Democratic Primaries
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Why does anyone publish stuff from trolls?
Everyone who's in the public eye gets hate mail. How many publish the filth that gets sent to them?
I think it's counterproductive to publish hate mail or trolling tweets or comments especially regarding our elections. We already know that bad faith actors have used these tactics to divide us before.
So why are some people still amplifying those voices? Why are we helping disruptors - whether Russians or conservatives or just generic trolls - to meddle in our process?
Sure when it's not anonymous, then it's fair play to criticize those people for their words or actions - but anonymous online trolls?
IMO it's downright irresponsible to help spread disruption and discord.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-undecided.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
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Cary
(11,746 posts)![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
redqueen
(115,103 posts)It's meaningless noise. If people do not learn to discern signal from noise we are doomed.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-undecided.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)the idea they have power is not credible imo so why elevate them?
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
redqueen
(115,103 posts)why are we falling for it again?
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-undecided.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)LOOK what so and so said! Its a useless and overall meaningless distraction, but convenient, I guess.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Dem2
(8,168 posts)And there's a poster there who has a thread in the top 25 posts of the politics page of reddit who I have tagged as "pro-rape" who is also tagged by another plugin as a /thedonald user who I have a record of downvoting 23 times. How does this person's post get to the "Hot" page? For the record, they're promoting a Bernie poll in NV.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
redqueen
(115,103 posts)If so, that's what I would chalk it up to, and move on.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-undecided.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Dem2
(8,168 posts)People seem to not do their due diligence, or they just don't care if the poster is a troll, as the story itself is from a legitimate source.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
redqueen
(115,103 posts)If the post is just poll results I don't know why anyone would bother checking to see who posted it before upvoting.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-undecided.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
TwilightZone
(25,471 posts)posted on DU, within the past couple of months. I don't even remember what it was, but it got over 200 Recommends, even though it was debunked in the first few replies and countless times throughout the thread responses.
I've been here a long, long time, but that was a little eye-opening and a little depressing.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
TwilightZone
(25,471 posts)I agree with your premise, but I think it's human nature to call out the ridiculous.
Same thing happens on DU with trolls. We should all just flag them or whatever and move on instead of giving them attention, but not all of us do.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
redqueen
(115,103 posts)I get that people online talk about it, even though it's stupid and counterproductive, but publications? Organizations?
They aren't allowed to use the excuse that it's human nature - they have a responsibility to avoid repeating the same mistake as last time.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-undecided.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
TwilightZone
(25,471 posts)I think that's what it boils down to. 24/7 "news" stations have to fill time, plus websites, newspapers and other publications are trying to survive by sensationalizing everything, thinking that's what the public wants. Part of the problem is that they're right to some degree. They wouldn't do it if it wasn't somewhat effective.
It's also an indication that we've moved almost entirely from journalism to reporting and that *everything* is considered "news" now, no matter how mundane, irrelevant or uneventful.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
redqueen
(115,103 posts)![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-undecided.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
TwilightZone
(25,471 posts)![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
cwydro
(51,308 posts)It annoys me no end when people post Fox nonsense here, twitter nonsense, Facebook nonsense, etc.
The usual excuse is we need to know what theyre saying.
So transparent.
![](imgs/2020-avatar-120-biden.jpg)
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden