I’d love to tell you all about Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics by Elle Reeve. I’d love to dazzle you with insights from this groundbreaking piece of investigative journalism, detailing how disaffected young men went from posting memes online to storming the Capitol with alarming efficiency. But unfortunately, I can’t. Because I’m 73rd in line for it at my local library. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea: “Hey, let’s read something light and fun about the collapse of American democracy!”
But don’t worry, I’ve done my own research. You know, the kind of research where you read every non-paywalled blurb and listen to a podcast—specifically, I caught part of Elle Reeve’s appearance on the QAnon Anonymous podcast. So, obviously, I’m practically an expert.
From what I’ve gathered, Black Pill is basically what happens when The Matrix meets Lord of the Flies, but instead of being stuck on an island, most of these guys were originally stuck in their mom’s basement with 8 chan and Reddit accounts and way too much free time. It’s like if the kid from Home Alone 7 decided to overthrow the government instead of just defending his house from burglars.
Reeve interviews many of the major Alt-Right players, including the neo-Nazi leaders who are somehow both deeply deluded and, according to one review, alarmingly intelligent. They’re out there creating white supremacist book clubs and engaging in very detailed discussions about overthrowing democracy. Maybe we’ll find out what plans they’ve been discussing this November 5th, celebrating both the US presidential election and Guy Fawkes Day.
So, no, I haven’t read Black Pill yet. I’ve done everything but read the book. But from what I can tell, it’s the kind of book you read while clutching a cup of beer and repeatedly whispering, “WTF?” Because if the world’s going to end in a sea of conspiracy theories and alt-right memes, we might as well try to understand it. That is, once I’m finally off the waitlist.
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But if you’re looking for a feel-good read about the political equivalent of puppies and rainbows, you might want to stick with The Truths We Hold: An American Journey a memoir by Kamala Harris. (Note: I haven’t read that one either, but I read the Wikipedia entry, which mentions Harris’s decision to become a prosecutor so she could serve “the victims of crimes committed and the victims of a broken criminal justice system.” Dun-dun.)
