Disinformation and Police Protests

[Estebonrober]

https://www.oregonlive.com/trending...mLv6h_xnUBdICJdNYBDvLHgOLk6J3CGODkbRlUjxApEs8

The Associated Press checks out some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. This one is bogus, even though it was shared widely on social media. Here are the facts:

CLAIM: Photos show four police officers who were injured by Democrats and Black Lives Matter rioters over the weekend in Portland, Seattle and nearby cities.

THE FACTS: The officers in the photos weren’t injured at U.S. protests — in fact, they were on the other side of the world.

From now on if I find something that is painfully obvious disinformation about protests in the US I will be posting it here. This is to keep a catalogued space for reference for myself and to have a place to discuss what I mean when I say the right wing has no compunction about using every form of disinformation it can find to discredit its political opposition. This ranges from video fakes to misappropriation of facts to clear projection of intent. I encourage others to share things they find as well.

I will also clarify something. The protests have taken a step up again in the past few weeks. The violence is worsening (generally as white supremacist gangs are encouraged to go vigilante by local law enforcement all the way to the president) and that is not a good thing. There is no shortage of footage of rioters (not protesters, they should not be in the same box) burning things, spray painting things, and throwing objects. Of course none of this is the same as murdering people left and right, but I digress.

The truth is out there, but its becoming harder and harder to find, the lack of the ability to trust law enforcement at every level has infected the entirety of the US. Without reform this will continue to escalate. Only two states (Minnesota and New York) have passed any sort of real police reform and even they are limited in scope and don't actually try to guarantee accountability.

Fell free to share the opposite side of it. Though I must request we ignore the Rittenhouse case for now as its either going to lead to the justification of murder or at minimum the justification of vigilantism. If someone wants to start another thread on why the right wing seems so willing to justify murder and vigilantism that would be fun for the few days the thread lasted.

 

[Bamspeedy]

There is misinformation, on both sides. Question Fox, question the AP, and question social media posts, blogs, and YouTube videos.

All I'll say about the Rittenhouse case in this thread is my opinion on it is subject to change if new facts are presented (save those for another thread if they do come up.)

 

[Estebonrober]

There is misinformation, on both sides. Question Fox, question the AP, and question social media posts, blogs, and YouTube videos.

All I'll say about the Rittenhouse case in this thread is my opinion on it is subject to change if new facts are presented (save those for another thread if they do come up.)

Yea feel free to share any you find here, especially (considering the way I generally see you post) if you find left wing examples of it. I have friends and family that is mainly conservative, many Trump supporters to this day which is hard for me to understand or respect, and I myself am progressive for now (I just feel we need a dramatic shift towards the working class in all things legal and economic for a few decades). In my views, and I see a lot from both sides, this disinformation is lopsided to the right in a pretty extreme way. I believe this is because conservatives by their very nature are easily seduced by conspiracy and disinformation.

 

[El_Machinae]

One point of clarification: it's an assumption that 'the Right' is engaging in disinformation. And I'm not 'both sidesing' here, either. Though, obviously, it will happen. Some people think that a few lies are less important than the underlying goal.

There are also agents hostile to the peace of your society that are quite happy to sow disinformation merely with the intention of making everything worse. It's pretty hard to tell where the disinformation's starting point is. And pointing out the lies on 'their side' is useful, but not nearly as useful as pointing out the lies on your own side - since your allies are much more likely to listen to you.

 

[Berzerker]

if I find something that is painfully obvious disinformation about protests in the US I will be posting it here.

Dont you mean 'peaceful protests'?

Moderator Action: You can stop trolling any time... --LM
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[Estebonrober]

Dont you mean 'peaceful protests'?

Thank you for your useful contribution!

 

[Estebonrober]

One point of clarification: it's an assumption that 'the Right' is engaging in disinformation. And I'm not 'both sidesing' here, either. Though, obviously, it will happen. Some people think that a few lies are less important than the underlying goal.

There are also agents hostile to the peace of your society that are quite happy to sow disinformation merely with the intention of making everything worse. It's pretty hard to tell where the disinformation's starting point is. And pointing out the lies on 'their side' is useful, but not nearly as useful as pointing out the lies on your own side - since your allies are much more likely to listen to you.

I'm trying to understand the point here? I feel like I'm actively doing what you are suggesting here, hence the thread start.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Related to the protests:

Umbrella man

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/officer-jacob-pederson-protests/

 

[Farm Boy]

Este, I think he's assuming you're inclined to point out lies by whatever it is you call "the right" but whatever people you call "the right" aren't going to bother to read what you type anyways, much less believe you?

Also, that there are liars trying to make us all hate each other, and that most of them are just flat evil pieces of horsehocky. Which is pretty much true. Toms with kittens, but with the capacity for advanced malice.

He may be being hopeful, since I think if you do that more than a couple times, you'll start losing idiots who decided you "switched sides." The usefulness of that sort of person is pretty debatable to begin with, though.

Iono. Good question, tho.

 

[Estebonrober]

Related to the protests:

Umbrella man

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/officer-jacob-pederson-protests/

Good one, of course the truth still lands in support of the "peaceful protesters".

According to a search warrant filed earlier this week, the man is associated with the "Aryan Cowboys," which the Anti-Defamation League lists as a White supremacist prison and street gang. The warrant does not label them as a White supremacist group, but describes them as a "known prison gang out of Minnesota and Kentucky." On its Facebook page, the group says it does not care, "about a person's color."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/28/us/u...ite-supremacist-group-george-floyd/index.html

Of course with the long standing love affair between local police and white supremacist gangs the correlation is still an issue.

 

[Estebonrober]

Este, I think he's assuming you're inclined to point out lies by whatever it is you call "the right" but whatever people you call "the right" aren't going to bother to read what you type anyways, much less believe you?

Also, that there are liars trying to make us all hate each other, and that most of them are just flat evil pieces of ****. Which is pretty much true. Toms with kittens, but with the capacity for advanced malice.

He may be being hopeful, since I think if you do that more than a couple times, you'll start losing idiots who decided you "switched sides." The usefulness of that sort of person is pretty debatable to begin with, though.

Iono. Good question, tho.

aye ok

 

[Cloud_Strife]

Of course with the long standing love affair between local police and white supremacist gangs the correlation is still an issue.

Even in the best of times it can be hard to distinguish between the two.

 

[El_Machinae]

I'm trying to understand the point here? I feel like I'm actively doing what you are suggesting here, hence the thread start.

I don't want people's discovery of false information to be used to indict 'the other side' as conclusive evidence that they're acting in bad faith (other than laziness). Always keep in mind that the poisonous memes are also generated by people who just want to damage the whole.

 

[Berzerker]

Those dastardly Russians no doubt

 

[El_Machinae]

You're just straight up trolling, eh?

 

[Berzerker]

I thought we're on the lookout for disinformation

 

[Berzerker]

Fell free to share the opposite side of it. Though I must request we ignore the Rittenhouse case for now as its either going to lead to the justification of murder or at minimum the justification of vigilantism. If someone wants to start another thread on why the right wing seems so willing to justify murder and vigilantism that would be fun for the few days the thread lasted.

I was told the Antifa Portland man killed a Patriot Prayer member in self defense, does that justify murder too?

 

[Arwon]

Yeah cops lie massively, instinctively and systematically about incidents at protests and other acts of violence. It's best practice to just ignore and doubt the first few drafts of anything they say about them.

 

[Farm Boy]

Distrust the state? Hell, you might make an American yet.

 

[Lexicus]

Distrust the state? Hell, you might make an American yet.

Why do so many Americans think they are distrusting the state when they're saying stuff like "just obey the cops and you'll live?"