Serious question: Was former DUer Catherina some sort of Russian disinfo op?

[Tommy Carcetti]

172. I'm not trying to make it a regular thing.

Nor am I trying to antagonize anyone who is still here who may have been receptive to some of that disinformation at the time, but has since recognized it for the bullshit that it was.

But do I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder for it all? Maybe. A bit.

The thing is, back in 2014 and 2015, there were posters like Catherina who were knowingly pushing false information about the situation in Ukraine and Russia. And they were getting tons of likes for it on every thread they posted, and appreciation threads for it. And pushing appreciation threads for the likes of Robert Parry and John Pilger who they were citing to push this false narrative. And there was a segment here--thankfully mostly gone, but it was large when it was here--who ate all of it up like candy.

And when I, and a small handful of other posters, tried to counter those lies with facts, we got no appreciation threads or mass likes. We were told we were neocons and war-mongers and sympathizing with Nazis and everything. Even though--as time has told--we were absolutely right.

And it wouldn't be a big deal except that this really was the first act of a multi-act play of mass disinformation efforts, all for further goals.

By 2014, certain Kremlin affiliated social media figures had already open admitted they were grooming Donald Trump to run for President in 2016.

And so the same efforts that got pushed about Ukraine in 2014--including on DU--were repeated two years later when the same folk sought to drive a wedge between Democrats during the primaries so that by the time a nominee was named, enthusiasm would be significantly chilled. And so everyone that were pushing lies about Ukraine began pushing lies about the 2016 primaries. It was just the natural progression.

And so yeah, I think I knew what was coming.

And thankfully DU in 2020 with the election and 2022 with Ukraine was not divided like it was in 2014 and 2016 because that problem had for the most part been excised.

But it did happen. And I can't forget that it happened.

So yeah.