greggerypeccary wrote on Dec 11
th, 2024 at 12:29pm:
SadKangaroo wrote on Dec 11
th, 2024 at 11:11am:
This underscores the existential peril misinformation poses to democracy. When individuals like Bobbi, devoid of critical reasoning, not only fall prey to this nonsense but become its zealous apostles, the damage compounds exponentially.
While I’m relieved our local misinformation bill has been shelved, given my absolute distrust of those in power or those clawing to attain it wielding such sweeping authority, it’s undeniable that action is needed.
Education, sadly, is proving inadequate. Far too many of these purveyors of misinformation fancy themselves "informed" and are wilfully impervious to correction.
Hoping for their outdated views and staggering ignorance to naturally fade out is no longer a viable strategy in an era where misinformation, travels at breakneck speed.
I wish I had clarity on what “action” should look like, but even defining the starting point feels elusive.
Perhaps the harsh truth is that we’re left to endure as the powers that be exploit these fools, and the rest of us, until the system collapses under its own weight. When that moment comes, we may have no choice but to let it all burn and rebuild from the ashes.
But I'd prefer it doesn't come to that. Those who come after us shouldn't have to suffer because some of us were willfully fu
cking
idiots and dumb cu
nts
.
Excellent post. Summed it up nicely.
Education just doesn't work on people like Bobbi, Frank, JaSin,
et al.They quite simply
cannot be educated, either because they don't
want to be or they are quite frankly
incapable of learning.
It's a sad phenomenon to witness, and I too worry about how it's all going to end.
These people have no concept of truth, facts or reality - all they believe is what's inside their heads and
nothing will sway them.
These individuals are the perfect marks, easily identified by grifters who have refined their craft to pick them out of a crowd.
Historically, the art of the con was less about the scam itself and more about finding the ideal target, the right mark. But with the advent of the internet and, particularly in the US, generations left vulnerable by deliberate degradations to the education system, the paradigm has shifted.
The marks now actively seek out the grifters.
Grifting no longer requires finesse or ingenuity. The formula is simple: tell people what they desperately want to hear, convince them they’ve uncovered or are now privy to a "hidden truth" that some nebulous villain is trying to suppress, and then solicit their money.
It's that simple.
The playbook often includes a staged confrontation with an authority figure, meticulously recorded to bolster credibility, followed by the inevitable crowdfunding campaign for a "legal defence fund" even when no real legal trouble exists, the narrative of victimhood is monetised. When that phase concludes, the grift pivots to selling merchandise, promoting countercultural ideals, or hawking dubious health products and supplements.
Misinformation is the cornerstone of their strategy, lazy, effective, and widely accessible. It has democratised the con, stripping it of any need for charm, cunning, or a keen eye for character. The process is chillingly efficient: identify a niche, locate a group dissatisfied with the mainstream or evidence-based consensus, affirm their beliefs, and ask for donations and help them shift to adopting this topic as part of their very personality.
For those without financial resources, the grift evolves further. These individuals are co-opted as modern-day evangelists, spreading the con to recruit new marks. They are drawn in by the illusion of exclusivity, believing they’ve uncovered a profound hidden truth, and are often told, perhaps for the first time, that they are unequivocally correct about it.
No correction by research they either don't want to know about, or are unable to understand. No condescending family member "Um actually"-ing them.
For once
they have the right answer.
Sure, it's bullshit, but that's less important than their beliefs being validated by someone, anyone.
It is as tragic as it is dangerous. Like those plugged into the Matrix, these individuals are both victims and enablers, unwitting cogs in the machine of misinformation. They resist the truth, perceiving it as a threat, all while perpetuating the very system exploiting them.
Sometimes, for the sake of truth and reality, such enablers, the likes of Bobbi, Frank, or now Leroy etc, must be confronted and dismantled. The fight against misinformation demands it.
And they will inevitably follow the same play book of turning to victimhood and more misinformation as their only method to fight back against the truth.
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