North Idaho is both a place and an idea

Who are the real outsiders in North Idaho when it’s seen as a far-right haven?

Today on the pod, we have the second part of our conversation with The Inlander's Daniel Walters.

Last week we spent a lot of time breaking down the chronology of how the June 11 anti-Pride event was conceived and initially promoted locally, but how “local” in the case of North Idaho now includes an increasing number of far-right celebrities. People with followings in the tens and even hundreds of thousands. Those people used the tactics of influencer culture to court bigger far-right influencers like Libs of TikTok.

The strategy was a success and led to a volatile situation.

This week we discuss how, just as the pot seemed likely to boil over, all sides took a step back — tweaking their plans to de-escalate — and how that might have been the difference between what actually happened and something deadlier.

We also talk about what feel like big ideological differences among these people and groups who momentarily dropped those differences to unite against the Pride celebration.

Then lastly we discuss the way these things get covered by the media: does the far-right get over-covered? Or do larger outlets only pay attention to the Inland Northwest when people like Matt Shea are involved?

Read Daniel’s story here.

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