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The Secret Playbook of Internet Trolls
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
What’s confusing you
Is the nature of my game
- The Rolling Stones
The reason that Internet trolls are effective is that people still don’t understand their game.
There are 15 commonly-used trolling tactics to disrupt, misdirect and control internet discussions.
As one interesting example, trolls start flame wars because – according to two professors – swearing and name-calling shut down our ability to think and focus.
And trolls will often spew divisive attacks so that people argue against each other, instead of bad actions and policies of the powers-that-be. For example, trolls will:
Start a religious war whenever possible using stereotypes like “all Jews are selfish”, “all Christians are crazy” or “all Muslims are terrorists”.
Yesterday, the alternative news site Common Dreams caught a troll using scores of different user names to spew anti-Semitic bile. (Common Dreams discovered that the same troll was behind the multiple user names by tracking their IP addresses. And the troll confessed to Common Dreams.)
The troll is a “a Jewish Harvard graduate in his thirties who was irritated by the website’s discussion of issues involving Israel”.
He posted anti-Semitic diatribes – such as Hitler should have finished the job and killed all Jews – using one alias. Then – a couple of minutes later – he’d post an attack on the first poster using a different alias, claiming that criticism of Israel is the same thing as anti-Semitism. (Note: Holocaust survivors and Israeli ministers say it’s not.)
Why would a Jew post vile anti-Semitic comments? Because normal people are offended by – and don’t want to be associated with – pure, naked anti-Semitism, and so they will avoid such discussions. If the discussion was originally criticizing a specific aspect of Israeli policy, the discussion will break down, and the actual point regarding policy will be lost.
Similarly, anti-Semitic posts weaken websites by making them seem less reputable. Indeed, Common Dreams says that the troll’s anti-Semitic comments drove away many of that site’s largest donors … dealing a severe blow to its continued viability. That’s exactly what trolls spewing anti-Semitic bile are trying to do: shut down logical discussion and discredit and weaken sites which allow rational criticism of policy.
It is well-known that foreign governments and large companies troll online. See this, this this, and this. For example, the Israeli government is paying students to post pro-Israeli comments online.
And American students are also attempting to influence internet discussion.
While the Common Dreams troll claims that he’s not sponsored by the state of Israel, government agencies have manipulated Internet discussion for years. This includes the use of multiple “socket puppet” aliases. The potential for mischief is stunning.
Unless we learn their game …
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When banksters recruit trolls!
Good article link.
The term he describes as 'signal-to-noise ratio' is the reasoning behind governments and other entities using hired trolls who are given up to 30 aliases/avatars.
Glad to see you come out of the closet GW. Embrace your trollness.
I agree that trolls are a real problem if the truth is desired, yet here's a thought: If your goal is to clue people into trolls' "game" it's probably not a good idea to emphasize an example/anecdote that isn't indicative of usual troll behavior. That is, a jewish person posting anti-jewish insults (and pro-jewish to counter his own insults) is not the norm and not what needs to stop as much as the common paid for pro-Israel and various other evil groups trying to shut down debate and suppress the truth. We get enough brainwashed idiots on this site without distracting them with contra-proof anecdotes about pro-tribe 'anti-semites'.
So, if someone has a contrary opinion or says something negative (gasp!) about Israel then they are automatically categorized as a "troll"? Pretty dangerous stuff IMHO.
It's been the norm around here for the 5 years I have been reading this site.
Yes, the idea that jews are on the sites posting anti-jewish sediment is a joke. Just another tactic to keep people from confronting the evils of zionism.
Like people who use Zio-fags in every post?
"If there's one thing I can't stand - it's people who are intolerant of other people's culture - and the Dutch."
Anti-jewish sediment? Is that like racist sand?
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
+100, red metal
if that is your Real Name
Hate speech is...in.
I saw what you did there ..........
Don't feed the trolls.
We have our share of what I'm sure are Oligarch sponsered trolls here at ZH, who are sent to try and accomplish exactly what you described. Fortunatley we do have many knowledgeable people here. Knowledge is power, thanks for the info George.
russian oligarch are going bankrupt here :)
this kind of "false flag hate speech" happens all the time:
http://www.jta.org/2014/02/07/default/yeshiva-student-admits-to-writing-...
truly diabolical when you think about it.
The secret playbook of internet bloggers:
Dismiss everybody who disagrees with you as a troll or paid sock puppet.
I have a great example of this. Mike Kreiger (featured here at ZH regularly) called Chumbawamba and I "Clinton trolls" on his site the other day when we ripped him about his non factual claims about the Clinton's finances. I told him that we both have been posting here for 4 or 5 years and that he was out of his mind.
The examples cited are all of Jews trying to muddy the water to hide their control of governments and other organisations. We have a world wide Jewish problem.
Henry Ford's "The international Jew" is still on the money
http://www.jrbooksonline.com/intl_jew_full_version/ijtoc_.htm