Radicalizing Americans & the New Normal

The 19-year-old who torched the largest synagogue in Mississippi was a normal kid. He used to tweet about baseball and went to church. According to Mississippi Today, Steven Pittman was a “was a multi-year honor roll student and varsity baseball player at St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison.’

He was playing baseball in college, and now he will be going to prison for a very long time.

The suspect, Stephen Spencer Pittman, was turned in by his father, who said his son had laughed as he confessed to the fire that damaged the synagogue, investigators said.

He sent his father text messages and photos from the synagogue before the fire, saying that he was wearing a hoodie and had taken the license plate off his vehicle.

His father pleaded for him to come home, the affidavit said.

His son didn’t listen.

After his arrest, Stephen Pittman confessed again in an interview with local law enforcement officials. He called the place of worship the “synagogue of Satan.”

Nick Fuentes also used the line  – the Synagogue of Satan. He said, The Jewish religion is the church of Satan. He called the United States the Great Satan, the Evil Empire.

I stuck with Candace Owens too long. Don’t make my mistake. If you listen too long, you become desensitized.

Stephen Spencer Pittman targeted Beth Israel Congregation, calling it “the synagogue of Satan.” But don’t worry—that’s not antisemitic. Candace Owens said so.

Now would be a great time for Republicans to condemn far-right extremists like Candace.

FBI says man targeted… https://t.co/RaBxyqlhSW pic.twitter.com/pXYCxdYTXV

— Nilam Civok (@CivokNilam) January 12, 2026

Don’t let the online world radicalize you or the children.

>be a normal, healthy, well-adjusted white guy with a bright future
>overdose on JQ content after Oct. 7
>try to burn down your city’s largest synagogue
>permanently ruin your life because you fell for the “Gaza genocide” meme

Don’t become a psychic casualty. Stay sane, friends. https://t.co/xFE5AXdJ73 pic.twitter.com/Ux379SWPHq

— Patrick Casey (@restoreorderusa) January 12, 2026

The right and the left can be radicalized.

Leftist tactics to radicalize:

A left-wing agitator poses as a conservative with an American flag, bragging about how “we executed one of you yesterday.”

The left is radicalizing itself into committing violence against the right and against law enforcement officers. pic.twitter.com/eX32l8Ukwd

— Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) January 9, 2026

Radicalized by the Left.
Radicalized by the media.

This is what happens when you surrender critical thinking and discard of truth.

This is what mental illness looks like. pic.twitter.com/yVkkMHJm7y

— ZNO 🇺🇸 (@therealZNO) September 16, 2024

Do you think this is true:

Political radicalization on the left happens top down through capturing institutions, political radicalization on the right happens bottom up via social media networks.

The effect is the same, but the direction of radicalization and the vector of transmission is reversed. pic.twitter.com/4dlX9jws56

— Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) May 6, 2025

It isn’t only jihadists radicalizing people. Adam Kinzinger seems intent on doing it.

Telling people feds have no power over them and sending them out to actively pursue confrontation with those feds is a bad idea. https://t.co/HaGZ3ViwGj

— Noam Blum (@neontaster) January 13, 2026

Buckley

Then we have the nihilists like Buckley Carlson, brother of Tucker. They reject all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless. We are not North Korea.

When does hyperbole become manipulation?

Buckley Carlson tells his brother Tucker Carlson that America is the moral equivalent of not only the Soviet Union but also North Korea: “We are f#cking North Korea. WE ARE North Koreans.”

What a surprise that the Iranian regime is pumping out Tucker Carlson’s show to its… pic.twitter.com/fBACiZXYOd

— Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) January 13, 2026

Jews are targeted, but it’s not about them; it’s about all of us who resist Marxism.

The radical left has infiltrated every single school in the US and has full blown meetings on how to more effectively indoctrinate.

This isn’t just antisemitism— it’s radical leftism. Nothing here is limited to Jews.pic.twitter.com/gDf538Vi0x

— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) November 1, 2024

Know when to cut the bad actors off.

Yascha Mounk [emphasis added]:

Bad actors gain in power and prominence -> polarization increases -> stakes grow -> imperative to own your enemies -> willingness to engage in bad faith arguments to defend your own side -> loss of trust in “independent” institutions and experts -> bad actors gain in power and prominence -> polarization increases -> stakes grow -> imperative to own your enemies -> willingness to engage in bad faith arguments to defend your own side -> loss of trust in “independent” institutions and experts -> bad actors gain in power and prominence -> polarization increases -> stakes grow -> imperative to own your enemies -> willingness to engage in bad faith arguments to defend your own side -> loss of trust in “independent” institutions and experts -> bad actors gain in power and prominence -> polarization increases -> stakes grow -> imperative to own your enemies -> willingness to engage in bad faith arguments to defend your own side -> loss of trust in “independent” institutions and experts -> bad actors gain in power and prominence -> polarization increases -> stakes grow -> imperative to own your enemies -> willingness to engage in bad faith arguments to defend your own side -> loss of trust in “independent” institutions and experts -> bad actors gain in power and prominence -> polarization increases -> stakes grow -> imperative to own your enemies -> willingness to engage in bad faith arguments to defend your own side -> loss of trust in “independent” institutions and experts -> bad actors gain in powe… … …