Propaganda and Troll Activities.

[Leonardo17]

I decided to add a thread like this because it’s been more than once that some people have accused me of being a troll in these platforms.
 
The facts are clear:

- Ordinary media has been used to influence people’s way of thing since the day they were invented.

- When digital medias popularity rose dramatically in the 2010’s now we have people with fake ID’s everywhere, fake narratives, fake news that are being spread with total impunity on all social media platforms, fake young Asian girls scamming middle aged men and emptying their bank accounts, even AI generated images and voices of your own kids begging you to put some amount of money in some bank account so that their captives agree to release them.
 
The main problem is that this is even happening in real life. People are constantly being gas lighted by their bosses, coworkers other students etc.
 
So everybody needs to put some systems in place here:

1) I watch and read only reliable sources of information (since I started reading the news at all)

2) You need a critical mindset. We are social beings and our tendency is usually to follow the pack. But even if you want to be a remotely political person, you need to stop doing that and start thing for yourselves.

Ex: Before the Iran war I was the only D. Trump critic (in many places). Today I don’t know anyone who supports his war on Iran except me. So people are sheeps. Don’t be a sheep.

3) Be vigilant and put some sort of limits to all forms of social media. All that data that we are giving out, we don’t even know who is collecting them and to what purpose.

4) If you are still being trolled by some people, the solution is to say “Shame on you if you fool me once. Shame on me if you fool me twice”. These thing happen outside of the internet realm too.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

@Leonardo17

Before the Iran war I was the only D. Trump critic (in many places). Today I don’t know anyone who supports his war on Iran except me. So people are sheeps. Don’t be a sheep. 

Sometimes, the sheep get it right.

Boru

[awty]

The trolling is being done by you, Leo.  It's not a secret to anyone here.  You are also a very wordy troll.  You seem to have a lot to say for someone who says not much of anything worth the eyestrain.

BTW - It's not your job to dictate how members act or what they think.

Baa

[Thumpalumpacus]

The idea that opposing the attack upon Iran indicates an unthinking acceptance of trollery or propaganda is horseshit. I oppose it because 1) it puts my fellow GIs in harm's way to no good purpose, and 2) it's fucking up not only our own economy but that of the world.

I haven't criticized everything Trump has done. I thought his outreach to North Korea in his first term was fair money, as well as his tariffs on China, which has treated us shitty for a couple of decades and in my mind deserved Trump's response.

Your assumption that objecting to the attack on Iran is kneejerk and unthinking is condescending, especially from someone who has such an obvious lack of historical understanding.

In short, kiss my ass.

[Ivan Denisovich]

Ex: Before the Iran war I was the only D. Trump critic (in many places). Today I don’t know anyone who supports his war on Iran except me. So people are sheeps. Don’t be a sheep.

No, you're simply dumb and willing to support warmongers because they attack the country you hate to the point of madness. It's after all you who claimed that communist block was less evil than Iran.

I must admit that few things are more hilarious than idiot thinking he is only wise person in the room.

[Deesse23]

This guy thinking that everyone else on this forum is an uncritical, naive sheep is hilarious.

Määääh

[Thumpalumpacus]

This guy thinking that everyone else on this forum is an uncritical, naive sheep is hilarious.

Määääh

Were I Turkish, I'd be happy to see Iran taken down a notch or two as well. Which sheep is feeding where?

"D. Trump" does not care about any Iranian people. "D.Trump" also does not care about the people affected the effects of this assault. Maybe when "D. Trump" starts funding Kurds again Leo might see that the world is a little more complex. But I'm not sure -- not sure at all.

[AFTT47]

As a non-moderator, I will offer the opinion that you are a pain in the ass. Just my opinion. take it or leave it.

I don't object to posters with opinions contrary to majority thought. Indeed, I usually find myself contrary in almost any group I find myself in. I am a white, male, heterosexual but that is usually the end point where I find commonality with my fellow humans. So I get it. That said, you are a regular poster in a forum that is in general disagreement with what you have to say. No problem there but I wonder what is the point.

If you want to influence opinion here, you will have to be mindful that you will need to make your case in a way that is receptive to your audience. That means respectful, rational, logical arguments. Smiling emojis after the end of rants not comforting to those requirements won't cut it.

[awty]

As a non-moderator, I will offer the opinion that you are a pain in the ass. Just my opinion. take it or leave it.

I don't object to posters with opinions contrary to majority thought. Indeed, I usually find myself contrary in almost any group I find myself in. I am a white, male, heterosexual but that is usually the end point where I find commonality with my fellow humans. So I get it. That said, you are a regular poster in a forum that is in general disagreement with what you have to say. No problem there but I wonder what is the point.

If you want to influence opinion here, you will have to be mindful that you will need to make your case in a way that is receptive to your audience. That means respectful, rational, logical arguments. Smiling emojis after the end of rants not comforting to those requirements won't cut it.

As a member of staff, I have to say that being a pain in the ass is not, in and of itself, against the rules.  Sometimes more's the pity.  The twitching to hit that ban button is often overwhelming.  But in the spirit of free speech and in the keeping with the rules...we have to weigh who stays and who goes.

For the members, the best thing to do with someone who isn't tromping on the rules is to simply not engage and let the boredom of getting no response be the best way to bore a smiling troll into moving on to somewhere new.

Right now, Leo's purpose is keeping post count up.  But he's not the only one with that distinction.

[Rev. Rye]

The idea that opposing the attack upon Iran indicates an unthinking acceptance of trollery or propaganda is horseshit. I oppose it because 1) it puts my fellow GIs in harm's way to no good purpose, and 2) it's fucking up not only our own economy but that of the world.

I’d add 3) It’s proof positive that the Republicans have learned nothing from having to deal with MULTIPLE decades-long wars that have accomplished nothing but making a critical part of the world more unstable and even more pissed at us.

Blah blah blah insert plug for The Battle of Algiers here because anyone who wants to understand why these wars are such a bad idea needs to see it yesterday.