Notes on the Buffalo Shooting
May 14th saw yet another violent wake up call for our crumbling shithole of a country. An 18 year old settler named Peyton Gendron, scion of an unremarkable upper middle class family of civil engineers, decided to inaugurate his manhood in the classic American way by entering a Tops Supermarket in a Black district of Buffalo, New York, and murdering ten New Afrikan people, mostly elders, in cold blood. Gendron was sober and in his right mind when he chose to do this premeditated action. Amidst the predictable crocodile tears from the Gendrons on a global scale, such as President Biden, let’s try to make a bit of sense of this.
I watched the raw video of this shooting and also read Gendron’s manifesto. I did not really want to do these things but I, like most people who reside in the United States, am relatively desensitized to violent death and reactionary ideology, and it is important to steel oneself because real life has no trigger warnings. This is not a call to willfully subject oneself to a constant barrage of horrors, because that is a recipe for depression and all kinds of other nasties, but a reminder that this stuff is happening and if you happen to be in the midst of one of these incidents there is no running away or covering one’s eyes. The mistake that many well meaning liberals make is assuming that this stuff is “radical” or “fringe”, which it really isn’t. Gendron’s ideological justification for this act is the “Great Replacement” theory, parroted in milder form by talking heads on major US cable news stations and talk radio networks. The Great Replacement theory holds that European settlers, through conquest, genocide, and the subduing of the indigenous/Afrikan population that they stole this land from/brought here to produce their wealth, are the real owners of this land, and all others are “replacers”. To this end, it is necessary for those who adhere to this ideology to commit violent acts to either complete the total genocide, or make life here so untenable for the “replacers” that they leave of their own accord. Of course, one who has a cursory knowledge of history will highlight the fact that European settlers brought this entire issue on themselves by importing millions of Afrikan people here to work for them, and also coming to a land that wasn’t theirs in the first place, but the thing about fascism is that it constructs narratives without regard for such things as historical facts. That’s what many Leftists fail to understand, you cannot argue with or convince these people, they believe what they believe, and what they believe is motivating them to acts of violence against innocent people. Gendron produced a well thought out and well researched justification for his murders, he went to great lengths to try to hide his procurement of weapons and armor from his family, and he premeditated his actions, he wasn’t just “some crazy kid”. Underestimating the enemy leads to fatal errors.
The idea that simply giving every living, breathing Black person a weapon and teaching them how to use it will prevent incidents like this is a fallacious one. The shooter was engaged by an armed individual, a former policeman working security at the store. The shooter had body armor and the typical center mass shooting technique did not work and the individual that engaged him lost his life. While armed self-defense, and eventually offense, is of course a necessity for all who are serious about ending this shit once and for all, it is important to realize the even more critical necessity of organization at all levels, from block to national. Secondly, Black people have more than enough guns, as evidenced by our constant use of them on each other. Once again, political and organizational work is key to ensure that these weapons are pointed in the right direction and guided by the correct ideology. A weapon is a tool, in the hands of a disciplined force it can level a forest that harbors dangerous creatures, in the hands of a fool it will simply harm more innocent people.
Finally, I am not overly interested in the shooter’s home life, etc., but it is of note that, from what I’ve read, he’s from a fairly typical American settler family, which eschews “radical” politics and embraces centrism. His dad is a Democrat, his mom is a Republican. This individual was “radicalized”, like Roof, through the internet. He even claimed at one time to have been interested in Communist ideology, although this probably went no further than memes. Many leftists look down on the internet and prioritize face to face interactions — many fascists do as well. But we live in the 21st century, and the internet continues to breed fascist killers. The internet is also a source of initial political education for those who may in their time become organized and disciplined Communists. Either way, it can’t be avoided no matter how many injunctions and calls to touch grass are made. It is convenient and accessible to youth, that’s why it’s used. Communists have a duty to engage in all possible media to promote our ideology. Everywhere and every mind is a trench of combat.
Also, on gun control — it’s not happening. What will happen is more stupid laws will be initiated and passed using my people’s blood as an excuse and colonized people will, of course, be penalized the most. Do not call for these things. Instead, organize and discipline yourself and your people for struggle and defense.
