Bundy's rebellion, saga or fiasco? part five
or, why protests by groups of guys with guns are almost never a good idea.
The media
Mainstream media
Television and print media have been noticeably reticent about calling the (white) Bundy group terrorists. Instead, they say, as James DeVinnie at Occupy Democrats writes: "a group of armed protestors led by activists conducted an action by seizing the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge."
This has brought widespread calls to bring the media to account. If these guys were black or Muslim, goes the thinking, they would be dead already.
Social media
The internet, on the other hand, is not afraid to call a gunman a terrorist and has been awash in posts, tweets and memes merciless mocking Bundy and bunch. Calling them Y'all Qaeda and Vanilla Isis, the derision began almost the minute Ammon Bundy made his first tearful Facebook post.
The parodies and satires show no sign of abating, but may have reached their epitome with the Twitter hashtag, #BundyEroticFanFic, also known as Bundy porn.
Taiwanese animators also got into the act (click on image for link).
Conclusion
So what will happen to Ammon Bundy and band of brothers? It's too soon to tell. People keep sending them supplies and the feds seem to be waiting them out so this doesn't look like it's ending any time soon. Whether the occupation ends in a hail of bullets or an incompetent train wreck that delights the Twitterverse, the Bundy group is destined to be grist for discussion for a long time to come.
