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White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

nytimes.com

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Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#11

Post by NickC25 »

myrmidon wrote: post #4

Having the government manipulate mass-media material is frankly insane. Everyone involved in something like this should be sacked immediately, but I have very little hope that voters are going to punish egregious misbehavior like this as long as it's "their" side doing it. If you had told republican voters in 2016 that within the decade, there were going to be widespread searches/arrests by federal agents without war…

>They would have gone absolutely ballistic- rightfully so

Sadly, I disagree here. They would have qualified their reaction by asking who would be in power. If it was a GOP held white house, they'd probably rationalize it and say it's good.

Partisanship rot goes very deep on the republican side. Granted, the democrats suck, but the republicans fall in line every time without question.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#12

Post by LightBug1 »

jrm4 wrote: post #5

Honestly, this should give hope for people worried about it. Not the fact that it was done, but the fact that the New York Times immediately posts about it. That's about the best you can ask for now that this tech is ubiquitous and not going back in the can.

Replying to this as a quadruple upvote ...

Any lawyers in the USA getting off their assess to fight stuff like this? (Sorry if you are). There's the Good Law Project in the UK that takes up causes.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#13

Post by Havoc »

It’s the likely intent here that is most alarming.

Don’t think anyone would care if they photoshopped something ugly or inconvenient out of a picture.

This is signally more “look we’re traumatising people” which means they think there is an audience that wants to see that. Dark AF

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#14

Post by justonceokay »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #6

During France’s Reign of Terror, executions by guillotine were public. It was considered distinguished for victims to go stoically, and many did, which left the crowds to have their fun. I recall, however, and this may be apocryphal, that one woman went to the stand screaming and crying and begging for mercy. This humanized her. The crowds, soured to their revelry, went home. I am curious if her pleas were heard beca…

Social media makes things further away. It allows the callous of the inner city to grow over the heart of the most rural peasant. It democratizes a kind of mental illness that used to only affect famous Hollywood stars.

But this is all irrelevant to the article at hand

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#15

Post by JumpCrisscross »

justonceokay wrote: post #14
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #6

During France’s Reign of Terror, executions by guillotine were public. It was considered distinguished for victims to go stoically, and many did, which left the crowds to have their fun. I recall, however, and this may be apocryphal, that one woman went to the stand screaming and crying and begging for mercy. This humanized her. The crowds, soured to their revelry, went home. I am curious if her pleas were heard beca…

Social media makes things further away. It allows the callous of the inner city to grow over the heart of the most rural peasant. It democratizes a kind of mental illness that used to only affect famous Hollywood stars. But this is all irrelevant to the article at hand

> this is all irrelevant to the article at hand

I don’t think it is. The White House describes the image as a meme because it’s designed to go viral. It’s made for the algorithms to boost to specific audiences.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#16

Post by JumpCrisscross »

epistasis wrote: post #7

> “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue.” The Whitehouse thinks digitally altering photos of people it arrests is a "meme"? That's just as perverted an understanding of a "meme" as their understanding of "law". Namely: the law protects but does but bind the in-group, and binds but does not protect those in the out-group. Thus the January 6 insurrectionists get pardons, and the killer of Renee…

> Whitehouse thinks digitally altering photos of people it arrests is a "meme"?

It’s made to go viral. They’re signaling intent. This is where algorithmic, ad-fueled social media leads a republic.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#17

Post by nomilk »

(very) Important to note this doesn't appear to be an attempt at passing off a digitally altered (/AI generated) image as real, but rather the creation of a digitally altered image with the intent of mocking the individual. When I stumbled across the altered photo I immediately knew it was a joke (i.e. had been created using AI), although I didn't notice it was created by the White House (although that wouldn't have made a difference).

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#18

Post by [deleted] »

LightBug1 wrote: post #12
jrm4 wrote: post #5

Honestly, this should give hope for people worried about it. Not the fact that it was done, but the fact that the New York Times immediately posts about it. That's about the best you can ask for now that this tech is ubiquitous and not going back in the can.

Replying to this as a quadruple upvote ... Any lawyers in the USA getting off their assess to fight stuff like this? (Sorry if you are). There's the Good Law Project in the UK that takes up causes.

[deleted]

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#19

Post by nicpottier »

jrm4 wrote: post #5

Honestly, this should give hope for people worried about it. Not the fact that it was done, but the fact that the New York Times immediately posts about it. That's about the best you can ask for now that this tech is ubiquitous and not going back in the can.

Yes, it was good this was caught and reported on. But this will become normalized and we seem to be sprinting full speed towards not being able to know what to believe. That the State is engaging in this is concerning to say the least.

Re: White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying

#20

Post by [deleted] »

nomilk wrote: post #17

(very) Important to note this doesn't appear to be an attempt at passing off a digitally altered (/AI generated) image as real, but rather the creation of a digitally altered image with the intent of mocking the individual. When I stumbled across the altered photo I immediately knew it was a joke (i.e. had been created using AI), although I didn't notice it was created by the White House (although that wouldn't have…

[deleted]
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