Current Affairs Culture wars & The rise of grifting

[datblygu]

Something I've been pondering recently. I suspect most of us here believe Russia and China are heavily involved in pushing right-wing narratives, but a lot of the research I've read into their cyber activities suggests its less about a particular ideology as it is about sewing discord across the west. In other words, the aim of the game for Russia is to get right and left as polarised as possible. So, it got me thinking, while we associate bot activity with the right, could Russia also be behind the various anonymous accounts on the left (thinking of Haggis and that random wotshisname bloke with the book who has suddenly appeared).

Yeah probably, I remember an ecology of Russia Today journalists being quite prominent for a while on Twitter about a decade ago (e.g. Max Blumenthal)

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I know you mean bots, but people like Femi must be funded from somewhere. There is a video where Katie Hopkins, who tbh quite normally, asked him who funded him and he lost it and refused to answer. He gets like that quite often too. I'm not sure he understands or believes anything he actually says

Even the stop Brexit clown. He doesn't appear to have a job so must get money from somewhere.

 

[twoblue]

Good. The stuff Rowling said was particularly foul, and she left it up even after everyone knew Khelif wasn't trans.

She's a really nasty piece of work.

Rowling is really disappointing. Initially you could understand her push back on matters such as trans being sent to prisons of the opposite sex.
Unfortunately she picked up the baton on ever increasing grey areas and attacking them with the same fury.

 

[Charro]

Something I've been pondering recently. I suspect most of us here believe Russia and China are heavily involved in pushing right-wing narratives, but a lot of the research I've read into their cyber activities suggests its less about a particular ideology as it is about sewing discord across the west. In other words, the aim of the game for Russia is to get right and left as polarised as possible. So, it got me thinking, while we associate bot activity with the right, could Russia also be behind the various anonymous accounts on the left (thinking of Haggis and that random wotshisname bloke with the book who has suddenly appeared).

Absolutely.

It’s been happening for years

Saw a load of accounts appear from nowhere during the election.

I see so many people I know falling into the trap.

Extremism on both sides is what they want.

 

[Charro]

I know you mean bots, but people like Femi must be funded from somewhere. There is a video where Katie Hopkins, who tbh quite normally, asked him who funded him and he lost it and refused to answer. He gets like that quite often too. I'm not sure he understands or believes anything he actually says

I remember him calling out Eddie Dempsey for racism and trying to set up a lawsuit for absolutely nothing.

Was like he knew this was a perfect moment for him to try and divide the left.

For somebody as highly educated as he is, to dedicate your life to social media is certainly a strange choice.

 

[Charro]

A load of these politics accounts are defo Russian ran.

The likes of politics for you, Politics uk, politics now, all have similar names and all post the same type of content which is often proved to be wrong.

 

[Blue 1]

Rowling is really disappointing. Initially you could understand her push back on matters such as trans being sent to prisons of the opposite sex.
Unfortunately she picked up the baton on ever increasing grey areas and attacking them with the same fury.

Yep, she crossed the line into just pure trans hatred a while ago, like Graham Linehan.

 

[Lapeno77]

Nice work if you can get it

 

[ArtetaMoney]

Nice work if you can get it

No wonder he’s been happy never being an MP. He gets far more on the grift train.

 

[JimmyJeffers]

Nice work if you can get it

Won’t make any difference unfortunately. People aren’t arsed if they support someone like Farage and they are making a tonne of money. People revere that.
People find it much less complicated to look down rather than up.

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

Lol. Grifty coin, huh? https://www.theguardian.com/politic...-farage-revealed-to-be-uks-highest-earning-mp

 

[Jebus_lives]

Something I've been pondering recently. I suspect most of us here believe Russia and China are heavily involved in pushing right-wing narratives, but a lot of the research I've read into their cyber activities suggests its less about a particular ideology as it is about sewing discord across the west. In other words, the aim of the game for Russia is to get right and left as polarised as possible. So, it got me thinking, while we associate bot activity with the right, could Russia also be behind the various anonymous accounts on the left (thinking of Haggis and that random wotshisname bloke with the book who has suddenly appeared).

Most definitely. A lot of those accounts are also people who now have a reputation/following to keep engaged. They need content and discord to stay relevant, so the need to create controversy and keep people angry at things.

 

[Jebus_lives]

Even the stop Brexit clown. He doesn't appear to have a job so must get money from somewhere.

He runs fundraisers, quite successfully, I think. Made a lot of money when the police confiscated his speakers.

 

[Walken]

Most definitely. A lot of those accounts are also people who now have a reputation/following to keep engaged. They need content and discord to stay relevant, so the need to create controversy and keep people angry at things.

In general the right don't have sincere views, they will happily float to whatever brings them individual benefit. It's not an ideology as such for those who drive the narrative

 

[Lapeno77]

In general the right don't have sincere views, they will happily float to whatever brings them individual benefit. It's not an ideology as such for those who drive the narrative

Worlds oldest and most successful Ponzi scheme, still showing no signs of failing.