It's a sad fact of life in America that domestic terrorists are increasing like flies around a decaying body.
A new anti-government movement that advocates for a second Civil War is being organized around the term Boogaloo, an inside extremist meme.
Extremism researchers first detected the movement in 2019 when fringe groups from guns rights and militia movements began referring to an impending civil war using boogaloo, a joking reference to "Breaking" 2: Electrical Boogaloo, a 1984 sequel movie about breakdancing.
Boogaloo memes are shared alongside violent text and images that have crossed over from their early platforms like 4chan, to mainstream platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram.
The ambiguity of the term Boogaloo works to cloak extremist organizing in the open, much like the OK hand signal coopted by white supremacist's (who deny the association).
Like a virus hiding from the immune system, the use of comical-meme language permits the network to organize violence secretly behind a mirage of inside jokes and plausible deniability.
In just the last three months researchers warn that the use of the term has increased by 50 percent on Twitter and Reddit.
Organizers have even monetized the Boogaloo concept through merchandize advertising on Facebook and Instagram ads, marketed to former and current members of the military.
This latest movement is part of a renaissance for extremists in America that have grown since Trump slithered into office.
Time for me to walk on down the road...
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