5 votes

‘Crisis actor’ isn’t a new smear. The idea of paid protesters goes back to the civil war era

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2 comments

  1. [2]
    lmn
    Link
    I'm blocked by the pay wall, but just from the title, I believe the term "crisis actor" refers to the idea of people who pretend to be in or affected by tragedy. So, Alex Jones may think that...

    I'm blocked by the pay wall, but just from the title, I believe the term "crisis actor" refers to the idea of people who pretend to be in or affected by tragedy. So, Alex Jones may think that Sandy Hook didn't happen and the people you see crying, grieving, or fleeing on the news are just crisis actors.

    I'd be surprised if that ideas went back to the civil war.

    1 vote
    1. determinism
      Link Parent
      I didn't read it thoroughly but the article seems to be pointing out that the phenomenon of claiming that events involved paid actors or were orchestrated by interested organizations in order to...

      I didn't read it thoroughly but the article seems to be pointing out that the phenomenon of claiming that events involved paid actors or were orchestrated by interested organizations in order to appear as organic has been going on since then. Their main example is the civil rights era Little Rock Nine and other similar acts of civil disobedience and strife whereby claims were made by their contemporaries that people were compensated for their participation.

      The example from the civil war era is as follows:

      As the nation began the process of postwar reunification, some in Congress invited testimony from African-Americans, offering them a per diem to cover travel costs and missed wages, she said. But those seeking to dismiss their stories of pain and demands for equality argued that the payments were proof that their accounts could not be trusted.

      4 votes