Of course that's what it means. The problem is that people think laughing at something is normalizing it. What does that even mean? That's something purely borne from the internet. People online get mad when people laugh at things that they don't like therefore they come up with a reason why it's more than just bad taste, it's an ethical issue. If you laugh at something you're encouraging it. Wishing for something makes it happen. It's purely detached from how power works.
You're not saying that wishing for stuff makes it happen, but the person who wrote that article is. A fascist 4channer didn't beat up Pelosi because people on the internet don't take things seriously enough. It happens for a variety of systemic reasons laid out in this thread. The internet discourse around political violence isn't even a stone thrown into a raging river to stop its course. It's people being splashed while standing on the eroding banks before the flood waters take them.
Of course that's what it means. The problem is that people think laughing at something is normalizing it. What does that even mean? That's something purely borne from the internet. People online get mad when people laugh at things that they don't like therefore they come up with a reason why it's more than just bad taste, it's an ethical issue. If you laugh at something you're encouraging it. Wishing for something makes it happen. It's purely detached from how power works.
You're not saying that wishing for stuff makes it happen, but the person who wrote that article is. A fascist 4channer didn't beat up Pelosi because people on the internet don't take things seriously enough. It happens for a variety of systemic reasons laid out in this thread. The internet discourse around political violence isn't even a stone thrown into a raging river to stop its course. It's people being splashed while standing on the eroding banks before the flood waters take them.