A couple other examples how how the best-case scenario, known ARGs, can go wrong: Ong's Hat springs to mind as a solid, early example of this sort of issue. Ong's Hat is a real place in New...
A couple other examples how how the best-case scenario, known ARGs, can go wrong: Ong's Hat springs to mind as a solid, early example of this sort of issue. Ong's Hat is a real place in New Jersey, and the "collaborative fiction" was built around a nonexistent energy portal there. It went on for a few years, and accrued a group of true believers and enthusiastic participants. The people who started it said "Yo, stop, we created this beast," and the true believers assumed it was a conspiracy to throw them off the trail. This was in the late 80s to early 90s.
I think understanding the past of these can shine a light on the reality we're dealing with.
If Qanon is a hijacked ARG, as proposed in the doc, that's really fascinating, and a testament to the power of information, as well as the methods of spread for information.
It's interesting to me how the seeds of disinformation bear such awful fruit. It's part of why I detest silly movements like Birds Aren't Real which seem like obvious jokes... but I guarantee that...
It's interesting to me how the seeds of disinformation bear such awful fruit. It's part of why I detest silly movements like Birds Aren't Real which seem like obvious jokes... but I guarantee that there is a non trivial number of people who now believe that all the birds that are ever seen are government drones.
As a species, we lack sufficient capacity to make decisions between what is real and what is not. And somehow, we have come to the conclusion that some kind of vote from large amounts of people is a good way to make decisions about how to run the human race? I guess the real fright is that democracy is the best system, even though it means that votes that are tallied include non trivial amounts of votes by people who think things that are absolutely ludicrous.
Edit: This was definitely one of my most ramblyoldman style comments.
You comments made me immediately think of these two quotes: Sidenote: I really went down a rabbit hole on this one quote, like an good hour 'cause I could have sworn it was older than it was I...
You comments made me immediately think of these two quotes:
Any community that gets its laughs by pretending to be idiots will eventually be flooded by actual idiots who mistakenly believe that they're in good company. -DarkShikari
Sidenote: I really went down a rabbit hole on this one quote, like an good hour 'cause I could have sworn it was older than it was
‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’ Churchill
I worry that we forget that 'Democracy' is imperfect. That pretending to be an idiot or actually being one results in the same effect.
I found this to be an easily digestible (15mins) video on the morbid silliness of Qanon. It also brings up some interesting precursor like Discordianism. And how 'good' misinformation is wrapped...
I found this to be an easily digestible (15mins) video on the morbid silliness of Qanon.
It also brings up some interesting precursor like Discordianism.
And how 'good' misinformation is wrapped in the shroud of truth. The easily verifiable information is true, making the deeper lie harder to detect.
A couple other examples how how the best-case scenario, known ARGs, can go wrong: Ong's Hat springs to mind as a solid, early example of this sort of issue. Ong's Hat is a real place in New Jersey, and the "collaborative fiction" was built around a nonexistent energy portal there. It went on for a few years, and accrued a group of true believers and enthusiastic participants. The people who started it said "Yo, stop, we created this beast," and the true believers assumed it was a conspiracy to throw them off the trail. This was in the late 80s to early 90s.
John Titor is a similar thing that happened on a forum. in the early 00, and apparently the guy behind Ong's Hat was a consultant on the project (but had nothing else to do with it). It reached a fair amount of "legitimacy" and definite spread when he became a topic on Coast to Coast AM
I think understanding the past of these can shine a light on the reality we're dealing with.
If Qanon is a hijacked ARG, as proposed in the doc, that's really fascinating, and a testament to the power of information, as well as the methods of spread for information.
It's interesting to me how the seeds of disinformation bear such awful fruit. It's part of why I detest silly movements like Birds Aren't Real which seem like obvious jokes... but I guarantee that there is a non trivial number of people who now believe that all the birds that are ever seen are government drones.
As a species, we lack sufficient capacity to make decisions between what is real and what is not. And somehow, we have come to the conclusion that some kind of vote from large amounts of people is a good way to make decisions about how to run the human race? I guess the real fright is that democracy is the best system, even though it means that votes that are tallied include non trivial amounts of votes by people who think things that are absolutely ludicrous.
Edit: This was definitely one of my most ramblyoldman style comments.
You comments made me immediately think of these two quotes:
Sidenote: I really went down a rabbit hole on this one quote, like an good hour 'cause I could have sworn it was older than it was
I worry that we forget that 'Democracy' is imperfect. That pretending to be an idiot or actually being one results in the same effect.
Both of those sum up my feelings on the matter perfectly - thanks for sharing them.
I found this to be an easily digestible (15mins) video on the morbid silliness of Qanon.
It also brings up some interesting precursor like Discordianism.
And how 'good' misinformation is wrapped in the shroud of truth. The easily verifiable information is true, making the deeper lie harder to detect.
But one of the core tenets of discordianism and subgenius is nit taking anything too seriously.
Qanon reminds me a lot of the plot of emberto eco’s foucault’s pendulum. Except with members of the government.