In today's #vatnik soup I'll introduce an American troll and opportunist, Jackson Hinkle (@jacksonhinklle). Hinkle is best-known for his pro-Russian and pro-Putin views, for his feeble attempts at getting attention and for his monetization of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
1/15
In 2019 he ran for the San Clemente City Council, but wasn't elected. His main campaign points were to stop the building of a toll road, and legalizing drugs and prostitution. After this election, Hinkle must've thought "This cute boy approach isn't working, I'll just go...
2/15
...full edgelord asshole - it worked for Trump, why not for me?" Or maybe he had a chat with Tulsi Gabbard, who had a quite similar transformation around that time, and who left the Democratic Party to fight the "elitist cabal of warmongers". Or maybe he noticed...
3/15
...that you don't have to be smart, honest or even have any competence at all to be elected - just look at people like Lauren Boebert, MTG and George Santos. Trump paved the way for this type of representatives a long time ago, and it seems to be working amazingly well.
4/15
Anyway, the Jackson we (unfortunately) see today is very different from the 2019 Jackson. Actually, I'd go as far to say that the current Jackson's persona is completely fabricated and he tries to gain both reputation and money from saying outrageous BS.
5/15
Regarding Ukraine, it's not even worth going through all the pro-Russian narratives that Hinkle has promoted - they're all there. He's actually trying to monetize with Z gear, a symbol for supporting Russia's invasion in Ukraine...
6/15
...and posts videos with titles like "Defund Ukraine" and "Ukraine lies" on his Youtube channel. Hinkle is also one of the few Americans who have been guests at Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyev's show.
7/15
He's also supported the "Stop the Steal" and the "Deep State" conspiracy theories by saying that Biden is controlled by a "Satanic cabal of DC deep state leadership". Not surprisingly, he's been interviewed by Tucker Carlson of FOX News.
8/15
Hinkle's been awarded the Serena Shim Award previously given to such "journalists" as Eva Bartlett & The Grayzone bloggers.The award was given by the Association for Investment in Popular Action Committees who,based on Bellingcat's investigation, supports the al-Assad regime.9/15
Jackson has also recently reached the age when you get interested in girls - first he dated "Sarah" who allegedly left him for Jonah Hill, and later he tried to get a new girlfriend from OnlyFans, the platform he's been very critical of.
10/15
When all other things failed,the Kremlin masterminds came up with a fresh idea: they'll just make Miss Genocide,Anna Linnikova date Hinkle.They spent a week together at the Four Seasons Surfside in Miami. Read more about this dream couple from here: noturtlesoup17.substack.com/p/rage-against…
11/15
Jackson also has a tendency to criticize "wokeness", trans people, and obesity. Ironically, he didn't mind LGBT+ flags when he was running for City Council in 2019. One of the funniest Hinkle moments was when he was put in his place by both of his parents on Twitter.
12/15
He is what I call a "Merchant of Rage" - he posts extremely polarizing views on social media, lets the social media algorithms - that heavily prioritize enraging content - spread them far and wide, and then tries to somehow make money out of this process.
13/15
By spreading his hateful messages due to outrage, people are actually making him MORE money. There are many Americans doing this, one notable example being Putin's old friend Michael Flynn and his ReAwaken America Tour.
14/15
To conclude: Jackson Hinkle is an "edgelord" who will do anything for attention, so everyone stop giving him that attention. There's an easy solution for this: Block him and forget about him.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce Russian propagandist Sergei Tsaulin. He’s best-known for spreading pro-Kremlin narratives in Estonia, fleeing to Russia after breaking several laws in Estonia, and almost getting blown up by a bomb in St. Petersburg.
1/17
For years, Tsaulin was known for organizing marches and events glorifying the Soviet Union. Under the excuse of “remembering history,” these events were nothing more than Kremlin propaganda, wrapped in a red flag with a hammer and sickle.
2/17
One of his most infamous events was the “Immortal Regiment” march, held every 9th of May, where people carried portraits of Soviet soldiers. These marches are used by Russia to push the idea that the Baltics owe their existence to the Soviets.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a podcaster and conspiracy theorist, Joe Rogan (@joerogan). He’s best-known for launching the biggest podcast in the world, promoting various conspiracy theories, his support for Donald Trump and his anti-Ukraine rhetoric.
1/22
Joe Rogan started as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s, found fame on NewsRadio, and became a household name with Fear Factor. But his biggest impact came in 2009 when he launched The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), one of the first major podcasts.
2/22
JRE started as casual but deep conversations, often covering countercultural topics like psychedelics, MMA & hunting. Joe’s podcasting style is largely non-confrontational, often allowing his guests to share their views without significant pushback or critical questioning.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce KOOS party leader and Estonian crypto businessman Oleg Ivanov. He’s best known for running shady businesses, spreading Russian false narratives in Estonia, and participating in the pro-Kremlin political party KOOS.
1/18
As a talented youngster, Oleg learned Estonian almost flawlessly, was a promising karate athlete, and landed a job at a law firm at just 20. He caught the eye of Estonian fuel entrepreneur Endel Siff, who quickly took him under his wing.
2/18
Oleg’s father, Vladimir Ivanov, was a longtime politician from the Russian-funded United People’s Party of Estonia. His career at the town hall ended abruptly when he was caught drunk at work. After that, he went into business with his son, Oleg.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll talk about the takeover of social media by illiberal, populist influencers. For the last ten years, social media has been dominated by these voices and it is one of the main reasons for the political rise of people like Trump and Orban.
1/25
“Illiberal populists” like Trump reject democratic norms while claiming to speak for “the people.” They centralize power, attack institutions, and push nationalism over rights. Elections exist, but checks & balances erode. This is democracy in name, autocracy in action.
2/25
The media landscape has changed drastically over the past two decades. The Internet and social media have changed how we interact online & how we consume media,but it has also become our main source of news. In many ways,social media companies have control over information.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce Lithuanian far-right politician and Seimas member Remigijus Žemaitaitis. He’s best known for his extremist political views and for falling for a scam that convinced him he was flying to New York to meet Elon Musk.
1/17
Like many vatniks before him, Remigijus worked as a lawyer before entering the world of politics. Once just another politician, he gradually embraced far-right nationalism and populism, following a trend seen across Europe over the past 15 years.
2/17
Instead of real policies, he tapped into fear, resentment, and anger, turning 4chan talking points into a populist political strategy. His speeches became more extreme, targeting minorities, Western institutions, and Lithuania’s support for Ukraine.