Law enforcement officials are still trying to figure out what motivated Stephen Paddock to carry out a mass shooting in Las Vegas over the weekend that left more than 50 people dead and hundreds injured. Drexel University’s Professor George Ciccariello-Maher, however, was convinced he knew the answers just hours after it happened, and took to Twitter to enlighten the internet.
“It’s the white supremacist patriarchy, stupid,” he said in the first of a series of tweets about the shooting, and what he views as improper responses from both sides of the political spectrum.
It’s the white supremacist patriarchy, stupid.
— George Ciccariello (@ciccmaher) October 2, 2017
White people and men are told that they are entitled to everything. This is what happens when they don’t get what they want.
— George Ciccariello (@ciccmaher) October 2, 2017
Ciccariello-Maher blamed the horrible shooting on white people and in general, saying they’ve been told they’re entitled to everything, and shootings like this happen when they don’t get it. He went on to say that this attitude is tied to the idea of white victimhood, which he believes is “the spinal column of Trumpism.”
It is the spinal column of Trumpism, and most extreme form is the white genocide myth.
— George Ciccariello (@ciccmaher) October 2, 2017
But lest you believe the professor is on the side of anti-Trump leftists who have been crying out for gun control in the wake of Paddock’s attack, think again. He appears to hold them in just as much contempt, essentially calling them naive for thinking that the way to counter someone who breaks the law is to make more laws.
To believe that someone who would shoot down 50 people wouldn’t circumvent any gun law you pass is the height of delusion.
— George Ciccariello (@ciccmaher) October 2, 2017
The professor finished his tirade with this crowd-pleaser, tying both sides together in condemnation:
Here’s a wild idea: white supremacy in the U.S. is a bipartisan project, & *both* the gun lobby *and* the anti-gun lobby are racist as fuck.
— George Ciccariello (@ciccmaher) October 3, 2017
Drexel University had this to say on the matter:
The recent social media comments by George Ciccariello-Maher, associate professor of Politics and Global Studies at Drexel University, are his own opinion and do not represent the University’s views. Drexel is deeply saddened by the tragic shooting in Las Vegas. The thoughts and prayers of the Drexel community are with the families of those affected by this senseless act of violence.
This isn’t the first time Ciccariello-Maher made waves with a controversial tweet. Last December, he drew some nasty responses when he tweeted, “All I Want for Christmas is White Genocide.” He later deleted it.
[Image via Al Jazeera screengrab]
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