The Rhetorical Procedure of White Supremacist Violence

This thesis examines two white supremacist shootings for their articulation of what this project names the rhetorical procedure of white supremacist violence. This project analyzes the discursive elements of both attacks—the manifestos and various preparations, the livestreams and videos on demand of the attacks, and the online circulation of those materials—for their articulation of a procedure, or process, of enacting white supremacist violence. Drawing upon Ian Bogost’s theory of procedural rhetoric, this thesis argues that the 2019 Christchurch shooter co-opted a rhetoric of video games to blur the distinction between virtual and material violence against non-white bodies. This procedure was then re-articulated by the 2022 Buffalo shooter, demonstrating the techne of the rhetorical procedure. Careful attention is paid to the algorithmic arguments of social media sites that contribute to the blurred distinction between virtual and material violence and indeed may contribute to future violence.