Slashdot Mirror
Russian Online Trolls Resist The Light
Rick Zeman writes: Since the beginning of the public Internet on Usenet and now following on comment boards worldwide, live the trolls, the online creatures dedicated to stirring up trouble with their versions of online flaming, fact-twisting, and overall being a menace to online society. Russia, by paying state-sponsored trolls, has elevated the troll to the level of professional propagandists spewing the party line. In neighboring Finland, a country again precariously balanced between Europe and the Russian bear, Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro's investigations have opened a new front in the (dis)information war (Warning: source may be paywalled) where "'There are so many layers of fakery you get lost,' said Ms. Aro, who was awarded the Finnish Grand Prize for Journalism in March," reports the NYT. All because "A member of the European Union with an 830-mile-long border with Russia, Finland has stayed outside the United States-led military alliance but, unnerved by Russian military actions in Ukraine and its saber-rattling in the Baltic Sea, has expanded cooperation with NATO and debated whether to apply for full membership." The NYT article explores many of the actions that the Russian propagandists use to keep Finland out of NATO, and some of the more indefensible ones directed personally at Aro. She says, "They get inside your head, and you start thinking: If I do this, what will the trolls do next?"
Is there any person reading this who genuinely believes the United States doesn't engage in exactly the same behavior, if not worse?
The meaning of troll seems to have been lost. Just because you don't like them, doesn't mean they are trolls.
The latest trend being ANYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH ME IS A TROLL! TROOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Of course Russia would ry and influence public opinion. Finland is a direct neighbour. And they're certainly not the only ones. China does it, Europe^Wthe EU does it, even the USoA does it. Sometimes overtly, sometimes less so. Sometimes subtle, sometimes less so. Sometimes even naked threats, innit, mr. Cameron?
So yeah, nothing surprising here. If you're honest you don't try and spin it like a scandal story, like you're a SJW or something. Because if you do that you're really lying to yourself: This isn't extraordinary. It is much more useful to scetch the scene matter-of-factly, so that everyone knows what is happening and how.
Euros are not much better informed (am one), and Americans are no better than Russians.
We (europe) need to cut the shit with both of you and build independent European defences.
I view both as equal threats to European countries. I'm further from Russia than our suomi buddies though.
That is the point. In a word where you cannot control the population by controlling the information supply anymore, you just pollute the well so much that it becomes unusable for anyone, except for those having the knowledge, time and resources to filter out the shit. ...) has really only one option, and that is to decide who he trusts based on completely unrelated, and possibly also incorrect, data.
On any non-trivial subject that is not average Joe. He (make that 'We'
The US elections are another prime example of this.
Euros are not much better informed (am one), and Americans are no better than Russians.
We (europe) need to cut the shit with both of you and build independent European defences.
I view both as equal threats to European countries. I'm further from Russia than our suomi buddies though.
Our American friends have their peculiarities but I'll pick the USA to be my ally over the Russians any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Just about the only thing that would make me rethink that attitude is if Trump gains the presidency and even then only if he actually does what the is currently saying he will do (which I doubt). That's how much worse Russia is than the US.
I don't understand the desire to bash the US that seems so rampant on Slashdot. Equating the US to Russia is quite foolish.
We have our problems, sure, but they're not really a threat to you. I keep hearing that it would be a big problem if Trump is elected President. That's pretty unlikely, for one. And if he were, Congress would stand in the way of him doing substantial damage. Trump might accidentally succeed in something both Bush and Obama failed at, which is getting Congress to work together.
Europeans aren't inherently better than the US. You guys have countries seriously considering leaving the EU. You guys have some pretty serious financial issues, far worse than our debt crisis in Puerto Rico. You guys are dealing with the threat of terror and are quickly going down the road toward mass surveillance. The UK is already there and is probably worse than the US. You guys have plenty of racism directed toward refugees; why do you think the word "untermenschen" appears in Slashdot comments with some regularity? It sure isn't a slur that's used in the US.
Our government pretty clearly isn't paying people to troll the internet. The government doesn't control the US media, not even close. The wealthy and powerful almost completely control our media. It's not a great situation, but it's a far cry from anything going on in Russia.
With respect to defenses, I don't trust Europe to be more militarily responsible than the US. When you have power, there's a temptation to use it, and often it's not used for good. From time to time, we have to relearn the lessons of war as a new generation begins influencing our decisions, one who hasn't seen what war can do. We fought in WWI, WWII, and Vietnam, but many of us had forgotten how bad war can be. We've relearned that lesson from our experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. Americans don't want more wars, because we've learned that lesson once again. These problems are not inherent to Americans; Europeans are not inherently better than Americans.
We could tell Europe to get lost and return to the Monroe Doctrine of two centuries ago. We're better off not doing that, though.
I'm a citizen of a country that made the tragic mistake to be part of the EU, hopefully not forever, and I see the EU itself as a threat to the sovereignty of my own homeland. And given the topic of the article, I'd like to remember you that Bruxelles' institutions also use trolling to promote themselves, they don't even deny it: http://www.politico.eu/article... ... but results appear to be embarrassing: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/bus...
History has widely proven that real "nations" arise from one majority people (yes, it means ethnicity), one culture and one language, "the EU" does not comply with these basic requirements, and it is composed by 29 nations that used to be at war with one another for more than 2K years. So please, don't spread the illusion of a non-existing "EU nationalism", recent elections and the skyrocketing results of anti-EU parties prove it is just bullshit.
He's not that likely to be elected.
People said that about George W. Bush.
Probably you are russian troll also. Whatever americans have done, it's nothing compared to millions killed, raped, jailed and deported by russians.
in what way, exactly, is the US a "massive threat to us (Euro)"?
Is any European country at risk of invasion by the US, for example? Ask the Baltic countries about the threat of invasion by Russia. That is entirely possible.
Does the US control strategic gas supplies for heating Europe? Does it use that to exert political leverage in Europe? Again, no, that would be Russia.
This notion of "a plague on both your houses" is just lazy thinking.
While I think Trump would make an awful president, I don't think he lacks intelligence. He is able to articulate an opinion that resonates with a significant part of the population and gets them to vote on emotion rather than intellect. Obama did the same with his message of hope, change, and transparency, and voters mindlessly ate it up, he was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize before he was in office and won it without any accomplishments. Emotion can cloud even smart people's judgement. You need a majority of the population to get elected, half the people are dumber then the average person, and the average person is not too bright. To appeal to the dumb masses you need to do it based on emotion as they don't care to hear about some boring plan to fix something, they want to have a tingle run up their leg when their candidate speaks, not fall asleep when their candidate talks about tax reform.
Knowledge = Power
P= W/t
t=Money
Money = Work/Knowledge so the less you know the more you make
Communism — first implemented in and spread with support of Russia — has killed 94 million people in the 20th century. What have the Americans ever done to you to even approach — much less equal — that?
I invite you to compare Western Germany, dominated by Americans, with Eastern Germany... Are you still certain, the threats are equal? Or are you too young to even know, what I'm talking about?
Stalin is — thanks in part to the propaganda campaign described in TFA — once again a Russia's hero. A "strong leader"... The moment it "rose from its knees" (Russian propaganda's favorite expression), the country went on to attack neighbors. And not just to right wrongs — real or perceived — but to annex territory and expand borders. With overwhelming support from the citizenry — who forgive their own squalor to their rulers in exchange for military victories. Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine — all European countries — have already become victims.
America's last land-acquisition was Hawaii... Are you still sure, the threats are equal?
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Last I lived in Europe, I must have missed all the armed squads of Americans forcing poor Europeans into McDonalds, making the locals use Google, and enforcing Facebook edicts. Yep, ordinary Americans living in central Texas really give a rodent's rectum where Europeans eat, browse and share stupid photos.