Putin's Troll Factories

[Jerky]

The charge of "stalking" is absurd.

No it isn't. It's an accurate description of MacC's behavior in this case. He's stalking AD across different topics, badgering him or her despite the fact that AD has made it perfectly clear that he or she has no interest in playing MacC's bad faith "gotcha" games, and no desire to communicate with him in general. It wasn't that long ago that I was reprimanded for similar behavior with you or Sounder (I don't recall at the moment) so I stopped doing it, and believe me, it's not for lack of flashing red capes.

[quote="Elvis » 06 Apr 2018 09:57" It's a discussion forum. If someone doesn't like the heat they should get out of the kitchen.[/quote]

This isn't a free-for-all, no-holds-barred subreddit. It's a community with long-established rules of engagement. Part of that involves accepting when someone decides they'd rather not engage with one or more specific users anymore, for whatever reason they might have. We all know what MacC thinks of AD by this point. Enough with the baiting and the passive aggressive snark.

J.

[seemslikeadream]

It would be extremely helpful if the 3.5 persistent warmongers on this board could just have the courage to stand up and be counted and especially that .5 one needs to shit or get off the pot ...then the board can become the place Mac desires it to be and we will all be better for it

and the 3.5 persistent warmongers on this board will be able, while dodging MiGs and falling skyscrapers, to look back on a job well done.

[Sounder]

It is not 'bad faith' to make pointed comments on the lies and propagandistic fluff that Western narrative produces.

But speaking of which, it is most certainly 'bad faith' to pre-label those critical of said western narrative to be Russian trolls or doing the work of Russian trolls.

[seemslikeadream]

maybe the warmongers are just doing tit for tat

you know how mean those warmongers can be...so hard for them to be called out...they've worked so hard to stay incognito



should have kept the kitten disguise

[Belligerent Savant]

.

... aren't you one of the handful of members here on R.I. who can't bring themselves to admit that Putin has committed so much as ONE criminal act during his 20 years in power?

Hubris. Mischaracterization. You either have reading comprehension challenges (which explains much), or are purposely -- in disingenuous fashion -- embellishing to inflame, which also explains much.

Your statement applies to precisely no one here.

[Jerky]

HA! You obviously missed it, but I can assure you that I am referencing a very specific set of interactions that took place right here on this board. My description of said events is 100 percent accurate and UN-embellished. But you can go on believing what you like. It doesn't matter to me.

J.

[liminalOyster]

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[stillrobertpaulsen]

Sorry to sound like a Wombaticus Rex clone, but if you all could tone it down about 25%, I'd really appreciate it. Please take Jeff's words to heart here:

Please refrain from personal attacks, and keep arguments issue-based.

Thank you for your civil and thoughtful contributions, and your cooperation in helping to generate more light than heat.

Issue-based arguments. No personal attacks. Generate more light than heat. Let's give it a try!

[dada]

What is the issue here, though. 4chan is the biggest troll factory in the world. So this thread isn't as much about troll factories, as it is about Putin. The issue here is Putin.

It's like 'foreign meddling in US elections.' The issue isn't about meddling in US elections. It's about Putin.

The issue is not overtly stated. Are troll factories are ok? Is meddling in US elections ok? I guess so, as long as Putin isn't doing it.

We're not getting at the core issues. In fact, these topics actually serve to cloud the core issues.

I think it's because we don't really want to address the core issues. We want to play games.

[stillrobertpaulsen]

The issue is not overtly stated. Are troll factories are ok? Is meddling in US elections ok? I guess so, as long as Putin isn't doing it.

You're not speaking for yourself, are you?

So who are you speaking on behalf of? I'm not ok with troll factories. I'm not ok with anyone meddling in any sovereign nation's elections. So who are you saying is?

[American Dream]

It's nothing personal. Putin is the finger pointing at the moon. The moon is State Power, State Violence and the far Right. The same goes for Assad.

[Belligerent Savant]

The issue is not overtly stated. Are troll factories are ok? Is meddling in US elections ok? I guess so, as long as Putin isn't doing it.

You're not speaking for yourself, are you?

So who are you speaking on behalf of? I'm not ok with troll factories. I'm not ok with anyone meddling in any sovereign nation's elections. So who are you saying is?

You mean besides internal entities?

(I understand this query was addressed to dada -- I certainly do not purport to speak for him.)

[dada]

I'm speaking for myself, yes. Not on anyone else's behalf. I'm saying that the impression I get from threads that focus on Putin'sTroll Factories, and foreign meddling in US elections is that "Putin" and "foreign" are the issue. There's no critique of the core issue of troll factories. The US meddling in its own elections gets a pass.

The issue, to me, then becomes critiquing the unspoken assumptions implicit in the topics. That's really all these topics are good for, to me. Without this critique, topics like these only serve as a distraction.

I think the core issues are avoided, because they're much more dangerous. Playing games is safer.

AD puts it in a good way, here. There are plenty of pointing fingers. Cut off the hands all you want. Real change means blowing up the moon.

Well, maybe that's not exactly what he meant. I like the imagery of cutting off hands and blowing up moons, though. (I'm a sick bastard when it comes down to it, I know.)

Don't take your eye off the ball.

edited to add: before anyone gets any bright ideas about turning my "hand-cutting off and moon-blowing up" imagery into a star wars reference, please allow me to smother that thought with a pillow. This is a pro-Bene Gesserit board.

[MacCruiskeen]

It's nothing personal. Putin is the finger pointing at the moon. The moon is State Power, State Violence and the far Right. The same goes for Assad.

You chose to entitle this thread, "Putin's Troll Factories". Right?

So you're pointing at Putin, i.e., you're pointing your finger at a finger that, you claim, is pointing at the moon, which, you claim, is in fact three other things entirely. Where you do want us to look, exactly? Meanwhile, Assad, or so you claim, is also busily pointing at those three things, for some reason, as if he didn't have a hyperviolent US-sponsored "insurgency" to worry about. It's getting crowded out there tonight. When will Trump and May and the CIA and MI6 finally join the party? Once they've all finished pointing at your tripartite metaphorical moon, they could have fun letting off a few fireworks.

What's your point, caller?

It's nothing personal.

[stillrobertpaulsen]

It's nothing personal. Putin is the finger pointing at the moon. The moon is State Power, State Violence and the far Right. The same goes for Assad.

You chose to entitle this thread, "Putin's Troll Factories". Right?

So you're pointing at Putin, i.e., you're pointing your finger at a finger that, you claim, is pointing at the moon, which, you claim, is in fact three other things entirely. Where you do want us to look, exactly? Meanwhile, Assad, or so you claim, is also busily pointing at those three things, for some reason, as if he didn't have a hyperviolent US-sponsored "insurgency" to worry about. It's getting crowded out there tonight. When will Trump and May and the CIA and MI6 finally join the party? Once they've all finished pointing at your tripartite metaphorical moon, they could have fun letting off a few fireworks.

What's your point, caller?

It's nothing personal.

I believe in this scenario that Trump, May, the CIA and MI6 are also pointing at the moon.

Is that correct, American Dream?