Economic frustration after military service triggered scapegoating that moved him toward extremism

Evidence

Meanwhile, a former white supremacist described experiencing financial difficulties as an adult, which compounded racial perceptions and pushed him toward radicalization: “When I got out [of the military], the economy was so bad, it took me a while to find a job. So I was constantly on the computer looking for jobs and then I’d get bored and you apply to the same job 100 times, like a cycle. They’re up on the job board, then they disappear, then they pop back up a few days later and you reapply… . And I was like, yeah, getting out [of the military] with 11 years in, I should be able to get a job on base, no problem, as a contractor. Nah, that didn’t happen. So, I decided to blame my problems on somebody else and say, ‘Oh, it’s the black people’s fault.’” — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America, 305

Categorization

• XREF: Resonates with scapegoating mechanisms from Frankfurt School work on anti-Semitism victim-as-capitalist-symbol, though that’s a different library. — connects to: Forced military service paired with rights curtailment bred resentment and revolt — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 1374; Hardship-driven need frustration is what scapegoat movements exploit. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1598; ISIS recruits by exploiting economic misery akin to military enlistment practices — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 769 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Both income shocks and elite scapegoating jointly drove Nazi radicalization #corroborates (0.90) — Sebastian Doerr et al., Financial Crises and Political…, 125
• Scapegoat movements exploit frustrated needs for esteem, belonging, and security. #corroborates (0.88)
• Hardship-driven need frustration is what scapegoat movements exploit. #expands (0.86) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1598
• Political violence arises from frustration over unmet value expectations #corroborates (0.85)
• ISIS recruits by exploiting economic misery akin to military enlistment practices #expands (0.80) — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 769
• perceived disrespect and loss of significance drive extremism more than poverty does #complicates (0.79) — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America, 157
• Forced military service paired with rights curtailment bred resentment and revolt #expands (0.78) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 1374
• Economic retrenchment produced defensive embourgeoisement rather than further radicalization #complicates (0.76) — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 140
• Financial starvation and conscription fear drove Marcuse toward government work #exemplifies (0.73) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1241