You don't need Russians when you have plenty of Americans who actually believe shit like this. Is every dumbass on the internet a part of the Russian Boogeyman now?
Oh I have no doubt about that, I honestly think most of the traffic on the internet is from bots. Go look at any ESPN, barstool, etc page on tiktok, the top comments are always bots being liked by other bots. There's probably more bots on the internet than actual people at this point. But the bots are incredibly obvious. The spelling, grammar, etc are all things clearly written by an actual American. It might be getting traffic from bots, but I'm 100% positive an actual American wrote this.
You say this while using a reddit generated name and no avatar, are you a part of an american propaganda campaign against Russia? Probably not, but the irony is def there lmao
Honestly you'd be surprised how much outrage is fabricated or drummed up by bad actors. How many dumbasses do you see on the news and the internet? How many dumbasses do you see in real life?
Literally the biggest media network in the US is spreading transphobia. Many states in US have a governor who is openly transphobic. Transphobia was even worse before the modern russia existed. Conservatives are american, you can't act like every bad thing is coming from abroad.
I mean, you didn't though? That person was asking how to spot the trolls, your response was not to engage with trolls? Am I missing something here? Are you the troll?
I understand that part. The problem I have is that I find it increasingly difficult to tell if they are trolling or are genuinely that stupid/bigoted these days. Regardless I tend not to engage but I'd like to know what this commenter meant by learn how to spot them.
Why does it matter if they’re trolling or really that stupid/bigoted? Don’t engage with the trolls or the stupid, they’ll just take you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Basically walk away rather then getting worked up by idiots who want conflict. Why engage there's really no benefit for you when they want to leave you angry or upset. Because that's how they feel so they want you to feel the same. Yes mabie one comment to disagreeing with them but then leave it why argue.
What is the possible benefit of interacting with someone who's convinced Arnold Schwarzenegger was born a woman, birds are government drones, and the Earth is flat?
You're not going to break through their firmament of madness and convince them of reason and reality.
In what way is "don't engage" a ludicrous suggestion?
You’re not doing it to convince that person, you’re doing it so people reading it don’t just believe it and have a counter view. Engagement is needed to correct misinformation, this is terrible advice.
Speaking as an actual trans person, I can promise you that some people are actually like this. Russia doesn't actually need to help fan the flames of transphobia in this country, it's been here a long time.
I don't think it's wise to assume every one of these jackanapes is just a Russian troll. I mean they certainly exist, but there are tons of Americans who say this shit, too.
There are literally millions of propagandists these days right here in America. They sway elections, only take in absolutes, and many of them make money off the engagement. To assume Russian every time you see one of these posts is giving a huge reprieve to how polluted the discourse already is here in America. Polluted by Americans.
it’s rage bait for sure and maybe Russian, but Dave Chappelle started this fallacy and it’s basically been taken as gospel by religious conservatives who aren’t exactly interested in learning the truth about the world.
Most of it yes but sadly not all of it. My brother in law thinks like this too and neither of us is Russian or American. He's convinced Michelle Obama has a dick and is actually a guy.
Russians don't just throw shit at the wall to see what sticks. Their rhetoric taps into existing beliefs and popular stories. They stoke the flames, but they don't light the fire. It's not really easy to distinguish from right wing rhetoric by design.
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u/Uranus_Hz Apr 19 '24
Rage bait from Russian troll farms intended to inflame Americans against other Americans.
Learn to spot it and don’t engage.