Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral • Hacker News Board

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#51

Post by handrous » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:45 PM UTC

actually_a_dog wrote: post #31

handrous wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to "both sides" it, but... well, both sides do this in their reporting. Sometimes they also "own" or "destroy" someone. I don't think it's partisan. That kind of language gets clicks, so everyone's optimized for it.

I'm not so sure about it not being partisan. When I think of "own" in this context, it's mostly in relation to "owning the libs." I'm not sure if this particular usage is used mostly by left-leaning pols ironically, or right-leaning pols unironically, however.

It started out used seriously on right-wing YouTube and forums, but it probably is the case that right-wing use of it is now self-consciously imitating the parodic use of it by the left, so by now it's irony all the way down.

[EDIT] downvoters: is this wrong? My perception was that "own" was originally (in a political context—its roots are in gaming, of course) used as a fairly ordinary headline/title intensifier to get more clicks, mostly on the right (for that particular word—everyone plays with language to get more clicks, of course), that parodic use on the left followed, and I'm guessing that its continued use on the right is with some awareness of the way it's been mocked on the left, so has likely changed the intent with which it's employed.

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#52

Post by jahewson » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:47 PM UTC

3grdlurker wrote: post #32

There’s a lot of commentary here on news reporting and social media but I really don’t think that this is a problem unique to our time. The end effect of virality is herd mentality, which then creates populism past a certain threshold, and we’ve certainly had populist leaders in history before.

> populism

I don’t think that word means what you think it means.

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#53

Post by klyrs » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:50 PM UTC

This story is so meta. Most of the comments here are slamming the press and social media users for slamming politicians for slamming eachother. Slam slam slam. And here I am, slamming the lot of you.

Serious question though. Is this merely a neologism used to describe a phenomenon that was old before Cicero lost his head?

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#54

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:51 PM UTC

agloeregrets wrote: post #24

anm89 wrote: post #8

I've noticed this hilarious thing where within the left leaning media sphere, the only verbs that Ocasio-Cortez and to a lesser degree Bernie ever engage in is "slamming". They don't eat, sleep, debate, propose, or discuss. They just slam 24/7. I googled her to verify the spelling on her name and the first headline was: "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams the lack of diversity in an all-white group of lawmakers who draft…

That's kinda also the reverse as well. AOC ran a well-ran campaign to win her place at the table in congress. Republicans slamming her day-in and day-out made her a household name. Like, AOC should be, (with no disrespect) basically a nobody in politics, she is a 1.2 term representative. But republicans wanted a villain and boy did they make one. Beyond that, I kinda also think a critical bit in this is to understand…

[deleted]

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#55

Post by wyager » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:53 PM UTC

trentnix wrote: post #28

Well yes, because all political reporting is basically TMZ for boring, ugly people. It molds politics into some fantasy world of rap battles and gang fights rather than a productive discussion about making good policy. And if your first impulse is to think well yeah because the other side blah blah , you're part of the problem too.

Dimwit: politics is like a gang fight

Midwit: politics is actually about making good decisions for society

Topwit: politics is like a gang fight

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#56

Post by jeffbee » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:53 PM UTC

agloeregrets wrote: post #24

anm89 wrote: post #8

I've noticed this hilarious thing where within the left leaning media sphere, the only verbs that Ocasio-Cortez and to a lesser degree Bernie ever engage in is "slamming". They don't eat, sleep, debate, propose, or discuss. They just slam 24/7. I googled her to verify the spelling on her name and the first headline was: "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams the lack of diversity in an all-white group of lawmakers who draft…

That's kinda also the reverse as well. AOC ran a well-ran campaign to win her place at the table in congress. Republicans slamming her day-in and day-out made her a household name. Like, AOC should be, (with no disrespect) basically a nobody in politics, she is a 1.2 term representative. But republicans wanted a villain and boy did they make one. Beyond that, I kinda also think a critical bit in this is to understand…

AOC hasn't been in the arena long but she defeated one of those petrified 10-term bozos at the top of the party hierarchy, which is a notable event.

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#57

Post by Clubber » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:54 PM UTC

0-_-0 wrote: post #41

anm89 wrote: post #8

I've noticed this hilarious thing where within the left leaning media sphere, the only verbs that Ocasio-Cortez and to a lesser degree Bernie ever engage in is "slamming". They don't eat, sleep, debate, propose, or discuss. They just slam 24/7. I googled her to verify the spelling on her name and the first headline was: "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams the lack of diversity in an all-white group of lawmakers who draft…

Hmm, let's try this in Google: "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams": About 73,300 results "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez eats": About 109 results "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sleeps": 1 result "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez debates": About 173 results "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposes": About 5,880 results "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez discusses": About 1,150 results Damn, you were right! Also surprised that AOC never sleeps.

>Also surprised that AOC never sleeps.

Well, she slept once according to your results.

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#58

Post by MisterBastahrd » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:57 PM UTC

agloeregrets wrote: post #24

anm89 wrote: post #8

I've noticed this hilarious thing where within the left leaning media sphere, the only verbs that Ocasio-Cortez and to a lesser degree Bernie ever engage in is "slamming". They don't eat, sleep, debate, propose, or discuss. They just slam 24/7. I googled her to verify the spelling on her name and the first headline was: "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams the lack of diversity in an all-white group of lawmakers who draft…

That's kinda also the reverse as well. AOC ran a well-ran campaign to win her place at the table in congress. Republicans slamming her day-in and day-out made her a household name. Like, AOC should be, (with no disrespect) basically a nobody in politics, she is a 1.2 term representative. But republicans wanted a villain and boy did they make one. Beyond that, I kinda also think a critical bit in this is to understand…

The thing that is weird about her is that she can be hyperbolic when making personal appearances but she's one of the few in Congress who take their jobs seriously when in committee. She's not as prepared as Katie Porter, but she usually does the work she's being asked to do by her constituents instead of simply grandstanding during working hours.

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#59

Post by tablespoon » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:58 PM UTC

mistrial9 wrote: post #7

programmarchy wrote: post #3

Yeah, feels we're screwed at the moment. I subscribe to both DNC and RNC mailing lists and it's typical to see things like "Trump Rally BACKFIRES" and "The Radical Left is trying to destroy America". I try to laugh it off thinking people can't be dumb enough to buy into this, but then I'm gripped by the terrifying reality that actually yes, they are . Dunking on opponents really wouldn't be all that bad if there was…

I suspect that there are varying amounts of return on effort, and that their strategists have learned that in a two party ONLY system, with low voter turnout regularly, that just agitating those already on your side to do something, in any way that happens, is more return on effort than convincing people or other variations. There are feedback effects within their decision making that dampen and then eliminate new id…

> and that their strategists have learned that in a two party ONLY system, with low voter turnout regularly, that just agitating those already on your side to do something, in any way that happens, is more return on effort than convincing people or other variations.

That's totally the case. I've read article after article for the past few years about the "disappearing center" and how elections are now won by getting your side to show up at the polls.

Re: Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

#60

Post by fenderbluesjr » Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 4:59 PM UTC

agloeregrets wrote: post #24

anm89 wrote: post #8

I've noticed this hilarious thing where within the left leaning media sphere, the only verbs that Ocasio-Cortez and to a lesser degree Bernie ever engage in is "slamming". They don't eat, sleep, debate, propose, or discuss. They just slam 24/7. I googled her to verify the spelling on her name and the first headline was: "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams the lack of diversity in an all-white group of lawmakers who draft…

That's kinda also the reverse as well. AOC ran a well-ran campaign to win her place at the table in congress. Republicans slamming her day-in and day-out made her a household name. Like, AOC should be, (with no disrespect) basically a nobody in politics, she is a 1.2 term representative. But republicans wanted a villain and boy did they make one. Beyond that, I kinda also think a critical bit in this is to understand…

/r/murderedbyAOC is a subreddit with seemingly limitless content. I for one believe that slamming people is her shtick. She is blue team Trump