our way of life can become more sustainable.
“If we can get rid of enough people, then our way of life can become more sustainable,” the terrorist writes. That’s Thanos’ thinking. The Avengers villain wipes out half of all living things in the name of sustainability. Even Hollywood understands that’s evil.
Throughout his manifesto, the El Paso shooter demonizes Hispanic immigrants. He refers to them as an “invasion,” echoing President Donald Trump. [Technically, an invasion is a co-ordinated attack from a foreign power, and mass immigration doesn’t fit that bill, even though it can be dangerous.] Yet he insists that his views predate Trump. He in fact predicts that the media will wrongly blame Trump’s rhetoric for his manifesto.
My opinions on automation, immigration, and the rest predate Trump and his campaign for president. I am putting this here because some people will blame the President or certain presidential candidates for the attack. This is not the case. I know that the media will probably call me a white supremacist and blame Trump’s rhetoric. The media is infamous for fake news. Their reaction to this attack will likely just confirm that.
This horrific anti-immigrant radical environmentalist terrorist may have a point on that one issue.
The “white supremacy” angle seems overblown. Yes, the shooter did open the manifesto by agreeing with the white supremacist terrorist in Christchurch, New Zealand, but his ideal scenario is not white supremacy but different governments determined by race.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a “white supremacist” as “a person who believes that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races.” This vile ideology cannot be condemned enough, but besides his reference to Christchurch, the El Paso shooter does not seem to advocate it.
The horrific racist declares, “I am against race mixing,” which he denounces as “unnecessary and selfish.” Interestingly, however, he does not advocate a white government ruling over other races.
But the idea of deporting or murdering all non-white Americans is horrific. Many have been here at least as long as the whites, and have done as much to build our country. The best solution to this for now would be to divide America into a confederacy of territories with at least 1 territory for each race. This physical separation would nearly eliminate race mixing and improve social unity by granting each race self-determination within their respective territory(s).
The El Paso shooter and his manifesto cannot be condemned enough. This man is a cold-blooded murderer inspired by hatred. But let’s be clear about what his manifesto actually advocates. He is an anti-immigrant, anti-corporation, radical environmentalist racist. Based on his words, the media is wrong to blame Trump, who rushed to condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy on Monday. Even the “white supremacy” language may be inaccurate.
One thing is for certain: among other things, the El Paso shooter is a radical environmentalist, an eco-terrorist. If the media blames Trump for a manifesto that echoes his words, why are they not blaming the Sierra Club and other environmentalist groups? “If we can get rid of enough people, then our way of life can become more sustainable.” That’s chilling.
Follow Tyler O’Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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