• HomerianSymphony@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    when we know that there is a substantial Russian disinfo machine out there

    But… is there? I mean, I know Russian disinformation exists, but could you really say it’s “substantial”? It seems to me that Russian disinformation couldn’t be even 1% as damaging as the disinformation put out by Fox News or Donald Trump.

    Why is there all this concern about foreign disinformation when the most damaging disinformation is coming from within America? (And remember, Donald Trump’s political ascent was built on “Obama is a secret Muslim born in Kenya”.)

    It seems to me that the main reason we hear so much about foreign disinformation is because it’s a boogeyman to stop you from questioning your country’s narratives.

    “Remember: Anyone who questions America’s narratives is a foreign agent! If you ever start to think maybe your country’s narratives are wrong, you’re being duped by foreign agents.”

    Also, the influence of Russian trolls on Lemmy is definitely overstated. As far as I can see, anything that doesn’t sound like it came from the mouth of a Democrat gets downvoted into oblivion.