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An atheist who only converted to Catholicism in 2019 questioning the Pope's grasp of theology? It's like binners criticising the top Parisian chef de patisserie, based on the fact he knows his way around a Greggs sausage roll!
The Iranian government killing Iranians isn't a joke. But neither is the USA government killing Americans a joke
FTFY
One's an totalitarian regime where a corrupt ruling family has control, foreigners are arrested on trumped up charges, women's rights have been eroded, and dissenters are shot in the street. And the other is Iran.
Should we be on the Iranian government's side, nope. Is their Lego propaganda a little too close to the truth at times, yup. It seems objectively more true than what the white House is putting out, and as usual the truth lies somewhere in between (or way off on an entirely different axis).
I'll happily watch and laugh at the propaganda from all sides.....
But Iran are, imo, doing a better job at it. Doesn't mean I support the regime in Iran, but neither do I support that in the USA not in Israel.
He's on the telly at the moment, getting shouted at by journalists outside that big helicopter. If only he could get sucked into the rotor blades.
^^ Bloody true!
He's on the telly at the moment, getting shouted at by journalists outside that big helicopter. If only he could get sucked into the rotor blades.
It's be like hollowing out a pumpkin for Halloween! Lol
I'll happily watch and laugh at the propaganda from all sides.....
But Iran are, imo, doing a better job at it. Doesn't mean I support the regime in Iran, but neither do I support that in the USA not in Israel.
Agree with all of that comment.
(Sorry for the spamming!)
But Iran are, imo, doing a better job at it.
It is interesting to see especially since it seems to have come out of nowhere. This sort of direct propaganda, at least aimed against the west, is new.
However social media researchers have noticed a noticeable drop in bots pushing certain positions (either pro Iranian but not this approach or for positions which would just cause disruption) whenever Iran imposes an internet blackout.
This is more in your face but they seem to have been investing in internet propaganda for a while.
I did my dissertation on the use of photomontage as a political weapon and I’ve always been absolutely fascinated (borderline obsessed) by propaganda, from a designers/comms perspective.
The difference in approach is really interesting, given the starting point that both parties are truly disgusting human beings, yet only one approach reflects that.
The Iranians are keeping it light and going for humour and mockery, which is a bit weird from a theological dictatorship. Whereas the ‘Mericans (a democracy, apparently) propaganda is vile, self-aggrandizing twoddle and the content is just vicious and nasty, without a hint of humour, glorifying in violence and death.
Let’s all watch this real time footage of loads of people getting killed, while we laugh about it
I tell you what… let’s not, eh?
The Iranians are winning the propaganda battle, hands down, or rather the Americans are losing it, quite spectacularly.
One side is painting a completely unrepresentative picture of themselves, the other is letting the world know exactly who they are and it isn’t pretty
However social media researchers have noticed a noticeable drop in bots pushing certain positions (either pro Iranian but not this approach or for positions which would just cause disruption) whenever Iran imposes an internet blackout.
Oh a lot is going to come to light regarding the internet blackout in Iran. Although they'll have seen it as a necessary move in relation to their own domestic situation the black out has basically blown the cover of a whole lot of international misinformation and influence campaigns the IRGC have been operating for decades.
Quite a large number of accounts promoting Scottish Independence have vanished for instance. It works out at about 5% of the total traffic over the last decade and a half on social media relating to independence and the SNP has been coming out of Iran.
They're were also fuelling the Anti Immigration riots in 2024. All Tommy's brave little cocaine gobbling wife beaters trying to burn hotels full of muslims being egged on a muslim theocracy.
It is interesting to see especially since it seems to have come out of nowhere.
It's just a change of style. Been going on for years.
It works out at about 5% of the total traffic over the last decade and a half on social media relating to independence and the SNP has been coming out of Iran.
A huge amount of the on line support for lots of culture war hot tickets - anti Muslim rhetoric, promotion of Tommy, and so on ad infinitum and direct financial support to Reform also came from Hungary. It's going to be interesting in the next few months to see who suddenly runs out of cash
Surely with AI ISPs should be able to filter out on portion of this trolling?
Mind you I also think that they should be able to use it to remove illegal content and that doesn't happen either so...
It's going to be interesting in the next few months to see who suddenly runs out of cash
I do feel particularly sorry for Matt Goodwin as not only did he not get the MP job but he is one of those listed as having been supported by Hungary.
In the spirit of a)Trump and b)online propaganda part of the sentence above is a complete lie.
"Tom Cruise is returning for Top Gun 3, Paramount announced.
The follow-up to 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick is "officially in development with a script well under way", Paramount's Josh Greenstein told the convention."
I cannot see this succeeding outside the USA as the last thing the world wants to see is the glorification of the American military. I am baffled as to what plot they could have - an invasion of Greenland or maybe Maverick conducting a strike against Ukraine on Putin's behalf?
It works out at about 5% of the total traffic over the last decade and a half on social media relating to independence and the SNP has been coming out of Iran.And
and direct financial support to Reform also came from Hungary.
Isn't there one factor linking both nations? Russia seems to be implicated with both, so how much are Putin's infinite monkeys helping out with their social media?
Russia seems to be implicated with both, so how much are Putin's infinite monkeys helping out with their social media?
I think they are pretty competent on their own account by now. Same way NK is. It is fascinating/worrying to consider how much more subtle stuff they have been pushing out. The recent stuff has succeeded in the attention stakes but also been unsubtle as **** about its position.
Getting somewhat off topic now the "top comment" podcast (bbc one about social media tending towards how people manipulate it) last week had a section about the Iranian propaganda including a bit of an interview with someone who seemed to be behind it. I would have liked to hear more of the interview but it was pretty reasonable with a clear acknowledgement the Iranian regime aint the good guys but they are doing well in the propaganda war.
This week they said they got bombarded with a shitload of trolls saying how the programme was pro USA propaganda.
Ok Boomer
from the BBC story
Some analysts say it bears the hallmarks of illegal insider trading, whereby bets are made by people based on information that is not available to the general public.
Others say the picture is more complicated and that some traders have become more adept at anticipating the president's interventions.
I think theres very possibly a third option - which is that Trump is very easy to manipulate. Rather than be party to inside information and rush to get your bets in before they are made public you could place your bet then do a bit of whispering to shape Trumps talking points for the day.
What's remarkable really is these shifts in the market seem much more predicated on what Trump says rather than what America actually does.
The online gossip suggests that he's standing like that because he's shit himself.
Then I pity the poor sound recordist
Surely its just the latest iteration of 'Tory Power Stance'
Ok Boomer
The online gossip suggests that he's standing like that because he's shit himself.
Can't we please use the proper English? I'm of the firm belief that the correct past participle is shat.
Rather than be party to inside information and rush to get your bets in before they are made public you could place your bet then do a bit of whispering to shape Trumps talking points for the day.
Thats still inside trading though with a possible bonus of some extra offences. Possibly not though since good chance no one wrote a law saying "Shorting x and then executing a policy to ensure x price drops" is a crime.
Looking at those timelines there are definitely dodgy as hell things going on.
I would guess there is some prediction going on as well eg his start a fight when the markets close on Friday and then back down on Monday has emerged as a clear pattern and whoever caught that first would have profited. Question is whether there are more subtle ones which arent basically a joke now.
Matthew Parris stating the obvious in todays Times...
https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/trump-deranged-president-impeachment-srp6pmhmv
Participle? Isn’t that something they look for in the large hadron collider?
Participle? Isn’t that something they look for in the large hadron collider?
talk about the shit hitting the fan
Meanwhile B&Q’s marketing dept have got their finger on the pulse
It’s giving ‘employee of the month’ vibes
As he’s doing so well with this war he’s started, he’s claiming he could have sorted all the others too, if only he’d been president at the time.
Just don’t mention the bone spurs…
"Tom Cruise is returning for Top Gun 3, Paramount announced.
The follow-up to 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick is "officially in development with a script well under way", Paramount's Josh Greenstein told the convention."
I cannot see this succeeding outside the USA as the last thing the world wants to see is the glorification of the American military. I am baffled as to what plot they could have - an invasion of Greenland or maybe Maverick conducting a strike against Ukraine on Putin's behalf?
TBH Top Guns always been U.S propaganda 🙂
But I do cringe on watching anything American when they are banging on about the president if they actually portrayed any fictional president as Trump people would complain how unreal it was 🙂
Can't we please use the proper English? I'm of the firm belief that the correct past participle is shat.
I think either are acceptable usage and certainly when I were a lad a long time ago the normal would have been "he shit himself". I only came across shat much later.
Similarly "span" seems to have entered common usage for the PP of spin - I even saw it on the BBC website. I would use spun though span is apparently an archaic word. As indeed is shat. So perhaps old words are making a comeback.
Shat is more polite than shit ! Might get round a swear filter, or sh@t.....
This is always a classic line
a shitten shepherde and a clene sheep
Written around 1387-1400ish
(The Millers Tale is the best thou 🙂 )
I think either are acceptable usage and certainly when I were a lad a long time ago the normal would have been "he shit himself". I only came across shat much later.
I've done some research and in the Derek and Clive sketch 'Mona' Peter Cook uses shat as the past participle. Surely you don't predate that?
But I do cringe on watching anything American when they are banging on about the president if they actually portrayed any fictional president as Trump people would complain how unreal it was
I actually wonder whether Trump has broken the notion of 'a president' as a character in any future movie.
Happened across Independence Day when flicking through the channels the other day, and while it has the proposterous notion that the president would jump into a figher jet and do battle with aliens .... it's also just a preposterous now that a president would be a unifying character in a movie.
Fictional presidents to date have rarely even had on obvious political affiliation let alone be such a divisive character as Trump. I've just spent a random 5 mins flicking through a half dozen pages from wikipedia list of films with fictional presidents - not of them so far (even it you look up fan-lore for the films) mention the characters being either republican or democrat. It doesn't work, dramatically, for the role of 'president' to be portrayed as someone who only seeks to serve or represent a fraction of the country to the detriment of the rest.
Shat is more polite than shit ! Might get round a swear filter, or sh@t.....
I have always used "shat" in past tense vs shit in current/future. I dont recall it being discussed in GCSE English classes though so guess it may vary by area/time period.
I would rate them both the same in terms of politeness.
A lot of truth in this…
)A lot of truth in this…
I've said this before but,
I don't know why they don't just lie to him. Tell him he owns Greenland and he successfully sued the BBC, he's not going to know any different.
I guess it's the American psyche. They respect the position of President uber alles, to do otherwise would be unconstitutional. And as we know, that's sacrosanct and immutable (apart from the 27 times they changed it).
I have always used "shat" as the past tense and my usage probably does pre-date Derek and Clive, though not by much.
A lot of truth in this…
Or making so much money off the back of him that they don't care either.
A lot of truth in this…
I don't think cowardliness is an issue for those immediately around trump. Its true more of the Senate and Congress though - for many of whom the nearest thing to showing some spine is to quietly quit at the next election.
Those in Trumps circle are only there because they are yes-men to start with, but also many are subscribers to the whole Project 2025 thing (and no doubt project 2028 and beyond) and they are all still managing to get the things that they want to do done, and in many cases also being personally enriched by all this too. Trump is very much the perfect cover for them. He just keeps tweeting and giving hare-brained interviews and they quietly get on with their own projects without any real scrutiny.
The only time the spotlight of the press falls on them is when they get asked to contort themselves into rationalising some dumb Trump brainfart. But doing that just keeps them in Trump's good books and maintains their cover to just get on with the real work.
What they quite possibly fear though is Trump being gone - whether via a post Mid Terms impeachment or a hamburger on the toilet. The whole Supreme Court presidential immunity thing was both very limited in how it was worded, and is also untested. But it also only refers to the 'The President' and not 'All the Presidents Men'.
Theres rumours Steven Miller in particular has expressed fears that he'll wind up in jail if the midterms result in the Senate and Congress becoming functioning parts of government again