"Have you heard of Orange County? It's where the good Republicans go before they die. It should come as no surprise that Orange County, a beloved county for the grandfather of modern American conservatism, Ronald Reagan, would be the fertile landscape for far-right ideology and white supremacy. Reaganomics aside, the O.C. has long since held a special if not slightly off-putting place, of oceanfront leisure, modern luxury and all-American family"
""California," Lichtblau says. "These are people who are trying to take back America from the shores of Orange County because it's gotten too brown in their view." His newest investigative book, " American Reich," focuses on the 2018 murder of gay Jewish teenager Blaze Bernstein as a lens to examine Orange County and how the hate-driven murder at the hands of a former classmate connects to a national web of white supremacy and terrorism."
Orange County blends oceanfront leisure, modern luxury, and all‑American entertainment with a conservative political identity and an image of suburban perfection. That image masks entrenched far‑right ideology and white supremacy that can erupt into violence, exemplified by the 2018 hate murder of a gay Jewish teenager. Investigative work traces the local killing to a national web of white supremacist organizing and terrorism. Popular portrayals and episodic news coverage often sensationalize crime without connecting events to deeper historical and political patterns. Local proximity to the victim's community highlights the urgent need to understand how cultural and political forces enable hate.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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