America Versus its Defenders
Ashli Babbitt, a 14-year Air Force Veteran, was shot and killed by Capitol police during one of the most infamous days in recent American history. Further reporting by multiple news outlets have dove into her social media history and confirmed that she routinely engaged in far-right conspiracy theories. Much of her online social media interaction revolved around anger with Democratic politicians from her home state of California and unwavering support of President Donald Trump. Family members close to her stated that it did not surprise them that she would go to the Nation’s Capital and protest the 2020 election of President-Elect Joe Biden and VP- Elect Kamala Harris. However, should those of us outside her immediate family be surprised by a veteran expressing radically partisan ideas? No. We should not be surprised either.
Ms. Babbitt’s radical political affiliations are standard fare within the context of today’s American military organizations. Although a department wide directive from the Secretary of Defense’s office and separate entities stipulates apolitical behavior amongst its service members, the overwhelming majority of American military service members engage in some form of political discussion (at work, online, or otherwise). Richard Moore, a senior enlisted Army soldier, discussed with me how social media has led to the rise of uncritical thinking and groupthink amongst America’s defenders. “The likelihood of service members being exposed to polarized ideas is higher than the average public. You typically have citizens placed in duty assignments far away from home with the only avenue of familial human connection being via social media. If service members use their social media for solely communication, that is one thing. However, what we have seen is that is has become a breeding ground for bad ideas, not just political ones either.” Moore, who has served 20 years and was in a military family growing up, expressed other sentiments that researchers have been noting for decades. An updated 2008 study reviewed in 2018 by researchers at Syracuse University found that a substantial portion (over 76%) of the DoD branches enlisted force is populated by the lowest three rungs of the America socioeconomic ladder.
So, how does this relate to Ms. Babbitt’s death? It is relatively known by sociologists that disparities in education exist between those of different economic classes. Couple this concept with the great majority of the nation’s enlisted military force coming from disparate backgrounds. Add in the algorithmic style of social media which is focused on misinformation and a user’s time spent on a particular platform. This concoction of factors leads several things especially for, unfortunately, Ms. Babbitt. Let us put the pieces together, Babbitt was of modest means and enlisted into the Air Force immediately after high school (socioeconomic tier: check). After her 14 years of service, she spent large amounts of time on Facebook and Twitter in various right-wing groups (social media: check). This concoction of factors led to a veteran storming the US Capitol at the behest of a sitting US President. While it remains unknown what all her motivations were on January 6th, what can be known is she is not an aberration. I repeat, she is not an aberration. “There exists a subculture of the military who disdain education,” said a current Air Force service member who wishes to remain anonymous. “This is prevalent amongst a certain demographic and these are the people who are most susceptible to misinformation and the Facebook or Twitter Echo Chamber.”
While many American citizens are in disbelief of the events on Capitol Hill, disbelief should not warrant inaction. Ms. Babbitt is just one in a large pool of veterans and currently serving service members who feel aggrieved. Whether their feelings are justified is up for an intense conversation, but what remains is the fact that not only is the country divided. Increasingly, America is now being pitted against it’s Defenders…
-Check back on January 10th for the full version of this article
