By Rachel Kiley

Copyright dailydot

A mom on TikTok unintentionally stirred up online discourse after admitting that she shut the internet down in her house after the Charlie Kirk shooting—all because of her son.

In the days following Tyler Robinson’s arrest in conjunction with Kirk’s death, many people have heard the word “groyper” and learned of the memes and references being linked to this incident for the first time.

In a tearful video that’s been viewed over 460,000 times, @spicyrizz81 admitted that she was among those previously unfamiliar with the term groyper—but her son wasn’t.

“Did my son understand the memes? Did he know what the black pill was? Yeah. I never heard those things before. I didn’t know what they meant. But my son did,” she said. “My son understood. Internet is cut off in my home. We’re done.”

@spicyrizz81 ♬ original sound – master of disaster🔻

What is a groyper?

Truly understanding groypers, the battle between them and Kirk’s slightly less far-right ideology, and all the ways the most toxic corners of the internet intersect with that is a very large topic. How it all ties together with the information slowly coming out about Robinson and the circumstances surrounding Kirk’s shooting is also complex, and a work in progress.

But as a broad overview, groypers are an online subculture of young, mostly male, far-right “activists” who rally around extremist memes, troll campaigns, and white nationalism.

Their de facto leader, Nick Fuentes, often clashed with Kirk for not being as far to the right as he and his group are. “Blackpilled” incels often overlap with the groyper sphere, sharing the same nihilistic worldview and obsession with grievance politics.

Pulling the internet sparks discourse

Many people in @spicyrizz81’s comments sympathized with her concerns but warned her against cutting her son off from the internet entirely. Some pointed out that taking something away from a child or teenager can often serve to make it even more enticing, while others harped on how important discussion is in these scenarios.

“Talk to your kid! You can’t cut them off from the internet; they’ll find a way,” wrote @rekadoesfinance. “If he was raised right, you can reach him. The GOP has been recruiting your kids and not for anything good.”

“Understanding this stuff isn’t the problem; it’s the belief in it that makes it an issue,” @e.r2804 pointed out. “You cutting off the internet will make a reverse reaction, he will see it as something to now be really interested in.”

One viewer added that “He learns it at school. And from peers. It’s everywhere,” while another echoed a similar sentiment: “Just remember, mama, this doesn’t stop at the internet. This is a society for young boys and men. Talk to him. Teach him. That’s the only way.”

“If my mom had cut the internet, I would have learned to just not tell her things. Everyone who’s been on Reddit knows these memes. They aren’t inherently evil, but need monitoring and open dialogue about what they mean and who they impact,” @xoxorainboe suggested.

A unique set of circumstances

In a series of follow-up videos, @spicyrizz81 clarified her family’s situation and how a single viral TikTok lacked the context of an ongoing struggle they had been dealing with regarding her son.

This wasn’t an isolated incident where he happened to know some memes. Instead, she says she’s been seeking out help for her 22-year-old son, who has lived at home for over a year. She’d noticed some incel-type behaviors and language from him when he was 18, and had been desperate to find the root cause.

Learning about groypers and everything he’d been exposed to online felt like “finding out who gave your kid the first dose of heroin,” she said, “because I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.”

“I’m just more pissed off at the algorithm-based manipulation that was directed towards my child,” she added. “I’m pissed that he’s been taken advantage of. I’m pissed about that. I’m not mad at him. I’m mad at the algorithm.”

There’s certainly a difference between taking the internet away from a child or teenager who may be getting exposed to difficult topics online vs shutting it off when you’re in the midst of working through “deprogramming” a seemingly cooperative young adult—especially when the alleged indoctrination is masquerading as something seemingly much more harmless.

“Since at least 2012, there’s been a coordinated GOP effort to recruit young people, especially boys, into far-right politics. They use influencer, podcasts, UFC, & ‘alpha male’ content to tap into fear, isolation, & identity crises,” @plot_twist_exhausted wrote in the TikToker’s comments. “A lot of it is disguised as humor, tradition, or self-improvement. Most parents have no idea because it doesn’t look political on the surface. It looks like gym clips, memes, or gaming streams. It’s a $20M+ operation funded by powerful interests pushing conservative ideology straight into youth culture. And sadly, it’s a massive success.”

For @spicyrizz81, cutting off the internet at home is a part of working through this, even though she knows perfectly well her adult son might see things out in the world.

“The internet is concerned about his lack of access to the internet and what that might do to him, how it might stunt him,” she said. And I’m concerned about his social and emotional well-being and how he functions in society in a healthy way. I’m concerned about all of society and my son.”

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