Thread by @HoarseWisperer

My last comment on the DiFi thing before I take a little break from the cesspool of my notifications.

I haven’t posted one comment in defense of DiFi herself. Not one. No defense of her tone, conduct, record or positions.

I’ve commented on the tactics employed.

1/

Those tactics were:

1) Showing up unannounced to confront an unexpecting Target

2) Issuing a demand assured of being unmet

3) Editing a long interaction to misrepresent the full exchange

4) Preemptively framing it as terrible in online posts (a Trump favorite!)

2/

I’ve now gotten at least 2,000 comments from people who ignored the actual substance of my criticism to instead insist DiFi is terrible, too old, awful to kids, an obstacle to progress, etc.

Propaganda works... and not just because it persuades.

3/

Propaganda works because people get so caught up in their reactions, they not only don’t see how those have been engineered; they vehemently argue that the manipulations aren’t meaningful or problematic.

4/

I fear we have learned almost nothing since 2016.

We got played. We’ll get played again.

Our odds of getting our candidates through the primary without being entirely twisted around into division and discord are approximately 0%.

5/

If you see online manipulations and aren’t opposed to them - no matter who the target, topic or message - you are helping them flourish.

If you only oppose online manipulations when you disagree with the point, you are helping them flourish.

6/

Feinstein isn’t my Senator. I don’t regard her as a leader on climate change or a major impediment.

I know this though: we will continue to fail long past when DiFi has left office if we don’t collectively call out and reject manipulation... and we will entirely deserve it.

7/7