The term “grifter” has become inseparable from our political landscape, especially in the era of social media. While it’s overused about as much as the phrase “woke Right,” at its core, it describes political hacks who are motivated solely by capitalizing on any given situation for their own financial benefit.
Combine this with our society’s bizarre obsession with online fundraising, and we’ve doomed ourselves not just to circle the drain, but to plunge headfirst into the sewer.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised for alleged murderer Karmelo Anthony. The alleged murderer of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, who was assassinated in broad daylight, has received over $1 million in donations to his legal defense fund. Shiloh Hendrix, the woman who was recently filmed calling a young black child a racial slur, raised over $700,000 in just a few days. And now, even the virulently antisemitic Temple University student who was accused of paying for a “f*** the Jews” sign shown at a Philadelphia bar last weekend has a fundraiser!
In isolation, each one of these instances provides worrying insight into the damaging tribalism that now dominates our lives, in which evil people are celebrated and rewarded for their evil. But together, we are left with something far worse. What we are seeing is a cycle that is now common to our culture: nothing but backlashes and backlashes to backlashes. One side does something, and the other side responds, with advocates on either side rejecting all need for self-reflection by pointing only to their ideological enemies.
“Who cares about the slain healthcare CEO? He had it coming!” screams the online Left. “Who cares if a woman called a black child a racial slur? She’s sticking it to the libs!” cries the online Right.
And as both sides get drunk on whataboutism, the worst elements of our society keep raking in the dough.
This isn’t to argue that murder is just as bad as racism. It’s obviously not. No, it’s to argue that the same people who make a living selling us political and cultural standards are all too quick to throw their principles out the window if it means a point for their team.
Of course, there are cases of legitimate injustice in which some financial support is entirely valid. The overtly politicized witch hunts against Kyle Rittenhouse and Daniel Penny are good examples. But they deserved support because they weren’t in the wrong. Their political affiliation (or usefulness to a political faction) should be irrelevant.
PARTICIPATING IN A RACE WAR MAKES YOU A LOSER, ACCORDING TO GAME THEORY
What we’re now seeing does not compare to Kyle Rittenhouse or Daniel Penny. What we’re seeing now is nothing but a society that is too busy shredding its values to care about what we are even fighting for.
And speaking for my movement, the conservative movement, if we’re suddenly supposed not only to celebrate racists but make them hugely wealthy, sorry, I’m not on board. And neither are millions of other Americans who actually have to work for their money.
Ian is a syndicated columnist. Follow him on X (@ighaworth) or Substack.