NY finally convicts a white supremacist as a Terrorist

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

https://lawandcrime.com/opinion/new-yor ... 019-needs/

In the category of "It's about damn time but I'm glad somebody finally did it"

[clearspira]

A terrorist is a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Being a white supremacist does not automatically make you a terrorist, it makes you a racist. HERE it is different as he confesses to wanting to start a race war therefore terrorist. But normally the reason why they are not labeled as terrorists is that certain criteria need to be met.

[Yukaphile]

Fair enough, though calling white mass shooters "lone wolves" and calling Muslim or minority shooters "terrorists" doesn't help the general mainstream perception. They should be reclassified as either "terrorists" (for the white "lone wolves") or as lone wolves (for the colored "terrorists").

[CharlesPhipps]

A terrorist is a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Being a white supremacist does not automatically make you a terrorist, it makes you a racist. HERE it is different as he confesses to wanting to start a race war therefore terrorist. But normally the reason why they are not labeled as terrorists is that certain criteria need to be met.

In my local Kroger, we had a white supremecist murder two black people because he felt like it and he hated blacks.

As such, I'm comfortable labeling him a terrorist.

[Yukaphile]

Well, of course. Because he used action. Difference.

[clearspira]

Fair enough, though calling white mass shooters "lone wolves" and calling Muslim or minority shooters "terrorists" doesn't help the general mainstream perception. They should be reclassified as either "terrorists" (for the white "lone wolves") or as lone wolves (for the colored "terrorists").

Agreed. We need a new word because right now it does seem biased how the label is applied. It seems to be automatically assumed that it ''must'' be political if you are a Muslim.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Not really sure what difference it really makes when decidedly private citizens have political aspirations.

[Yukaphile]

Because perception matters.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Because perception matters.

Not talking about correcting the public depiction, I'm talking about the classification itself. They don't classify crimes as acts of terrorism just to make people look bad in the eyes of the public. I mean they arguably do in practice, but that's not why there's a classification in the first place.

[Yukaphile]

Why is a Muslim stabber in my home town called a terrorist, but a white guy who goes in to shoot a bunch of black churchgoers who was radicalized by right-wing hate news not called a terrorist either? The intent is the damn same.