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Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#61

Post by pharrington »

tynpeddler wrote: post #48
Harimwakairi wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the outrage needs to be kept down No. If a foreign power attempted to influence one of my country's elections for its own gain, I am outraged. The amount of effort or money spent is quite immaterial to me.

I'm outraged that the Russian's attempted to influence the election, but I'm not outraged that the Russians 'stole' the election for Trump because there's no proof of that yet. Many of the articles I've read on this topic just today (from CNN,BI and WaPo) seem to take it as a forgone conclusion that this paltry amount of money means that the Russians interfered with the election in a way that amounts to a political c…

Is the SCOTUS ruling blocking Florida's statewide recount the bogus crisis you're referring to regarding Bush?

Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#62

Post by brohoolio »

mythrwy wrote: post #57
Gargoyle wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're downvoted, but this has been exactly my thought all along. The people who saw these ads weren't going the other way anyway.

No, no they weren't. Which make the whole drama even more objectively silly. For the record I have no doubt the Russians do engage in covert activities not in the best interests of the U.S. But these straw grasping dramas have gotten tiresome.

You clearly don't know my in-laws or parents.

By the time the election was over they had bought into pizzagate.

They are the perfect demographic to target. No ad blockers, leaning towards Bernie but kind of didn't relate to Hillary.

You only needed to convince a fraction of the people to either not vote or vote for Trump.

The best part is you could target them by trying all sorts of ads until you found one that clicked then have it go viral.

I'm waiting for the Mueller probe but I fear the worst.

Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#63

Post by nasredin »

hellbanner wrote: post #41
Harimwakairi wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the outrage needs to be kept down No. If a foreign power attempted to influence one of my country's elections for its own gain, I am outraged. The amount of effort or money spent is quite immaterial to me.

You're American (USA)? How often do you get outraged about your country's government interfering with OTHER country's elections?

Whataboutism.

Example: Country A caught doing something bad. "...but what about Country B?"

Whataboutism is quite popular in discussions WRT Russia.

Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#64

Post by debacle »

Harimwakairi wrote: post #36
tynpeddler wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The $100,000 may well have been a small fraction of what was actually spent, but until we have proof the outrage needs to be kept down. We're in real danger of revisiting yellow journalism and creating an even more polarizing political situation.

> the outrage needs to be kept down No. If a foreign power attempted to influence one of my country's elections for its own gain, I am outraged. The amount of effort or money spent is quite immaterial to me.

You need to step back for a minute. Think about a scenario where Russia actually did influence our elections. Do you think the response would be this passive?

All of this Russia talk is a farce. If Russia actually interfered with US elections, the US response would be awe inspiring.

Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#65

Post by Gigablah »

nasredin wrote: post #63
hellbanner wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're American (USA)? How often do you get outraged about your country's government interfering with OTHER country's elections?

Whataboutism. Example: Country A caught doing something bad. "...but what about Country B?" Whataboutism is quite popular in discussions WRT Russia.

Either argument can also be a thought-terminating cliche.

Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#66

Post by KGIII »

Harimwakairi wrote: post #36
tynpeddler wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The $100,000 may well have been a small fraction of what was actually spent, but until we have proof the outrage needs to be kept down. We're in real danger of revisiting yellow journalism and creating an even more polarizing political situation.

> the outrage needs to be kept down No. If a foreign power attempted to influence one of my country's elections for its own gain, I am outraged. The amount of effort or money spent is quite immaterial to me.

Did you hold the same view when the PM of Canada urged Americans to vote for Obama and went on TV to endorse him?

Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#67

Post by krapp »

debacle wrote: post #64
Harimwakairi wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the outrage needs to be kept down No. If a foreign power attempted to influence one of my country's elections for its own gain, I am outraged. The amount of effort or money spent is quite immaterial to me.

You need to step back for a minute. Think about a scenario where Russia actually did influence our elections. Do you think the response would be this passive? All of this Russia talk is a farce. If Russia actually interfered with US elections, the US response would be awe inspiring.

A scenario where Russia actually did influence our elections looks exactly like a scenario where Russia is merely accused of influencing our elections, barring irrefutable evidence. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#68

Post by KGIII »

daodedickinson wrote: post #58
Harimwakairi wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the outrage needs to be kept down No. If a foreign power attempted to influence one of my country's elections for its own gain, I am outraged. The amount of effort or money spent is quite immaterial to me.

This happens for just about every election. Obama spent money attempting to influence elections in Israel, France, all sorts of places. Look at what Clinton did to interfere in Russia's elections as lampooned in the Jeff Goldblum film Spinning Boris. Clinton just about ran Boris Yeltsin's campaign. You're on course for permanent outrage if you deeply research any particular election happening currently on this planet…

Quite a few people seem hellbent on being permanently outraged. They will even go so far as to invent reasons to be outraged. Outrage is currency in our post-modern society.

Sometimes, the outrage is legitimate. It isn't isolated to one side of the political spectrum. The right was outraged by everything Obama did. The left will be outraged by anything Trump does. Some people are outraged at the idea of transfolk being in their bathroom, some folks are outraged that people are outraged about it. Some people are outraged about speech, some are outraged that they are held accountable for speech.

The media cycles on it, the people thrive on it, and it escalates with each showing more umbrage than the last.

My conclusion is that if you seek umbrage, you will find it.

Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#69

Post by thriftwy »

dgudkov wrote: post #60
thedevil wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Somewhat tangential, but does anyone know why Russia likes the word "geopolitics" so much? Does it mirror a Russian word with a similar meaning? In my experience, it's used so much by Russian propaganda sources and so rarely elsewhere that it serves as a good fingerprint of the Kremlin's influence. If someone uses it, I know there's a good chance that either they're Russian (and read Russian news) or that they read/w…

The interest in geopolitics is deeply imprinted in the Russian mindset from the Soviet era. Since the dawn of the USSR the Communists always thought in terms of geopolitics and influence expansion. It constantly translated through the state propaganda to the masses. Therefore, an average Soviet person would be more interested in the progress on "helping our friends / fighting our enemies abroad" rather than in having…

> The vast majority of the country were in ruins

The vast majority of USSR were in ruins? Reality check hello? I see you here from time to time, every one of them political load >> facts.

That makes you a Soviet person like the one you describe.

Re: Russia used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over Black Lives Matter, Muslims

#70

Post by beedogs »

KGIII wrote: post #66
Harimwakairi wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the outrage needs to be kept down No. If a foreign power attempted to influence one of my country's elections for its own gain, I am outraged. The amount of effort or money spent is quite immaterial to me.

Did you hold the same view when the PM of Canada urged Americans to vote for Obama and went on TV to endorse him?

How is that even remotely similar to a covert psyops campaign by an enemy nation? Totally ridiculous to make the comparison.
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