#cw propaganda

[lovecatsys]

this is what my (American) school is teaching me about Palestine. no wonder so many here think this is just about a religious conflict.

[lacewise]

Hey, you! Yes: you! Random person on the internet! I need to talk to you about something.

Nearly everything on social media (yes, that thing too) (yup, so is that) (yes, especially me) is marketing. That’s a morally neutral statement. It’s not “good” or “bad” or even “morally grey”. It is the way we have organized the internet, especially platforms on the internet.

If people are fighting for attention, eyeballs, interest… you’re going to get marketing. In this truth, people have different goals: entertainment, education, money, etc. That’s all still morally neutral.

Where it gets morally bad is when you buy into the marketing without any research. Where it gets even worse is when people tell you if you fact check the information you see on social media, *you* are morally bad. Why don’t you just buy into the marketing? Why don’t you just accept the buzzwords? And a lot of it seems to be an updated redux of “tolerate my intolerance!” (Which evolved to, “Hey, I’m just asking questions” then to “What if it’s really true? What if [blank innocuous thing] is the root of all evil?” And now it’s, “We have to do something!!! There’s no time to fact check!!! If this is really happening, there’s no time!!!”) Which I should not have to explain… is bad.

Let me explain anyway though: the increase in urgency and making it time sensitive is meant to send you into a panic. That fear/anger/anxiety response tells you you need to do something, right now! But it’s so difficult to know what… don’t worry, don’t freeze, don’t think, they have the answer! Do this right now! You have to! There’s only a few seconds left! You NEED TO DO THIS YOU—oh you’ve done it. Phew, crisis averted! You’re our hero! Now make sure to tell all your friends or nothing you did matters and you will be d—ned for all eternit—thanks for sharing! We need more people like you!

The difference between this and something actually time sensitive is something that is legitimate will 1) often not work you into a panic, because they’re just trying to make you more informed/legitimately interested, 2) they will give you actionable steps and 3) the tone is completely different. Here’s another example:

Hey, everyone. I’m sorry to say this but [politician] has betrayed our [community]. We met with [politician] and they promised us they would fight for our [very specific purpose, usually with its own specialized vocabulary]. Today they voted against that. But we’re not giving up! Please, pressure [government body] to change their minds about [issue] and vote again in our favor! This would [specific impact]. We are also working on this [alternative solution]. Please donate here! We’ll keep you all updated and together, we will will achieve [favorable result]. We won’t back down! Thank for your support!

Even if the legitimate advocacy is angry, devastated, resigned, or scared, you will still see the elements of specific information and solutions pertaining to a specific situation, especially using jargon pertaining to the specific situation, urging you to learn more or ally with them without 1) centering yourself, 2) accidentally spreading bad information, or 3) accidentally harming other communities in solidarity with theirs. Learning more and supporting movements is supposed to be an *ongoing process* not a “winner-takes-all” sporting tournament, with you as the star and hero.

If people are telling you not to get a second opinion about something that isn’t easily verifiable (especially if there are no primary sources to consult), that’s morally bad marketing.

You may be wondering why I’m framing this as “morally bad marketing” instead of “propaganda” (which is literally correct). That’s *also* marketing. I’ve found that propaganda is a loaded word in most contexts, and if you tell someone they’ve fallen for it, they’ll get defensive. However, if I frame it as a scam and focus my attention on the people manufacturing the scam (whether that’s outrage, bigotry, etc) sometimes it jolts people into realizing how flimsy the premise actually is. Which is very!

If people aren’t using their own activism and infrastructure to gain acceptance and solidarity. If people are using other movements’ platforms to get attention to their own (like stealing hashtags), especially if they use *different phrases and jargon* to gain acceptance in different communities, and keep coming up with new rhetoric every time their ideas don’t penetrate the demographic they’re targeting—these are all red flags of a size that could blanket Texas. Discarding one marketing strategy for another takes time, especially with decentralized communications. If multiple strategies are being employed at once on a large scale: I highly doubt that’s decentralized at all. If it looks like a sales funnel, talks like a sales funnel, etc…

Further, if you see a sudden proliferation of accounts that don’t seem organic, or someone is selling One Weird Little Trick to complete your life, cure your ails, bring about World Peace! [Blank] hates it!

You need to flee. I need you to understand my *very* clearly on this—you need to *flee* immediately. The *best case* scenario is you are being tricked out of currency.

No one doing this is *ever* selling solutions. They are feeding you fear and self-loathing, then selling you the feeling of control. “You can do it! You can change the world! We can do it! We can do it together!” But never, ever once telling you what “it” is. At least not at first. It’s always a lifestyle, a thing, a movement. “Sure the world has gone to pieces [true] but you’re better than the last people who messed up [source?] you can fix it! Just let us tell you how [no, this is a cult, RUN]”

And, again, this can apply to anything, including: companies selling you ‘lifestyles’, companies selling you that one super niche product that will fix your life forever, up to and including literal propaganda campaigns.

The thing is: it’s not about you. It’s about what they can take from you, while you smile happily, feeling privileged (so, so proud) they took it. They let you market for them while they took your money, time, humanity, etc! And it’s all because you’re so wonderful! And brave! And subversive! And whatever else you want to see yourself as!

[applestruda]

Chemical overreaction / compound fracture

[startistdoodles]

Me and my friend have been playing PMD2 lately and this is what we have gotten out of it

[tangledinink]

Hopefully they are able to accept this healthy(and delicious) bento. The old man has been very worried the kids aren't eating.

it is very much appreciated. they'll find some quiet corner of the @tmntaucompetition to hide in so they can eat.

[hasello]

CW: a little bit of blood

Got a few angsty asks and decided to answer them at once, hope you don’t mind! Thank you for the questions, answering them is very fun! 😊❤️

[smallknowingjester]

:33 < my guys!!!!! they are like my ocs

[kathaynesart]

I had a little too much fun with this incentive for @tmntaucompetition. I apologize on Omega's behalf for any collateral damage. Thank you all for the votes and see you in the next round!

[mythesisjournal002]

Thesis moodboard when you have ADHD

[s0fti3w1tch]

Seems like Tentative Devotee Leo/Trainee is teaming up with his opponents

Featuring:

@onionninjasstuff's Villain PB&J Duo! :)

and also The Night!AU Leonardo/Green (@y0unginhumans) at the beginning

context: @tmntseparatedaucompetition and onionninjasstuff's crossover drawing :) i.e. how Trainee got the gun + extra context for Trainee's dialogue, the last AU competition, Trainee wasn't even part of the polls. This is only my second time being in one of these lol

So yeah :) can we please make TD and Villain PB&J tie? I think that'd be fun

[arsonistmoth]

Well i WAS workin a little on my nari ref to end the night but then This song came on and well my hand went woohoo and decided it needed to draw @xmajordumps very handsome boi. nari, buddy, hey I think your um. your stitches- eh yknow its fine im sure itS FINE. Gon just leave this here an- -SKITTERS ACROSS CEILING-

[gaslightgatekeepgirlbosscombat]

Group H, Round 1, Poll 9:

Propaganda under the cut

Ianthe Tridentarius

She is trying so hard to be the main character by lying and manipulating her sister, her cavalier, her mentor, her ?love interests? (Spoiler???) And also god. Not sure how it's working out for her but she does love to lie and manipulate

Worstie Ianthe is the DEFINITION of gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss. She is one of a set of necromancer twins that are the heirs to their houses rule. Except wait, only she is a necromancer and she has spent their entire lives doing necromancy for the both of them. She is constantly mean to their cavalier, Naberius, who she occasionally nibbles on like a chew toy, before eventually killing and eating him to ascend to sainthood. She goes to gods spaceship with another woman who ascended to sainthood who she has a crush on, this other woman is like…. Both incredibly mentally unwell and also haunted by at least 211 ghosts. Ianthes method of flirting with her? Gaslighting her about the corpse that keeps moving around and hiding under her bed. For no real reason tbh. She is clearly plotting to overthrow god, and at the moment that consists of her manipulating him while he’s too sad about his long term partners betraying him and subsequently exploding to really care. She dresses in terrible outfits and makes soup by burning onions to the bottom of a pot, putting meat in and some vegetables and then it doesn’t taste like anything so she puts in a few teaspoons of salt so it tastes like a few teaspoons of salt. She had her crush amputate her arm and regrow her a new one out of bone and it’s one of the horniest things I’ve read in my life.

"Gaslight = told her lobotomized (she helped), schizophrenic girlobsession that there was no corpse under their bed, even tho there totally was. Gatekeep = girl did NOT share the secret to god-like ascension. She kept that shit to herself until it was time to eat her boytoy, and by then everyone knew already. Girlboss = she has a non-necromancer twin sister, and literally Everyone thinks they r both necromancers because Ianthe is so good at it. She reverse engineered ascending to the aforementioned ascension without even completing any of the supplementary tasks. She held her own in a fight against a 10k year old lyctor. She becomes the figurehead of her entire empire. "

She uses a man as a chewtoy in the first book, literally gaslights the protagonist of the second book about a corpse, and elder-abuses God when he gets depressed in the third book. Nobody is doing it like her.

Dives headfirst with no regrets while basically laughing and covered in blood into murdering her cavalier once she realizes what the gothic locked room mystery/competition leads to while everyone else is questioning it, helps perform lobotomy on harrow so she doesn't remember the person she loves, manipulates everyone to get to the top

idk just everything about her

her relationship with her sister is incredibly Bad, she fosters codependency and views Corona(the sister) as an extension of herself. This does not stop her from keeping up the con that Corona actually has magic (She doesn't, it was always just Ianthe) for 22ish years and every single person who interacts with them falls for it. She killed a man against his will (most dying for this purpose specifically go willingly) and she consumed him and she will be burning his soul for eternity. She's completely repulsive and still somehow incredibly hot.

she takes advantage of the fact that the main character is prone to hallucinations. at one point she gaslights the mc into believing that the corpse under her bed isn't real just because she can. she reverse engineered a set of very complex trials on her own without anyone realizing she had the skills to complete them normally. she's also babysat god through his drunk and pathetic era.

Artist:@starcanist

Remy the Rat

Gaslight- 'hmm? Me? Steal papers? I'm just an innocent little ratty rat.' Gatekeep- I would debate he's gatekeeping food and taste from the other rats because they just don't GET it. Ugh! Girlboss- doesn't he own a rat restaurant at the end?

[lacewise]

Some of you are very gleeful to cheer on violence (because you can tell yourself you’re the good guys [you’re not, the good guys are being targeted and murdered by both sides for fighting for peace and you’re cheering on their deaths]) and I just want to make lace, wear lace, and look at embroidery, not constantly be beset by bloodthirsty fantasies in a conflict that’s older than the Christian religion.

If people are telling you to speak out about anything other violence against civilians—congratulations they are trying to make you a mule and launderer of propaganda. Double if they want you to deny violent events that did happen and quadruple if they want you to double down on violent events that did not happen. The information networks on Twitter and Tumblr have long been dismantled. You cannot give in to instant gratification and completely trust (or distrust) initial reports anymore. Frankly, you probably shouldn’t take terrorists’ (the governments on both sides) word for it in the first place. But you shouldn’t immediately jump to calling journalists and civilians plants either. That’s not normal human behaviour, and there’s nothing heroic (or even humane) about it. Wait for clarity, if you’re so desperate to speak.

Hostages are not guests. The act of kidnapping itself is violent. Speaking about their treatment is meant to distract from the horror of using noncombatants as dehumanized people shields.

Dragging noncombatants who aren’t even in the war zone into this is unspeakably evil. You need help.

These are just basic World War-era propaganda tactics. They’re not even good. How in the world are you all falling for it so easily? And then bringing it to me like this steaming pile of manure is a cache of diamonds??? Move to the USSR and leave the rest of us alone!

[bendysinitiation]

Political cartoons (literally) demonizing Joey Drew, ca. 1935. Many of these cartoons existed back when the studio was becoming well-known. Surprisingly enough, the addition of the Hays code actually dwindled the number of these cartoons, as well as the protests and death threats following the studio. How the Hays code barely scratched Bendy’s image, even brightened it, still remains a mystery to this day.

(Image ID: Two inked pictures depicting Joey Drew and Bendy:

The first is a cartoon of a much more evil looking Bendy coming out of a silver screen and holding a woman hostage, as well as stabbing a pitch fork through the movie theater seats. Various moviegoers look on in horror. On the top of the screen, a big, grinning demon Joey Drew is drawing Bendy’s horns.

The second cartoon is another demon Joey shielding his face as an angry mod offscreen jabs at him with more pitchforks and torches. Bendy hides behind him with a grimace. The title of the piece says “PUT THAT DEMON BACK IN HELL!” and the barely seeable bottom text says “Joey Drew is no “brilliant mind”.” End ID)

References under the cut

[tangledinink]

Good luck on the competition!!

more gifts to accept and people to meet? no problem, the gems know this song and dance~

oh, there's more? that's fine, no problem...!

wow, there sure a lot of people at this event, huh?... sure... no big deal... great chance to get some good PR in, right?... the gemini toottalllyyy have this handled...

yayyy... they're having sooo much fun at the @tmntaucompetition and aren't overwhelmed or stressed at ALL. they know how to do this! they just have to... keep going... and not fuck it up...! easy!...

[mischievouslexington]

I wear no mask...

Adler Replika Propaganda Mosaic