Why 2020 will be toxic shitshow that will make 2016 look like a romantic dinner:

[DetlefK]

Last edited Mon Aug 19, 2019, 07:53 AM - Edit history (2)

I repeatedly violate the 11th Commandment: "Do not read the comment-section."

The Internet has destroyed discourse, in that any anonymous idiot is now capable of blarring their nonsense into the aether without the social corrective forcing him to think before he speaks.
- "The Nazis really were Communists."
- "George W. Bush caused 9/11!" - "You are wrong. His handlers caused it."
- "Those hysterical Democrats! First they love Muller and now they hate him because he exonerated Trump!"



Face it.

The US has become polarized to such a degree that facts no longer matter. US society has reached the era of feelings over facts.
Republicans selling out their country to foreign interests, Evangelicals selling out their religion for political power, the poor and working-class selling out their own future just to spite the Libruls.

One definition of reality is: "The fantasy we all agree on."

These people have built themselves a separate reality and neither a tanking economy, nor human suffering, nor Trump's own words will make them leave their reality.



There is an other DU OP warning about deepfake videos. But the real danger is not faked evidence.

The real danger is the following mindset:

"Okay, the evidence is fake, but that doesn't matter. Person X did not do that, but they totally would do that."



Trump could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue and there would still be people defending him.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. My favorite is, "The more they go after him, the better I like him".

[bucolic_frolic]

2. A master crack team of Facebook fact checkers should be launched

Encourage people in their logic and grownup mindset where you can. Find common ground. Throw facts at them. Don't get drawn into their drama. They are at heart attention-seekers.

Complain, irately, to news organizations that are drifting toward bias. Right to own assault rifles is breaking out in some mainstream TV Channels. I think Toomey is responsible for this in Philly.

You can't fix the stupid. Show concern for them. Wither their ideas and mental rigidity with facts, tell them you hope they get this right mentally, laugh with them, and walk away. You have begun to defuse them. They are now unsure of themselves, and open to new ideas.

We must reclaim reality for civilization.

Good luck, Jim.

[DetlefK]

5. I regularly engage conspiracy-theorists and you cannot convince these people.

One of my hobbies is Flat-Earthers. These people have invested themselves into the idea that mankind is being lied to and that they have found the truth: Earth is flat.

These people will go to extensive mental gymnastics to protect their conspiracy-theory: They try to redefine what "science" means, they argue semantics, they attack the concept of objective evidence, they handwave away numbers, they lie by omission, they resist and sabotage any and all efforts to have their pet-theory tested.

Plus, Flat-Earthers are super-toxic: A (fairly attractive) famous female Flat-Earther left the movement quietly a few months ago. She just walked away.
And what do you know? Immediately afterwards rumors popped up that she really were a transvestite.




My point is: These people have invested themselves into this. They imagine themselves as heroes in opposition to some evil.

If you try to convince them that their opinion is wrong, what they hear is you trying to take away their status as a hero.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Maybe make them the butt of satire?

Deep Fake News really should not go unnoticed

[DetlefK]

8. Satire doesn't help. They imagine themselves as the rational, reasonable ones.

Again, if you try to prove that they are not the adult in the room, they will read it as a personal attack and retreat even more back into their own world.

ANY attempt to oppose a conspiracy-theorist is only taken as proof that someone is out to get him.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. So it is a mental health issue - Paranoia

Time to study Paranoid Personality Disorder. It's like a cat chasing its tail.

Trump has it. And pushes the buttons of his followers who have it.

I'd probably encourage them to become hermits and prepare for the end of the world. Maybe if they are filled with extreme, false reasons to be paranoid, they could bottom out on their symptoms and realize what they are doing to themselves.

[Roy Rolling]

10. "Quarantine"

In a free speech society such nonsense should be quarantined from regular discussion to prevent unvaccinated people from being infected.

The point is, like an infectious disease, these people cannot be cured and they must be isolated. 99% of people ignore them, but if they come in contact with a similar, low-self esteem person like them, transmission of the “disease” is likely.

So what to do?
1. Kids should be “vaccinated” against propaganda—-educate them so they aren’t gullible rubes as adults.
2. “Quarantine” nonsense from mainstream discussion (the government can’t do this, only media companies)
3. Ignore them. Don’t engage, don’t debate. Politely ignore them like it were Ivanka interjecting her thoughts into a conversation of world leaders. Smile and help keep others from being infected.

[roscoeroscoe]

15. Love this

Great approach.

[oldsoftie]

12. Yes, i've been posting about "deepfake" for some time now. people WILL believe what they SEE

Or what they THINK they see.
The govt says that you CAN decipher whats real and whats faked, but depending on who is in charge, 1/2 the people wont believe the conclusions. Those on the right are far more likely to believe ANYTHING they are told regarding Democrats than the opposite. I see it every day on FB. Memes that have been disproven a thousand times over. The latest one is the picture of Omar, Talib, AOC & someone else in a room with a photo of Bin Laden on the wall. Looks totally real, but its not. And it only takes 2 minutes to find that out. But they dont care

[genxlib]

7. Just saw a great documentary about this

Called ‘Behind the Curve’

The woman you referred to is one of the people showcased in the movie.

Fascinating movie even though it made me want to bash my head against a wall.

[oldsoftie]

11. So these people are actually out there? I always thought it was more of a joke thing

people would claim membership to the "flat earth society" kind of as a goof.

[DetlefK]

16. The internet has enabled them to build an echo-chamber.

The internet has enabled them to build "safe spaces" where they can amplify each other's ideas while shutting out any input that makes them uncomfortable.

[Scarsdale]

3. I take issue with

"the Republicans selling out THEIR country"?? They ACT as though this country is theirs, but it belongs to everyone who lives here, not just the greedy pigs in the gop. Moscow Mitch is the face of the gop, and they do not have the backbone to speak out against what he is doing. One man should not have that much power. tRump is just a disgusting, ignorant, fat, sloppy blob of fleshy waste. His followers do not have one decent brain to share among their entire group. Following a failed con man into the destruction of an entire country. When will the SANITY return, or is it too late?

[Ilsa]

4. The "deep fake" videos really scare me.

Especially the erroneous conclusions people will draw simply to confirm a bias..

[oldsoftie]

13. The "9/11 truthers" are the worst. They have a canned response to ANY evidence:

"Well, the CIA faked that".
Eyewitnesses, video, pictures, etc, doesnt matter. If it shows how stupid their "theories" are, they simply dismiss it as "faked". Easy!!

[gordianot]

14. Those who are convinced physical intimidation and murder promotes political positions are the worst.

They actually believe physical threats influence people. I have heard with my own ears liberals do not have guns and will cave. The fact is the divide is deep enough that no amount of intimidation, threats, bullying, or murder is going to convince anyone of anything. It does appear those who advocate and employ such tactics are right wing fanatics. The both sides argument is a fallacy.