Sneaky, stealth RW propagandists on DU and why I am concerned about

[Thtwudbeme]

them.

Several years ago when RW types showed up on DU, it wasn't really that big of a deal. They jumped into a conversation like a mean terrier into a yard full of golden retrievers...and the owners/mods waded in, grabbed them by the scruff of the neck, and hauled their little asses outta here.

Then, there were the ridiculous ones posting on the internet...."hehehehehe I am sneaking into DU...." Idiots...like kids waiting for their parents to leave so they could get into the liquor cabinet. They were kind of entertaining, only because it was fun trying to guess who they were--for about 10 minutes till it got boring.

There was even a pretty exciting little wacko who believed we were all WillPitt! Can't remember his name, but he was a twit extraordinare. Trust me.

However, like the smart sharks in that scary movie that get fast and eat lots of people....or god help me...mean furbies if you will.....the RW freaks have gotten smarter. They don't make up names now like "GoreGirrrl08," or post things like "You people are stupid and should be in prison."

No, these are different. They wrack up massive post counts with enough liberal content that surely to god has caused them to have to take rolaids...they make friends on DU...and then they start subtley posting kind of sort of could be a RW thought....but, hey...we know them. They are our buddies, right?

And we find ourselves...agreeing with them. We see threads in GD with hundreds of posts attacking the OP...kind of. "What is your problem!!! This person, place, thing, institution is Liberal!"

Except...it's not.

There is a new kind of propaganda out there folks. Please...learn to recognize it--and it's not easy. Kind of like seeing a really pretty long haired cat and being TOLD it's a purebred.

Thoughts?

[helderheid]

1. be vigilant. I agree.

Edited to add - look for stars too.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. In all fairness to my compatriots on DU, I don't see it as a problem

as I might a great majority as critical thinkers, who will consider an adverse opinion, analyze or critique it, and then process the argument to a logical conclusion. I haven't encountered Kool-Aid drinkers here. So if you're worried about us being susceptible to propaganda, no worries. We're skeptical, we're rational, and we can handle it.

[Skinner]

3. Spreading this type of paranoia is not helpful.

Furthermore, it's probably wrong. Are there conservatives here? Of course there are. But most of the time when people think someone is a troll, it's just another DUer with a different point of view.

If you think someone is a disruptor, click alert and then put them on your ignore list. It's almost like they've been banned.

[blm]

4. Don't forget the Che or MLK avatar.

.