Social media Frankensteins

Ever wondered how a wannabe becomes a social media hit by spreading hatred and racism? There are a lot of these types of politicians and characters around who with low budgets become famous and even get elected thanks to social media. They are called #SocialMediaFrankensteins. 

With the help of social media and many blind followers, some of these #SocialMediaFrankensteins have become household names because of their hate appeal.

In Finland some who come to mind are MEP Jussi Halla-aho and his faithful follower Muutos 2011 MP James Hirvisaari as well as many others like MPs Olli Immonen, Juho Eerola, Teuvo Hakkarainen, and others.

Isn’t it odd that the majority of them are members of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party?

#SocialMediaFrankensteins can be organizations too because they use social media to spread their bigotry. Some of these are: Pegida, English Defense League, PS, Danish People’s Party, Sweden Democrats, Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom, Front National of France…

This clip from the original Frankenstein movie of 1931 shows the mad Dr. Frankenstein rejoicing after he awakens a human monster from the dead. “It’s alive! It’s alive! It’s alive!..” he yells at the top of his voice. “Now I know how it feels to be god!”

The same revelation that Dr. Frankenstein makes, how it feels to be god, is what #SocialMediaFrankensteins feel after they get followers and become a household name from the wannabe cemetery.

What is a #SocialMediaFrankenstein and how does it relate to the 1931 monster movie starring Boris Karloff?

• A monster like Frankenstein spreads indiscriminately terror with his hatred. He kills everyone who gets in his way;
• #SocialMediaFrankensteins spread indiscriminately terrorize whole communities with their racism and bigotry. They label and victimize whole group by painting them with a single brush;
• A monster like Frankenstein becomes famous only after it stars in a movie;
• #SocialMediaFrankensteins become famous after they publish their racist diatribe on social media;
• A monster like Frankenstein is finally burned alive and sent back to the land of the dead;
• #SocialMediaFrankensteins meet their fate after they get caught at their own game of racism. They are burned online;
• Frankenstein dies but we never forget his terror;
• #SocialMediaFrankensteins die and, like the Holocaust, we never forget the terror they spread.

 PS MEP Jussi Halla-aho is a good example of a #SocialMediaFrankenstein. He was created thanks to social media and a xenophobic party like the PS. The poster reads: “Charlie Hebdo 7.1.2015 12 dead. Popcorn thank you. In another place people die while another person eats popcorn and enjoys the show. Let’s not forget to be humans. Your country thanks you.” PS. Source: Paljastettu. 

* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The names adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.