League of the South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building Online
A nationwide backlash against the Confederate flag and other Confederate symbols occurred after the deadly June 17, 2015, church shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, when images of the alleged gunman displaying a Confederate flag surfaced. This backlash sparked a reactionary movement among pro-C...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Gonzaga Library Publishing
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Hate Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://jhs.press.gonzaga.edu/articles/137 |
| _version_ | 1818259081899540480 |
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| author | Brett A. Barnett |
| author_facet | Brett A. Barnett |
| author_sort | Brett A. Barnett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A nationwide backlash against the Confederate flag and other Confederate symbols occurred after the deadly June 17, 2015, church shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, when images of the alleged gunman displaying a Confederate flag surfaced. This backlash sparked a reactionary movement among pro-Confederate supporters who viewed the attacks on Confederate symbols as an affront to their Southern heritage. Some neo-Confederate groups exploited the backlash, and the pro-Confederate sympathy it generated, as an opportunity to build their communities. This essay examines how the neo-Confederate group League of the South (LOS) used its website to attract members to its community in the week before the Confederate flags removal from South Carolinas state capitol on July 10, 2015. Analysis reveals LOS may have aided its community-building efforts by attempting to foster a sense of shared identity within the pro-Confederate community and employing fear-raising rhetoric relating to the backlash against Confederate symbols. The relevance of examining U.S.-based hate groups Internet rhetoric has substantially increased in recent years as the United States has witnessed a series of deadly mass shootings perpetrated by various extremists, some of whom were apparently motivated by rhetoric they accessed on U.S.-based extremist sites. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T18:09:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-38795b24916e4337acc09c8799b52d92 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2169-7442 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T18:09:46Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Gonzaga Library Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Hate Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-38795b24916e4337acc09c8799b52d922022-12-22T00:16:25ZengGonzaga Library PublishingJournal of Hate Studies2169-74422016-01-0113115117310.33972/jhs.137137League of the South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building OnlineBrett A. Barnett0Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaA nationwide backlash against the Confederate flag and other Confederate symbols occurred after the deadly June 17, 2015, church shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, when images of the alleged gunman displaying a Confederate flag surfaced. This backlash sparked a reactionary movement among pro-Confederate supporters who viewed the attacks on Confederate symbols as an affront to their Southern heritage. Some neo-Confederate groups exploited the backlash, and the pro-Confederate sympathy it generated, as an opportunity to build their communities. This essay examines how the neo-Confederate group League of the South (LOS) used its website to attract members to its community in the week before the Confederate flags removal from South Carolinas state capitol on July 10, 2015. Analysis reveals LOS may have aided its community-building efforts by attempting to foster a sense of shared identity within the pro-Confederate community and employing fear-raising rhetoric relating to the backlash against Confederate symbols. The relevance of examining U.S.-based hate groups Internet rhetoric has substantially increased in recent years as the United States has witnessed a series of deadly mass shootings perpetrated by various extremists, some of whom were apparently motivated by rhetoric they accessed on U.S.-based extremist sites.https://jhs.press.gonzaga.edu/articles/137confederatepro-confederateneo-confederatecommunity buildinginternet |
| spellingShingle | Brett A. Barnett League of the South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building Online Journal of Hate Studies confederate pro-confederate neo-confederate community building internet |
| title | League of the South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building Online |
| title_full | League of the South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building Online |
| title_fullStr | League of the South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building Online |
| title_full_unstemmed | League of the South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building Online |
| title_short | League of the South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building Online |
| title_sort | league of the south s internet rhetoric neo confederate community building online |
| topic | confederate pro-confederate neo-confederate community building internet |
| url | https://jhs.press.gonzaga.edu/articles/137 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT brettabarnett leagueofthesouthsinternetrhetoricneoconfederatecommunitybuildingonline |