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In reply to the discussion: That Uplifting Tweet You Just Shared? A Russian Troll Sent It [View all]NCLefty
(3,678 posts)29. "Melanie's audience was made up of educated, urban, left-wing Americans"
In fall 2018, for example, a Russian account we identified called @PoliteMelanie re-crafted an old urban legend, tweeting: My cousin is studying sociology in university. Last week she and her classmates polled over 1,000 conservative Christians. What would you do if you discovered that your child was a homo sapiens? 55% said they would disown them and force them to leave their home. This tweet, which suggested conservative Christians are not only homophobic but also ignorant, was subtle enough to not feel overtly hateful, but was also aimed directly at multiple cultural stress points, driving a wedge at the point where religiosity and ideology meet. The tweet was also wildly successful, receiving more than 90,000 retweets and nearly 300,000 likes.
This tweet didnt seek to anger conservative Christians or to provoke Trump supporters. She wasnt even talking to them. Melanies 20,000 followers, painstakingly built, werent from #MAGA America (Russia has other accounts targeting them). Rather, Melanies audience was made up of educated, urban, left-wing Americans harboring a touch of self-righteousness. She wasnt selling her audience a candidate or a position she was selling an emotion. Melanie was selling disgust. The Russians know that, in political warfare, disgust is a more powerful tool than anger. Anger drives people to the polls; disgust drives countries apart.
This tweet didnt seek to anger conservative Christians or to provoke Trump supporters. She wasnt even talking to them. Melanies 20,000 followers, painstakingly built, werent from #MAGA America (Russia has other accounts targeting them). Rather, Melanies audience was made up of educated, urban, left-wing Americans harboring a touch of self-righteousness. She wasnt selling her audience a candidate or a position she was selling an emotion. Melanie was selling disgust. The Russians know that, in political warfare, disgust is a more powerful tool than anger. Anger drives people to the polls; disgust drives countries apart.
I think I would have just shaken my head at that. I'm long past disgusted with conservative christians. :p
But what stuck out to me is that it sounds like that's where Russia wants me. :/
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If Bloomfield really wanted to help he would take 30 million and dedicate it to ruining
Maraya1969
Nov 2019
#27
Instead, he's buying 100's of climate change related search terms on Google...
Crash2Parties
Nov 2019
#30
Great minds think alike.. I am going to cross post your op into mine in DU Primaries
Peacetrain
Nov 2019
#16
I hate that too and I purposely will not do it. But what do you think about this?
Maraya1969
Nov 2019
#28