Magdi Jacobs

The far-rightists in Europe learned similar lessons, btw.

Far be it for me to try to interrupt the minds of Republicans, but here is speculation: I suspect the COVID disinfo began as an attempt to defend Trump. I think it then became clear it could be weaponized. I think Republicans learned from COVID. Shredding the social fabric helps them.

Republicans have been spreading disinfo for decades. Which is why we're in this situation. But it has changed, qualitatively, since COVID. The disinfo is threaded through everyday life, not just about "abstract" or distant topics. The disinfo causes direct societal dysfunction.

-Note that the far-right & Republicans are spreading disinfo about the shooting in MN, despite the fact that the shooter is at large
-Note they did this during hurricane disaster response, too
-Note that all of this comes after the spread of disinfo during COVID + vaccination

Also: you said they are a "couple." Together like cardinals?

Are they Corvids?

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New paper in PSPB! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Well, actually, not "new". We first put this paper online way back Dec 2022... in any case, we think it's really cool!

We find that conspiracy believers tend to be overconfident & really don't seem to realize that most disagree with them

could you dm me?

Saw the DSA statement. Went to "DSALIberation's" page. This just doesn't sound like an American to me. But could be an American highly influenced by propaganda. Regardless of who it is: it's highly suspicious.

But there are some very pernicious dynamics unfolding on twitter right now, vis à vis the murder of the two embassy employees. A lot of it seems "coordinated," but I only have one mind & I don't always trust it. That's what it looks like to me. It also looks to be fomenting violence against Jews.

I don't take it as snarky. I want us to have honest conversations about this. Social media absolutely drives people to various extremisms. It's also a known fact that Russian troll/bots take advantage of this, amplifying extant extremism & division, etc.

Anyway, DSA/Etc has been off its rocker for a while & I can barely tell which accounts are likely "real Americans" vs "Russian" b/c they're indistinguishable outside certain linguistic tells or "who won WWII"-related meltdowns. But does it even matter who they are? Nefarious, no matter what, right?

Then here's a disconnected, somewhat, but related, thought: Why has this DSA/Tankie/Monocause "force" taken over the mantle of "American leftism" on social media sites like twitter? Why are *they* "The Far Left?" "Leftism" is traditionally more ideologically diverse than what we see on these sites.

I have found Russian anarchists to be a valuable resource in identifying propaganda related to Ukraine. I wonder if there is anything similar re: Russian propaganda in the U.S.? I would imagine reddit would be the place to look.

This all probably sounds pretty out of nowhere from me, lol. It's not. I grew up in a "leftist" family. Did "organizing" in my teens & early 20's. Lived on an anarchist commune (larpers) w/ my brother after dropping out of highschool. There's no one better at "cleaning house" than a good anarchist.

There's some creepy stuff going on online rn--well, that's been going on for a long time--and as I was grappling with it this morning, I thought, "You know what I need? Anarchists." Or Anarchist-adjacent liberals. They exist! You know. Nestor Makhno in the sheets; Joe Biden in the streets. Etc.

Some disconnected thoughts: I think I need some help from anarchists; like real anarchists, not larpers or blow-shit-up-for-boners dudes; ones who are willing to work w/ liberals & others over common causes. Like anti-fascism. Are there any good anarchist sub-reddits that discuss Russian bots?

Your response is just . . . . . false. People used to work harder to say false things. People could confirm that your response is false simply by looking at my tweets. There's something about the laziness-in-falsity, here, that bothers me more than anything else. Anyway, gonna block you.

Other extreme targets of bullying from 2019-2020:
-People who didn't endorse Bernie (Working Families Party)
-People who criticized Bernie's Health Plan (Culinary Union)
-Elizabeth Warren supporters, who were hit w/ "🐍" emojis all over twitter, "Warren is a snake."

Can't believe I didn't mention this: Bernie Sanders supporters *also* participated in the manufacturing of a false rape claim against Joe Biden in 2020 and when that didn't work *they*, not the right wing, started the "dementia" rumors. They are not "team players." To say the least.

A moment from 2020 that sticks in my memory was watching a Buttigieg rally where protestors unfurled a giant banner that said something like "Buttigieg is a murderer" and he responded with a genuinely sad sounding "What? No I'm not! That's really mean!" I think it encapsulated the moment well.

But what I have documented above--from the bullying, to the growing extremism, to the conspiracy theories & the denialism--that all happened. Worst of all: the manipulation of these forces by Russia--all in service of Trump--has also been documented. That is simply the truth.

Finally, I will say again: My own mother still loves Bernie. My dad, like me, has found him to be a more pernicious force. My mom's not operating from a bad place. She has a different set of experiences than I do. Different evidence. Not all Bernie supporters *have* shared this reality.

Bernie has a uniquely powerful voice. I think he could use it in revolutionary ways in this fight against fascism. Which is why I initially kept an open mind about his tour. But he is not using his voice in this way; In fact, imo, he is using his voice to further divide, thus helping the fascists.

All of this is documented, about Bernie. This has nothing to do w/ ideology. Note, that in the past, I & other Berners begged him to change course to save "progressivism." Now, times have changed, & I am begging him to change course so we can defeat fascism.

Bernie could have put a stop to this in 2016, 2020 & all the years in-between & since. But he has not. He could change the course of history, right now, & say, "We must all work together to defeat fascism." But he doesn't do that. Instead, he trashes the one path we have: The Democratic party.

Yet, somehow, Bernie manages to up-his-own-ante w/ this interview, where he blames the "Democratic Establishment" for the bros, creating yet another conspiracy, which not only gaslights those who were bullied, but blames them for it. x.com/zackoryk/sta...

That was in March. Now we are in May and, for me, the verdict is in: Bernie is not only being tremendously unhelpful, imo, he is digging deeper into the same conspiratorialism & division as he did previously, despite all the knowledge he has about how 1) this helps Trump & 2) Russia manipulates it

We come to the present. Bernie goes on his "Stop Oligarchy Tour." I am firmly of the position that, to effectively fight fascism, we need "all hands on deck." From AOC to Liz Cheney. However, Bernie is getting criticized by other Dems for the tour. I step in to say, "Let's see if he's being helpful"