Today's Belle

We all have to get better at spotting phony posts and comments.

I do anyway. I get suckered too often - especially on twiXter.

I think it's prob'ly a good idea to adopt the basic rule not to respond to any replies to comments you leave on creators' posts. I can get pretty hung up on that shit sometimes, and I need to stop - although it can be fun to craft a good slam, even tho' it's likely wasted on a MAGArube who doesn't think much to begin with, or a bot.

But, like I said, itcan be fun and it's good exercise for the brain muscle.

Redux

Not Fun

So this wasn't fun at all, but I wanted to see what we might expect to come from the dark side of the botweb, so I engaged this - whatever this is - on Twitter.

I'm convinced this "guy" is a bot, and it was set to troll me to a certain degree and when the algorithm crapped out, it moved on. It replied to me 8 times, never with anything but memes and the one "cartoon" clip tweeted by James Woods.

Be advised - these are pretty awful. And not surprising, they have that old familiar ring to it. 

ie: "I kinda actually hate women because they're a little threatening since I'm still a little hung up with my mommy issues, so I have to pretend that her sexuality is the only thing any woman really has going for her, etc."

You were warned - here we go.

Has anyone ever figured this Biden rant out? It’s truly strange. Like science fiction level strange... pic.twitter.com/yEaiHUN9hg

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 13, 2020

Trolling In Real Time

This is just too fucking sweet. Seems to be a real thing.

Vox:

As President Donald Trump spoke in front of a crowd of young conservatives at Turning Point USA’s student summit on Tuesday, nobody took a second glance at the presidential seal projected behind him. They probably should have, considering that it was altered to poke fun at the president.

The photoshopped seal contains several details that are meant to troll the president for his friendliness with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expensive golfing habits. The bald eagle in the center has two heads instead of one, and its shield is swapped out for a more rectangular symbol that resembles Russia’s coat of arms. A two-headed eagle is also a symbol of empire and dominance and is featured on the flags of Serbia, Albania, and Montenegro, according to the Washington Post, which first reported on the incident.

The letters on the banner the eagle holds in its mouth are also altered: Rather than the Latin phrase “E pluribus unum” — “Out of many, one” — it says “45 es un títere,” a Spanish phrase that translates to “45 is a puppet.” And the eagle is holding cash in its talons instead of an olive branch.

Bless you, unknown graphics intern person - you are a true American hero.

We Will Get Fooled Again

It's already happening again. And the not-so-weird thing is that some of the worst trolling behavior is now part of how we "communicate" online - sometimes with people we actually know.

And A Bag Of Cheetohs

NY Daily News:

Porn star Stormy Daniels folded clothes on Instagram Live Tuesday night while President Trump went on live television to try and sell Americans on the idea that it’s necessary to build a wall on the nation’s southern border. Both broadcasts started at 9 p.m. and lasted 10 minutes. Daniels, who filmed the skit in her underwear, played Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall" while doing her chores. She said she attracted 100,000 viewers.

It Just Doesn't Matter

Feeling a little Outrage Fatigue?

Remember one thing. Trumpsters want nothing more than to make "liberals" mad enough to cry.

That's it. That's the only thing on the list for a big bunch of 'em.

The GOP is the Party of Perpetual Trolling.

So when 45* does something like playing the fool during the anthem at a football game, and that makes you mad, and you freak out little - mission accomplished.

The trick, I guess, is to take it in as another example of why he's so thoroughly not a POTUS, without becoming inured to this shit (yeah - like normalizing)

We can stop spending ergs on trying to bring people around; to get them to understand how bad he is for all of us.  That's in the capable hands of Krystal Ball and the other reconcilers, who won't give up on dreams of unicorns and pixie farts (bless their hearts - no joke).

Troll Big Or Stay Home

WaPo, Michael Cavna:

At first glance, you might not notice. There’s the tangerine-tinted skin. The buttercream half-bouffante. The long red tie. Everything looks like standard-issue Trump caricature — till you get to the teeth. They jut out like a rodent’s, as if for chewing up opponents or gnawing on one’s own political tail.

This, standing 15 feet tall and puffed out by hot air, is Trump Rat. And he is set to make his Washington debut come lunchtime Tuesday on the green of Dupont Circle, for a two-day engagement a short hop north of the White House.

White Like Me

This guy reversed the old experiment (Black Like Me), by creating an online persona so he could step into the shoes of an Alt-Right knuckle-dragger.

WaPo interview with Theo Wilson:

After engaging in endless sparring matches in the comments section, Wilson began to notice something curious: His trolls seemed to speak a language unto themselves, one replete with the same twisted facts and false history. It was as if they had all passed through some “dimensional doorway,” arriving from an alternative universe where history, politics and commonly accepted facts had been turned inside out.

There was the idea that slavery was a form of charity that benefited enslaved Africans; that freed blacks owned more slaves than whites before the Civil War; that people of color make up the majority of those receiving aid from America's safety-net programs; and that investor and philanthropist George Soros is funding protest movements like Black Lives Matter.

You mention that in their forums they're also seeking “answers” to questions. What are they trying to resolve?

In today's America, they're struggling to understand why they'll have less opportunity than their father's generation. They also want answers to basic questions about race in America, such as: What's the point of multiculturalism? Why can only black people say the “N” word? How is racism not over when LeBron James and Oprah have huge bank accounts? How is affirmative action anything other than reverse racism? Why shouldn't I be proud to be white if someone else is proud to be black?

You mention that they also have some “fair points.” What are they?

I think it’s a fair point that leftists are widely tolerant of all kinds of people, but are often quite hateful to those who honestly hold conservative values. There are people who actually believe in God with all their heart. There are people who cannot cognitively resolve a guy kissing a guy. It doesn’t mean they’re seconds away from a hate crime. There is a legitimate human need to want to hold on to tradition in any culture.
Mr Wilson at Tedx Talks

A Short Hit Of That driftglass If You Please

In which @MillerForTexas calls @HillaryClinton the c-word. He's since deleted the tweet #txlege #Election2016 pic.twitter.com/mXnEMIMDqV

— Joshua Fechter (@JFreports) November 1, 2016

Gettin' after Sid Miller in that Eyes-Of-Texas-Are-Upon-Ya kinda way.

driftglass:

Republican Mad Cow (or, as it has been known to medical professionals since 2006, Rovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) is a tough beat.

Wait -
Trump 44
Cunt 43

What?  I didn't know Sid Miller was running against Trump - but maybe he'd be doing better if he'd take a little time and work on that self-image thing.

They Call Me Mr Troll

The race for US Rep (VA-05) is between a GOP State Senator from Lynchburg (Tom Garrett) and the Dem from here in Charlottesville, Jane Dittmar.

Here's a little exercise in what I guess we can call digital campaigning.

The title of the Facebook post was "Chivalry is not dead".  And of course, Mr Garrett thinks he's not being at all dismissive and condescending.  So I couldn't resist.

I guess I kinda hit a nerve, cuz they came out to meet me:

Then they split and left me to play without them:

Goober Squad Update

The last of the militia schmucks in Oregon gave it up today and surrendered to the FBI.

NY Times

So, of course, I had to bop over to Fox Nation to check on the reactions of the Guano Clan - and also too because trolling those mush-brains is just too damned fun.

Today's best troll comment: