Stochastic terrorism is “the use of mass communications to incite random actors to carry out violent or terrorist acts that are statistically predictable but individually unpredictable."

Trump & his supporters have embraced this tactic and I’ve written about it countless times over the years, like in this piece about Roger Stone. 2/
https://americanindependent.com/longtime-trump-ally-roger-stone-promises-violence-if-congress-impeaches/

I’ve heard stochastic terrorism described as a pan of popcorn on a hot stove, where the pan is social media and the kernels are random members of the public. Far-right figures are the ones turning up the heat, pouring oil in the pan, and shaking the kernels around.

No one can really be sure *which* kernel will “pop” next, but you can be pretty damn certain that if you keep the heat on, keep adding oil, and keep shaking the pan around, one of those kernels is going to pop sooner or later. 3/

I shared this article earlier today on Twitter, and I’m re-sharing here because it’s an important explainer on how those who engage in stochastic terrorism exploit one of our most primal emotions: disgust.

Disgust can help us avoid harm by triggering an aversion to things that can make us physically sick. But it can be weaponized against us, too. 4/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-stochastic-terrorism-uses-disgust-to-incite-violence/