July 5th, 2022
Yesterday there was a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois; about 30 miles north of Chicago. I am not going to get into the politics of gun control, police reform, and racism (yes that is a factor here), but I am going to get into the politics of the alt-right.
The shooter, Robert E. Crimo, III is a 22-year-old white male. He frequented 4chan, is a Trump supporter and is an avid follower of Q-Anon. He posted music videos on youtube with one called “I Am The Storm”. The storm is the notion that there is going to be a “storm”- ie mass arrests of the cabal. His identity matters when we are discussing how Q-Anon and other alt-right and fascist ideas spread. We are now in a time where we are conditioned to this type of violence. Not that this isn’t traumatizing, but that it is a part of our daily lives that we have to constantly be aware of. This will happen again, and we have to be prepared for the possibility that the shooter will be a white supremacist that frequents 4chan and is a copycat.
My research is always going to be behind the news; I can’t change anything about that. But I can control how I disseminate my research and make sure that people know how vital it is to understand the spread of Q-Anon. Yes, it is stressful to know that my timeline for my research can change. But I know that I can always continue my project. Research is always evolving and shifting, especially if you are researching a topic that is frequently in the news. Right now I consider my project in a perpetual state of action – it is going to follow me through graduate school.
It's okay to take breaks from your research also. My research is emotionally exhausting and sometimes it is hard to work on it. In order for me to do my best work, I sometimes will take a step back and do something for myself. Typically that means I don’t work on my research for a few days. That is okay to do. You do not have to be go, go, go, all of the time. You will burn out. And I burn out faster than some because of how timely my research is.