• YourNetworkIsHaunted@awful.systems
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    4 months ago

    If the only options are supporting genocide or being a Russian asset

    So about those Ukrainians. Or is genocide, like imperialism, only bad when America does it?

    I dunno man. It’s definitely getting repetitive, but when we know that there is a substantial Russian disinfo machine out there and support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine is such a consistent theme in these people AND Putin is one of the major beneficiaries of the general turn towards right-wing authoritarianism (because when our politicians say and do the same things it legitimizes those antidemocratic elements of his own regime), it’s not an unfair connection to keep drawing.

    The most compelling argument to not call them Russian troll farmers would be for them to simply stop saying all the things a Russian troll farmer would say.

    • HomerianSymphony@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      when we know that there is a substantial Russian disinfo machine out there

      But… is there? I mean, I know Russian disinformation exists, but could you really say it’s “substantial”? It seems to me that Russian disinformation couldn’t be even 1% as damaging as the disinformation put out by Fox News or Donald Trump.

      Why is there all this concern about foreign disinformation when the most damaging disinformation is coming from within America? (And remember, Donald Trump’s political ascent was built on “Obama is a secret Muslim born in Kenya”.)

      It seems to me that the main reason we hear so much about foreign disinformation is because it’s a boogeyman to stop you from questioning your country’s narratives.

      “Remember: Anyone who questions America’s narratives is a foreign agent! If you ever start to think maybe your country’s narratives are wrong, you’re being duped by foreign agents.”

      Also, the influence of Russian trolls on Lemmy is definitely overstated. As far as I can see, anything that doesn’t sound like it came from the mouth of a Democrat gets downvoted into oblivion.