• goat@sh.itjust.worksM
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    1 year ago

    Communists defending Russia is one of the strangest things Tankies do. Why defend Russia of all countries?

    • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Because they are campists. I’m still convinced it’s like 75% edgy teenagers, 10% state sponsored information warfare, and 15% right wingers trying to see how stupid they can make “leftists” look before getting called out.

      • goat@sh.itjust.worksM
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        1 year ago

        bruh there ain’t no paid shills on lemmy. there is little monetary or propagandist value in small websites. Really wish people (from both tankies and here) would stop saying this stupid shit

        • WolfdadCigarette@threads.net@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          There are factually propagandists seeding atrocious ideas in nearly all communities, especially during and after breakaways like 4 months ago. Given the use of AI and scripting, and not to mention the nearly complete absence of countermeasures for either one on a relatively naive space like lemmy, a handful of people are definitely fomenting divisiveness. Subtle white supremacists, surreptitious state actors, website advertisers etc…

          Tl;dr: I’ve personally found a few sprinkled about.

    • daftantimony@lemm.eeOP
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      1 year ago

      For Hexbear at least, I can see two of the reasons: 1) they support the idea of a polarized world where other powers are able to compete on equal terms with America. 2) They must present a united front to those outside, the “enemy”, because doing otherwise would provide them ammunition and weaken their own team. For having lurked long enough on their turf, I’ve seen more nuanced takes on Russia and China that recognize their wrongdoings. Even by the same users who’ll be total shills in a World News comment section.

      It’s a sport game in short…

    • squiblet@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Other than the possibility they’re shills, it seems to be “we oppose the EU, NATO and the US, therefore China and Russia are fantastic”. Which makes no sense, obviously, because making sense would be to oppose China and Russia for the same reasons they don’t like the US and the EU.

      • goat@sh.itjust.worksM
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        1 year ago

        bruh there ain’t no paid shills on lemmy. there is little monetary or propagandist value in small websites. Really wish people (from both tankies and here) would stop saying this stupid shit

        • squiblet@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          Oh, and I’ll add, I was told that on reddit in 2010… when there were people who only responded to threads about glysophate/RoundUp all day. Mention RoundUp, they’d appear. Around 2012, if you mentioned Israel, 2-3 people would come and argue with you about it. Around 2015-6, there was obvious astroturf about ‘Walk Away’ from the Democratic Party, anti Hillary Clinton, pro ‘Q’, and pro-Trump total crap. At all times: “bruh there ain’t no paid shills on reddit. Really wish people would stop saying this stupid shit”.

          So back in reality, people are paid by governments to spread any sort of discord in the US. They don’t care what site it’s on. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone wanted to discredit and manipulate the real left on sites like Hexbear.

          • goat@sh.itjust.worksM
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            1 year ago

            Reddit is huge, even in 2010-2012. Lemmy is tiny in comparison and has no monetary value.

            • squiblet@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              Monetary value isn’t relevant, only manipulating people. Hexbear is the largest community of people of that political persuasion.

              In 2015-2017 they targeted gamers in online games.

              • goat@sh.itjust.worksM
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                1 year ago

                they’re not tho. Reddit’s communism subs are still larger.

                When you say that these fringe communities have government shills, you just look like a nutter, equally of a nutter as to when they think this community has government shills.

                • squiblet@kbin.social
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                  1 year ago

                  As noted, that’s exactly what people said about every community ever. “Shills? Manipulation? Nobody would do that!” except that various world governments funded divisions to do exactly that, it turns out.

                  • goat@sh.itjust.worksM
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                    1 year ago

                    Can you list any website or community that has less than 10k active posters that has shills?

    • Atomic@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Because they’ve idolized Russia for so long that to now admitt that they’re doing bad things is seen as a personal loss.

      And some just genuinly believe the propaganda being fed to them. It’s very difficult to admit you were fooled and led to believe things that wasn’t true. It’s far easier to double down and confine yourself to an echo chamber where they can all agree that it’s somehow because NATO or US sponsored the Ukrainian uprising and rigged the Ukrainian election.

      So when you think about it, they’re the good guys trying to restore order to Ukraine.

      So… if someone is on the fringe. Don’t insult them. Dont belittle them. Welcome them, and congratulate their strength to say “I was wrong” without making them feel bad for doing it. Not directing that to you, just a statement in general.