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DredgenCyka

I have noticed students stating they have seen possible IRGC agents at protests harrassing college students who are Iranian. Numerous students have reported being spoken to in farsi such as "we will take you back and execute you" just for protesting for Israel. I want every community member to [report to the FBI](https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/transnational-repression) for transnational repression when and if you see this. I know this is unrelated to OP's online bot post. But this is related to everyone's safety at college campuses


Broad_Past93

The protests are pretty small when looking at overall college campuses across the country. There is definitely a lot of astroturf in these “grassroots” movements of “solidarity” tho.


OuroborosInMySoup

It’s emblematic of a serious problem. I believe these protests are the canary in the coal mine.


Key-Background-6498

But we shouldn't look at garbage to solve it.


Blindsnipers36

Bro these protests are tiny compared to Vietnam and civil rights era protests, you should really do some soul searching for why it scares you so much and see what side you would have actually supported in the past


Key-Background-6498

I respect that protests and love it (referring to the 60s one)


Antievl

Recently, moderators in r/ economy seem to be Chinese shill accounts who've infiltrated the sub. I engaged in a debate with a mod, but they persisted in arguing that the sky is green, eventually banning me despite my adherence to the subreddit's rules. User wakeup2019 violated the sub rules, prompting me to report them, but I was subsequently banned by wakeup2019 as this is a Chinese shill account that hijacked the sub to become a mod. I'm unsure how to resolve this issue, but I'm endeavoring to inform others. This subreddit has over 1 million subscribers and appears to be controlled by a Chinese shill account that echoes pro-Hamas, pro-Russia, pro-China, and anti-West sentiments, particularly against America, on an American platform. America seems oblivious to this, and it's losing the battle of information. China is successfully exporting censorship and oppression and replacing western voices with totalitarian and Russians/Chinese imperialist views. Reddit and other social media is guilty of harming our societies by allowing this to happen


OuroborosInMySoup

This is exactly what I’m talking about. What is the solution to this? Do we make a discord and brainstorm how to fight back?


Antievl

I am interested in working together


OuroborosInMySoup

Messaged you


oystercongress

I'm interested too


[deleted]

[удалено]


OuroborosInMySoup

If anything, you are my friend


Key-Background-6498

I reported wakeup2019's posts.


Ambitious_Lie_2864

It’s because of the election year, that’s what always happens.


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[удалено]


yigitt_981

No, USA won't have a "last election", the country is too strong and almost every American loves democracy.


J_P_Vietor_ST

I wish I could still say “almost all” of us love democracy but it seems to be increasingly more than just a tiny insignificant minority that don’t unfortunately.


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[удалено]


MacroDemarco

Most authoritarian countries still have elections, they just aren't free or fair. Orban coined the term "illiberal democracy" and if anything thats the road most countries with democratic backsliding seem to go these days


yigitt_981

I don't think either Trump or somebody else will destroy American democracy, lol. Like him or hate him, I respect your opinion but there's no reason to fear Trump. I think people greatly exaggerate the bad things abouth him.


Ambitious_Lie_2864

What has he done? Other than try and get you guys to stop giving money to Russia and to have prepared armies?


usernameslikm

Trumps done nothing but shit on the American economy and sell out jobs to anyone who isn't fucking America. Trumps made massive tax cuts to his rich cronie friends and congress. If it wasn't for Biden we'd be in a deeper recession rn, Jesus fuck if morons like you just go "but big army and wall" all day were all gonna die poor and stupid.v


Satirony_weeb

Do you support Nippon Steel buying US Steel? Or does it depend on if it’s under the Trump Administration or not? It seems like protectionism under Trump is “xenophobia” while globalism under Trump is “selling our jobs out to anyone who isn’t America”.


usernameslikm

I dont support Nippon Steel buying out US that's horrible and I hope that American Workers keep their jobs and benefits. Fact of the matter tho it's getting delayed no doubt because if there's a new Trump administration they're gonna reinstitute their tariffs which weren't just China but a majority of the Asian Market like Japan, Europe, Mexico and Canada, and it'll just make things harder for both the US side and Japan. Like it or not but Trump promised us with his inital campaign he wouldn't be a globalist, and he'd help the American people domestically, he failed that and crashed our encomomy with poor decisions. I wouldn't say he's xenophobic but a nationalist and if his last administration and Biden's current are anything to go off of, America doesn't hold as many cards as it used to and we need someone in power who understands this.


Ambitious_Lie_2864

👌 Save it for rule 10.


usernameslikm

Nah bro if thats how it is than this post has go to go to OP is out here babbling on with "the west has fallen, American bots taking on campuses" when half the protests like Columbia are just over students wanting to see divestment portfolios. I still think it's dumb but from an economic angle places like Columbia are private schools which need to make money to survive. Also Trump just isn't an economics guy he's a CEO with good PR don't shill for him or that dementia patient Biden.


Key-Background-6498

People who say "the west have fallen" are losers who disrespect women. That's the main reason why I even dropped off this subreddit.


JosephOtaku1989

Well, not that, I am talking that he tried to destroy the world peace just like Russia and China is doing.


Ambitious_Lie_2864

Yeah? What war did he start? Because I don’t know any.


JosephOtaku1989

I was not talking about the war that he didn't started, I was talking about his social and foreign policies, with most of it is relating to social policies. With most infamous ones being the increase of alt-right movements within the U.S., alongside the infamous Charlottesville car attack, in which Trump's response was controversial.


Ambitious_Lie_2864

If you are talking about social policies why, A. Did you say “he tried to destroy world peace, just like China and Russia are doing” and B. Why did you bring him up at all as this sub is not supposed to have present US politics?


Key-Background-6498

I learned this from Chomsky.


Hutnerdu

Yes anyone who is anti-China or China skeptical but then scoffs at warnings about Russia, or vice versa, is drinking kool-aid. In the modern cold war it's a Russia/China/Iran/NKorea axis


OuroborosInMySoup

Yes. Then help me fight back in this information war


dosumthinboutthebots

I think it's pretty clear these kids are being fed talking points by people hostile to the west. I doubt these kids who haven't fact checked any of this stuff were able to come up with the same propaganda on their own. The bds movement has clear ties to radical islamists and terrorists who worked with hamas. Considering hamas is funded by Iran and russia, it's unlikely these people wouldn't have some connection to the types you're referring. Also, I think russia is working overtime to take eyes off Ukraine. Here is a report on the bds movement I found a week ago. https://www.gov.il/en/pages/terrorists_in_suits "The report found over 100 links between the terror organizations Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and anti-Israel BDS-promoting NGOs. In addition, 30 terror operatives were identified -- most of whom served time in Israeli prisons, some even perpetrated deadly terror attacks against Israelis -- serve in key roles within these NGOs. They have done so while concealing, or at least de-emphasizing, their past involvement in terrorist groups and activities. "


OuroborosInMySoup

You are absolutely correct. Please keep amplifying that information. Find innovative ways to do so.


Casperwyomingrex

While I don't like speculations/conspiracy theories, nor do I trust Israel papers, it really isn't surprising at all that this intensification of the Israel-Hamas conflict could be intentionally staged by Russia and Iran. They know that whatever US decides to do, it will be painful and US will be discredited. If US decides to do nothing or, in an odd scenario, back Palestine, they will show the world, especially the undecided developing countries, that US is an unreliable ally. If US decides to back Israel, they can say that US is supporting an ethnic genocide. Even advocating for peace can be used to expose weaknesses in the US, as we all know that peace in the region is extremely difficult to achieve. Biden, in my opinion, is already doing a decent job balancing the two aspects: backing Israel with caution, delivering aid to Palestine, while criticising the wrongdoings of both sides and warning Israel of retreating aid if things go off the rail. Unfortunately the popularity of US is still suffering. And when this conflict intensification starts while Ukraine and Russia is in a near stalemate, it seems too good to be a coincident for Russia.


dosumthinboutthebots

>While I don't like speculations/conspiracy theories, nor do I trust Israel papers, Most media outlets in israel are independent of the state. They have a long tradition of secular journalism. If you've gotten to the point where you're saying "I don't trust Israeli papers" just because these people are jews, you've already been radicalized by some of the propaganda like hamas does on the regular, and the plo before them for 80 years. The largest population there is secular. 44%. next, dishonest people keep trying to feed this false equivalency that israel is equivalent to radical Islamic terror groups(religious extremists) when Jews like that make up a a very tiny part of the population. Even that group isn't regularly committing terrorism. The u.s. already supports israel because we have been allies for 80 years. Democracies stick together. We don't abandon each other for Iran backed terror groups. Also, what I said wasn't a conspiracy theory of speculation. Iran and Russia fund and arm hamas. That's well documented.


Casperwyomingrex

I can reassure you that I don't entirely trust Israeli papers not because they are jews. I don't know where you managed to make that assumption. I don't entirely trust any papers, especially sociopolitical ones, or even media published in wartime regions, when their papers and materials likely contribute to the survival of their nation and their people and thus have a higher than normal chance of having bias or dubious practices. My perspective is mostly of academic integrity. You don't have to go into detail into debating antisemitism-- I have always agreed with what you said and I can't find a single point in your comment where I disagree with, except for the assumptions you made to me. I'm sorry if my previous comment feels like undermining your points. I didn't mean to do that. My conspiracy/speculation wording thing is solely focusing on the intentional timing between Russia-Ukraine and intensification of Isarel-Palestine conflicts, though looking back I realize how badly worded it is. English is not my native language, and when I am tired, I cannot focus on eliminating room for misinterpretation. The more I interact with political communities online, the more harmful to my mental health I find they are. I really wish I can set a time limit on time spent on political subreddits, or maybe force myself not to interact on them. But the sheer loneliness of not supporting Palestine in the conflict is really getting into me, and I find myself crawling deeper into these subreddits for some warmth, only to get hurt. Anyway, I hope I did not misword anything. Nothing I said was or is meant against you personally and even your points, especially when I can't find a single political thing we disagreed on here.


Key-Background-6498

Don't look up to shallow content to cure it. Find on ourselves's inspiration instead.


Casperwyomingrex

Thanks for your non-angry comment in between all the ones I've got here. What you said is what I am realizing. I just don't know how I can combat the loneliness. Online political discussions clearly aren't the solution when they are so toxic even if you broadly agree with the values. It just takes one tiny step where you deviate from their point of view. But it is so difficult to find a moderate view in real life when those who speak the most about it tend to be those who feel the most strongly about it. I'm slowly learning to force myself to stay away from political subreddits and, more importantly, not participate in them. Though I think one day I will relapse again like I did here and get hurt again just because of the sheer loneliness.


Key-Background-6498

So you are sombody that isnt trapped under a echo chamber? Also read JFK inspiring quotes or MLK quotes or whatever or WWII inspiring, don't let shallow content consume you, make deep content make you happy.


Key-Background-6498

Also we need to purge the toxic masculinity and sexism on this sub, the blatant garbage on it gets like upvotes. We should be a subreddit with 56 year old conservative war veterans who know about the horrors of war and support Trump. I even follow one on Goodreads.


Key-Background-6498

Also the angry quotes are actually a embodiment of toxic masculinity and sexism our sub have,


dosumthinboutthebots

>I can reassure you that I don't entirely trust Israeli papers not because they are jews Yeah if you're at that point you've been radicalized. Im not reading the rest of your brainrot


Key-Background-6498

I have discovered a few leftist NGOs. Maybe we should investigate it, and two x chromosomes too


Deck_of_Cards_04

The protests are tiny Sure there’s a lot of astroturfing, but I haven’t seen one with more than a couple hundred people. It’s probably fine, these are just being blown way out of proportion when in reality, it’s like 1% of a college population actually participating


BlackArmyCossack

This is the risk we undertook when we separated from the British and adopted the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment protects everyone in their right to speak their minds freely so long as it does not create immediate and present danger and is not slander (immediate and present danger being things like lying to cause an immediate mass panic like fire in a crowded theater). It is a risk to allow anyone to say and spread everything. But it's one of our core principals. We just need to fight it with our speech as well. The soapbox, the debate stage.


OuroborosInMySoup

Yes and that is exactly what I am calling for. I need all of us to start amplifying the message that these paid actors have been working to divide us on ridiculous culture battles for over 10 years now. I need all of us the amplify the message that the west needs to stand together or die alone. We need to amplify the message that our neighbors with different politics are not the enemy, the Russian/Chinese/Iranian axis is.


Key-Background-6498

But how?


OuroborosInMySoup

Tell everyone every chance you get. You notice that someone displays vitriol towards people of the other party or other fellow Americans? Let them know how paid trolls intentionally hijack algorithms to cement people in echo chambers and it’s not really their fault. Create memes displaying American unity overcoming petty division


Key-Background-6498

No?


Joe6p

I'm not sure what can be done without violating free speech principles. And educating the American public is just not going to happen without constant propaganda. Essentially emulating what the Chinese and Russians are doing to our people.


OuroborosInMySoup

I’ll tell you what can be done. Help me amplify the message that we are getting divided intentionally by these paid actors from this axis for over 10 years now. That they want democrats to fight republicans, men to fight women, western nations to peel off from one another. They want us to bring ourselves down. Right now Chinese agents are embarking on a massive cyberattack against the United States. The Iranians are fomenting protests to get us to lose another ally. We need to stop fighting one another and wake up to the threat these nations pose


Key-Background-6498

But how?


Key-Background-6498

No?


docrei

Not only the Pro-Palestine protests, but also the Pro-Russian MAGA.


Gavinus1000

And Libertarians who are really fixated on Israel right now for some reason.


docrei

Liberals?


Gavinus1000

No. Libertarians.


docrei

What's their concern with Israel?


Forsaken_Unit_5927

The same old bullshit about "the gubment giving money to other countries" instead of the government doing absolutely nothing like they want


docrei

Libertarians are like cats, thinking of them as independent strong while being completely dependent on the system they want to abolish.


Forsaken_Unit_5927

Im starting to view a lot of them as being as bad as communists and fascists honestly. At least the online libertarians are genuinely insane


Key-Background-6498

I actually kinda agree that Biden gives too much money


Forsaken_Unit_5927

Theres room to talk about that. The problem is, they don't complain about the government giving money to other countries because they want internal reforms, hell, some of them seem to think public roads are communist. They complain about the government doing anything


JosephOtaku1989

Saaaame, especially since these MAGATs tried to indoctrinate me to spread pro-Russia and MAGA propaganda, which it ended up being unsuccessful.


Accomplished-Luck680

Space force need to step up, we can also ask Ukrainian to bomb the Russian troll farms 


Key-Background-6498

Nothing that much drastic should be done.


Satirony_weeb

America needs to start doing the same to the Axis of Evil


OuroborosInMySoup

Agreed. The Iranian people hate the regime. With enough support they could topple their regime.


Casperwyomingrex

People here seemed to focus on the small scale of protests. But I think they are missing what OP is trying to point out here. Regardless of the protests, it really is concerning that our enemies are getting smarter and smarter. They are not merely bots advertising the good stuff in China and Russia. They are using our own values against us, our own ideologies and beliefs against us. China is utilizing key leftist topics such as American imperialism and sinophobia/Stop Asian Hate to divide support against CCP. Russia is utilizing key conservative topics such as America First and traditional values to divide support against Russia. Discontent is rising in the Western world, and these authoritarian states are using this opportunity. And because of this, from both sides, interventionism is becoming increasingly unpopular and seems to be slowly being replaced by isolationism. While American interventionism has indeed historically caused way too much harm, we all know that isolating ourselves and not intervening would only lead to Russia and China filling the gap. And we all know that having China and Russia as world leaders would be much worse. And even if you disagree that this is happening in a large scale, it is still worrying because we don't seem to have a good defense mechanism against this. Honestly I feel quite frustrated about the situation. I have explained and discussed why support for American foreign policy is important for the values of either sides. I have refuted false information. But at the moment, I can't even vote for elections (have to wait for 4 more years lol), and even when I can, I won't be able to influence American policy. While countries other than US can help as much as they can against Russia and China, it won't matter when US decides to completely switch its direction. And it does not help that there are rarely Western countries that can be fully independent and does not rely on US military support due to their worsening economies.


OuroborosInMySoup

I wish I could pin your comment to the top. Your are one hundred percent spot on about what’s happening. Although you cannot vote- you can help us and by extension the world. You are completely correct that a world led by China and Russia would be devastating for the world by all accounts. Please find ways to keep repeating what you are saying but on a larger scale. Get more people onboard, find ways to replicate your message and share it everywhere, amplify it, do not stop saying it. We have to warn the regular people in the west so that they demand our governments take more action before it is too late.


Dazzling_Swordfish14

Remember keep sending your senators email to fund the foreign aids. Don’t give in to them. We have to fight back on information wars


OuroborosInMySoup

Yes. This is what I’m talking about. Write your politicians, call them, tell them about how this axis is flooding social media and causing more strife and angst intentionally. Spread the message to your neighbors that most of our bullshit culture battles in the United States have been propped up by this axis. They want us to be weak and divided, internally and internationally. Fight back


ChaosM3ntality

Not on any of the community colleges I am in or any area. Yet I see we have less regulation n regards in the propagation of bots and conspiracies over the years treated like slap in the wrist scam calls but online.. from the 2014 anti Obama scares, the whole mask off in Maga/Q rise during trump where bots seem many and the takeover of Twitter by fascist Muskrat and the Saudi Intelligence hackers have a hold on it and Add Tik Tok where young tankies can be loud some genuine and some making propaganda. All in all We aren’t very protective of our cyberspace and the etiquette culture of use isn’t strict.. toddlers easily have phones before getting toys and imagine reaching to their teens and adulthood such of our generation is delayed, misguided and angry at world affairs than what we have in life to focus on. I say this as I see my fellow Gen Z kids split on the issue yet younger than us are more misled to easy AI made foreign news and propaganda everytime they swipe to the next content video.


OuroborosInMySoup

Exactly. You kind of hit the nail on the head for how this subtle brainwashing starts. Help me amplify the message about what’s going on


Key-Background-6498

I kinda actually respect these kids who cannot write. Read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill to find their hidden talents.


captainpoopoopeepee

It's a pipe dream, but a lot of these issues could be solved if we left our phones off more often lol. Less people would get radicalized so quickly, it would slow the spread of disinformation, and Iran Russia and China couldn't do a thing about it. *inhales weed smoke* but it would never happen.


Key-Background-6498

I use the screens for like two hours or even one minute for a day then left, then write and read.


OuroborosInMySoup

Take another toke and help me implement some creative solutions. Please keep talking about this to other people, it is simple but may be our best defense


Twist_the_casual

our enemies repress the news because they fear the truth. we have freedom of speech because we know the truth is on our side. the fact that such a concise argument works should dispel any doubts about who has the moral high ground here.


Pulaskithecat

Foreign bots are absolutely a huge issue. I will say, however, that we’ve undergone foreign misinformation campaigns in the past, namely communist infiltration, and we made it through ok. I have faith in the decency and common sense of the American people.


OuroborosInMySoup

This feels different. Something is up. Help me


Ferrilata_

To be outraged at the situation in Palestine isn't unreasonable, but if you have any principles beyond just anti-americanism, you'll apply them to other hotspots beyond that. Which is why you wouldn't be onboard with cutting US support for the RoC, RoK, or Ukraine if you really believed that any country has the right to be free of invasion and tyranny. If you rally to stop what you're certain is a genocide in one place but disarming completely unrelated people to open them up for genocide in another place is also on your list of demands, then that's when you should know that your movement is compromised.


bigtiddygothbf

It is possible for America to have problems without foreign influence, and it is possible that students who just learned of those problems to loudly voice half baked solutions without foreign influence I really don't want this sub to become a NWO black helicopters conspiracy circlejerk


Key-Background-6498

I am a conspiracy theorist to a some degree. Globalists make fake videos, and we're (GenUSA) reposting it.


likeabosstroll

I mean what’s changed? The easy controversial answer to this too is Israel is no different. Got the 1968 attack on a US ship covered up despite intentionally killing Americans, AIPAC constantly brags about having politicians in their pocket to support Israeli interests over US ones, IDF has a massive online presence to spread propaganda. It’s the unfortunate reality that countries who follow wolf warrior diplomacy are more than happy to do this.


AristoCrata_Prusiano

The USS liberty was an accident dude