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posted by takyon on Tuesday April 26 2016, @01:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the just-my-hundred-million-cents dept.

Current Affairs published an in-depth editorial on recent revelations about a $1 million astroturfng campaign by Correct the Record:

Astroturfing makes me angry. It should make you angry. It should make you fucking well see red. It's marketing evolved into something incredibly scary, sophisticated, and evil. It's essentially thought warfare, or psychological warfare, which takes away much of what was supposed to make the internet a new and beautiful frontier of communication. Worse yet, if you actually identify and approach these operatives, they'll gaslight you and deny that they are such an operative. These are people who are paid to psychologically abuse you. Do you get this? It's an ugly and evil thing, and not only does it take away our ability to take information and fact at face value, but it takes away our ability to take opinions, feelings, and personal stances at face value as sincere and legitimate.

takyon: For some additional context, "Hillary-supporting super PAC invests $1 million to hit back at online Clinton critics":

Correct the Record, a super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton's bid to become US president, has promised to invest more than $1 million to respond to users criticizing its candidate on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, and other social media services. The super PAC says its new "Barrier Breakers digital task force" will to respond "quickly and forcefully to negative attacks and false narratives found online," in addition to thanking major supporters and "committed superdelegates" directly.


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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:08AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:08AM (#337241)

    Remember those words when you are relying on a mechanic, lawyer, doctor, plumber, or anyone who knows a lot more than you know about a subject. Are they going to fleece you because they can? Should they fleece you because they can? That's how you treat the "sheeple".

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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:21AM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:21AM (#337249) Journal

    Perhaps you're not aware of it, but that is how things are done in today's world. Those jokes about a woman driving into a mechanic's garage? They are jokes because people think it's FUNNY. Yeah, I've been ripped of by a lawyer. Doctors? Well, I've got a pretty good one, whose rates are lower than the insurance companies pay. You don't find many of those - they're all out to get that last nickle, whether it be out of your pocket, or the insurance company's pocket.

    And, for the most part, all the sheep ever do is bleat about it.

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:43AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:43AM (#337265)

      You just told us how you've been fleeced.
      And yet you think you are better than the sheep.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @03:55AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @03:55AM (#337291)

        You just told us how you've been fleeced.
        And yet you think you are better than the sheep.

        Yes, because you see... his position is that the only purpose in life is to be fleeced.
        That doesn't exclude entities that can be fleeced but also have other purposes in life; e.g. to be milked; or... I don't know... egged?

        • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @05:42AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @05:42AM (#337326)

          You just told us how you've been fleeced.
                  And yet you think you are better than the sheep.

          Yes, because you see... his position is that the only purpose in life is to be fleeced.
          That doesn't exclude entities that can be fleeced but also have other purposes in life; e.g. to be milked; or... I don't know... egged?

          I personally gyped Runaway out of fifty bucks. Obviously, I cannot reveal my name or the incident, which would amount to the same thing. But just let me say, the man is a mark, a sucker, a con man's dream! When I offered him twice his investment in return, he did not even pause to think I might be lying. Easy money! Yes, I am the man that sold a Chelsea Manning suit to Runaway1956. May he wear it with pride.

    • (Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:34PM

      by mcgrew (701) <publish@mcgrewbooks.com> on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:34PM (#337511) Homepage Journal
      --
      mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 27 2016, @02:51AM

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday April 27 2016, @02:51AM (#337726) Journal

        Ohhhh, I don't know. Odd thing about psychology and related "sciences". The shrinks claim that 20, 25, maybe even 30% of people have issues. But, what is "normal", anyway?

        I posit that the shrinks and the researchers are less normal than all the people who are diagnosed with this or that, or some other imaginary affliction. Don't have time to read the PDF now, but it will be here when I get home in the morning. Consider thought, that sociopathy may actually BE "normal".

  • (Score: 2) by jmorris on Tuesday April 26 2016, @03:09AM

    by jmorris (4844) on Tuesday April 26 2016, @03:09AM (#337273)

    Those people don't generally get to run amok with the fleecing because of something the Internet needs. Reputation. As soon as we all just assume 90% of you anonymous cowards are hiding because you have an agenda this problem is mostly solved.

    That is why I always post under a real name, both here and on the other place right up to the ghostban, on Discus, etc. Agree or disagree with me, you know I'm a real person. If I can speak so many ideas that most people think are unthinkable and would rather be whipped than admit they even pondered once, there really isn't too much that is unspeakable. It is mostly FEAR that keeps people in line. Everybody should try to at least think about an "unthinkable" idea once a day, maybe a few of ya bastards would work up the courage to let a few of em linger a bit in your noggins. It would be a start. Do it a while and you might graduate to reading forbidden books. Someday you might even admit to a few crimethoughts in public. That is what we need to maintain freedom of thought, enough of us rebels that they can't get us all.

    • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Tuesday April 26 2016, @05:49AM

      by aristarchus (2645) on Tuesday April 26 2016, @05:49AM (#337330) Journal

      That is why I always post under a real name,

      Um, I don't think that "jmorris" is a real name. Could you provide a meatspace address at which we might direct cruise missles? Or perhaps a land-line telephone number, which would serve the same purpose. Perhaps you would care to share your social security number or national identity number with your fellow Soylentils, perhaps your bank acct # and PIN? No? Ha!! Jmorris, you are not real! You cannot be real! You are a parody of your own positions, an impossibility that if it did exist would naturally choose to end its own life immediately. Thank goodness I got here before Azuma, she is gonna tear you a new one, but since you don't exist, you will probably enjoy it.

      • (Score: 2) by jmorris on Tuesday April 26 2016, @05:57AM

        by jmorris (4844) on Tuesday April 26 2016, @05:57AM (#337334)

        I'll leave doxxing me as an exercise for the student. I'll just say that if you really can't manage it you truly suck at the Internet and probably shouldn't be here.

        • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by aristarchus on Tuesday April 26 2016, @07:00AM

          by aristarchus (2645) on Tuesday April 26 2016, @07:00AM (#337356) Journal

          Unless, as many here, we are afraid of what we might actually find if we set our minds to doxx you. Brain in a vat at NRA headquarters? Possible. AI developed by the Cato Institute: very likely. Kock Bros. sockpuppet? I am not one to cast aspersions on anyone, but who are you really, jmorris? Some of us (not me!) want to know what makes you tick, and what allows you to sleep at night.
          Do you have a "safeword"?

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 27 2016, @06:06AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 27 2016, @06:06AM (#337814)

            We'll find that he's a southerner who abuses his position as a network admin by using company hardware as his personal email server, or at least is pretending to do so by taking up a common URL that one could mistake for his religion oriented employer. For some reason CueCat may have had a significant effect on his life. He employs deceptive practices by displaying his email as one address but having the mailto address link to a more sketchy looking address.

            One of his personal websites was easy to find, or at least a website pretending to be from him.

      • (Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:42PM

        by mcgrew (701) <publish@mcgrewbooks.com> on Tuesday April 26 2016, @02:42PM (#337513) Homepage Journal

        LOL, son, I'm mcgrew. That's the internet spelling of McGrew. My real name. My first email address was mcgrew@famvid.com, my first web space was famvid.com/mcgrew (they offered hosting with web access), I was mcgrew at slashdot, at kuro5hin before it turned to crap, here, my personal web site is mcgrew.info (my picture's currently there), and mcgrew is the name printed on the books I write. [mcgrewbooks.com]

        I have no doubt that J is Mr. (or Ms) Morris' real first initial. I have no idea why you don't. I know from your S/N user name you like astronomy and are likely educated.

        --
        mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
      • (Score: 1) by fritsd on Tuesday April 26 2016, @04:27PM

        by fritsd (4586) on Tuesday April 26 2016, @04:27PM (#337548) Journal

        Um, I don't think that "aristarchus" is a real name, either. Didn't the real Αρίσταρχος ο Σάμιος [wikipedia.org] die some 2200 years ago?

        I think your argument just cratered [wikipedia.org].

        (That's the world upside-down: I found myself agreeing with "jmorris" and disagreeing with "aristarchus" :-) )

        "fritsd"

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by q.kontinuum on Tuesday April 26 2016, @06:29AM

      by q.kontinuum (532) on Tuesday April 26 2016, @06:29AM (#337344) Journal

      That is why I always post under a real name,

      I prefer pseudonyms. I can build a reputation here of speaking my mind without providing an easy link back to e.g. potential future employers to investigate my mindset. Most people have practical considerations for their reputation, and using their real name gives an incentive to work on that reputation rather than openly discussing the issue at hand.

      Nevertheless, people can check my history here on soylentnews and figure out if I have an obvious bias or not.

      --
      Registered IRC nick on chat.soylentnews.org: qkontinuum
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @10:34AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 26 2016, @10:34AM (#337406)

        It cracks me up when people complain about having their posting history evaluated. They whine about how it isn't fair that an AC is judging them based on their own words.

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday April 26 2016, @11:52AM

        by Phoenix666 (552) on Tuesday April 26 2016, @11:52AM (#337423) Journal

        I generally take that approach, too. When a person has a history attached to a username, it accretes a reputation that helps him restrain his id. And that, I think, makes his contributions to a discussion carry a little more weight, because they're honest and perhaps bring a little less vitriol.

        jmorris, Runaway, and guys from that ideological neighborhood on SN I disagree with most days, but I appreciate that there's no duplicity in what they write. It's an honest disagreement. That's a rare quality in public discourse anymore.

        --
        Washington DC delenda est.
    • (Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday April 26 2016, @01:32PM

      by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday April 26 2016, @01:32PM (#337467)

      Everybody should try to at least think about an "unthinkable" idea once a day

      An interesting aspect of alt-right political philosophy that is not discussed enough is most of the alt-right people and some of the trad-right people are very comfortable on an intellectual level with physics style thought experiments. Regardless if anyone likes it or not, it observationally leads to lots of alt-right recruitment, lots of personal histories begin with something that summarizes to "as a thought experiment, what would happen if the cathedral narrative about XYZ were untrue?" where XYZ is some topic right wing people care about and the thought experiment matches observed reality better than the authoritarian establishment narrative. Then they start reading red-pill dogma or Moldbug and next thing you know they're fully switched on, for better or worse. I read Moldbug, that red-pill stuff is degenerate, but whatever, everyone's got their own path.

      I have noticed that folks not susceptible to alt-right recruitment, in totally different settings, for whatever reason, act like their hamster exploded if you try a non-political thought experiment on them "So imagine you're in an elevator how can you tell the difference between an acceleration from a cable and acceleration from gravity?" "Or imagine for the sake of argument that semiconductors are full of holes where holes are real things just like baseballs, how do they flow and collide?" and they just flip out demanding its not real therefore wrong to think about as a mental model. They flip out in full on rhetoric mode. "you're just making up words it doesn't mean anything unless they're words I like" and so on.

      A meme I've been trying to push (mostly unsuccessfully) is if the predominant recruitment style for alt-right today is the physics-style thought experiment, that means they're preferentially going to recruit only the cognitive elite. Bubba ain't gonna read his Misner and Thorne, or whatever the cool kids read today, and think about elevators vs gravitational fields, or the political equivalent. That means there won't be many of them, although that minority (the cognitive elite) is the only people who've ever done anything anyway so maybe its not a big problem. If the only people who think, agree with you, I guess you're golden? So the death of my pet meme is that it doesn't matter.

      I don't see proof by induction or thought experiment in left-wing dogma. If its there, at a significant level anyway, I'd like to think about it. The deep mental philosophical model behind left wing thought is much less clear to me than the right wing model, probably because of my own sympathies and biases. (Insert obvious snarky comment about why I can't see the deep mental philosophical model of lefties here, so obvious there's no point even stating it)

      Its fun to watch. By watching politics I can almost feel the visceral appeal of sportsball, the gut level prediction, the excitement during the wait, the brutal confirmation or denial by reality, in a tight repetitive cycle. Pass the popcorn...