Bring pain killers if you can

We have published the first part of an investigation into Alex Jones's private text messages. The newsletter title refers to a text on his phone:

Infowars’ Alex Jones Says He Lives ‘in Hell,’ Texts Show

Alex Jones described himself as living “in hell,” being part of “a sick joke,” and sinking down into a “black hole” in previously private text messages given to Hatewatch.

Southern Poverty Law CenterMichael Edison Hayden and Megan Squire

Some quick thoughts on this story. I think Jones is right. Living in his world really does feel like hell to me. I found no spirituality and no sensuality in the world of these texts.

For me, the Infowars story is as much about unbridled capitalism as it is about bigotry and hate. And I highly suspect if we had a glimpse into the lives of performers in a similar vein, who scratch money out of the most bigoted corners of this country, we would find the same personal pain. Many of these performers are trading away what it means to be human. They take these profound questions of what it means to be human and sell them out for the cheapest possible idea of success. It doesn't surprise me that Jones feels like he's falling into a black hole.

Jones may disagree with my depiction of his private world. I wouldn't know because he appears to have blocked my phone number. Here's the landing page for the series. We will add to it soon:

Alex Jones: The text messages

Southern Poverty Law Center