4 ms·

4chan’s new troll campaign aims to make the hashtag a white supremacist symbol

35 points by Fjolsvith 7y ago

ddtaylor 7y ago
The world is getting dumber at an alarming rate.
cc439 7y ago
Does anyone ever question the competence of the media based on their ability to fall for such obvious bait time and time again?
- bArray 7y ago
  From their perspective, whether it is bait or not, they only benefit from commenting on it. People buy into their news media if it either asserts what they already believe to be true or outlines something outrageous. This news coverage is just the beginning, but it'll probably fizzle out because it's a lose-lose for news media. It has also been started in public and is easily debunk-able.
- s9w 7y ago
  They know it's a bait. It's written in most of the articles itself. But they can't help the urge to virtue signal. See "it's okay to be white"
  - Steel_Phoenix 7y ago
    The most brilliant counter to this I've seen is replacing the "it's ok to be white" paper that was removed with a blank piece of paper. Hopefully, once seeing blank paper is sending people to the campus police, this can all come to a truly ridiculous end.
bArray 7y ago
I think this really highlights the stupidity of the "okay symbol". As long as we allow people to change the meaning of words and symbols, this will continue to happen.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- foolrush 7y ago
  Uh you are aware of the history of the swastika, right?
  - bArray 7y ago
    When such a large group of people begin using the symbol it's hard to combat, but a few people on the internet with a small amount of usage should be easier to combat.
- happytoexplain 7y ago
  How do we prevent meaning from following usage in an era where a small group can create apparently extensive usage?
  - bArray 7y ago
    Stop news media from creating articles like this and take back the meaning by using it in its original context. I think that's a good start.
  - forgottenpass 7y ago
    >prevent meaning from following usage in an era where a small group can create apparently extensive usage A good first step would be if journos stopped treating Twitter as if it were a meaningful representation of the real world.
bArray 7y ago
Speaking to some people in these circles, this is quite likely in direct response to a news piece: "High School Spends $53,000 To Reprint Yearbooks After Students Flash Racist Symbol" [1]. [1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/high-school-yearbooks-racist-hand-sign_n_5ce6f165e4b0a2f9f28bcf63 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/high-school-yearbooks-racist-...
notnot 7y ago
I don't think this will work. Excuse my nonsense logic but the swastika works well as a symbol of hate (despite having other origins and meanings) in that it has a single center with coherent angular spirals, the center signifying the ego and the spirals signifying logic and order complying with it... or something. The hashtag has an empty center and four equal points that sort of radiate in multiple directions... seems more oligopolistic and ambivalent than totalitarian and opinionated.
- sdwisely 7y ago
  the idea is for it to be a troll and a signal with plausible deniability more along the lines of the "okay" gesture https://www.adl.org/blog/how-the-ok-symbol-became-a-popular-trolling-gesture https://www.adl.org/blog/how-the-ok-symbol-became-a-popular-...
- ddingus 7y ago
  It's name is octothorpe. Say it, spread it. The curio will combat the troll.
s9w 7y ago
/pol/s campaigns can work surprising magic. The okay sign worked reasonably well. And still the "it's okay to be white" continues to make people mad on both sides. This one.. it'll be more difficult.
- loudtieblahblah 7y ago
  /pol/ works magic b/c everyone is so far up their own ass, utterly humorless, and can't look at things in context. Nuance and context have eroded in favor of absurd, rigid tribalism. And /pol/ pulls on that thread constantly. And as a progressive (at a high level - a BLM, OWS, #MeToo supporting) - i find it utterly amazing. The inability for the left and the press to have nuance, take things with a grain of salt, have a chuckle from time to time (even at yourselves), is their greatest weakness right now.
HNLurker2 7y ago
What the fuck did I just read?
fellellor 7y ago
Honestly, this is just too funny. Imagine if these guys chose to use their powers for good instead.
hprotagonist 7y ago
Pedantry ahoy: that’s not a hashtag, it’s just a hash.
mindcrash 7y ago
If they succeed yet again it will only be more evidence Western civilization has gone completely off the rails. (The first time around they managed to convince nearly the entire left wing community that the universal "okay sign" was a symbol of hate. Yes, that was them too.)
Nadya 7y ago
I look forward to the fringe left and mainstream media conceding more and more ideas, symbols, and words to their alt-right enemies. I'm waiting for the Gay Pride Flag / LGBT Flag to be conceded. So that I can finally be called a Nazi for supporting LGBT rights and refusing to let the alt-right co-opt everything and anything they decide to meme. For anyone imaging how they would co-opt the flag: Colors aren't mixed in a rainbow. White supremacists are against "color mixing" (interracial relationships). Supreme (the clothing brand) will be targeted soon and it isn't a huge leap to tie the name with white supremacy. Media coverage knows this is a hoax to make them look like idiots. They'll drum it up anyway for the clicks and ad revenue because people don't seem to care how accurate or intelligent their media coverage is: it's long been about entertainment - not news.

35 points by Fjolsvith 7y ago

The world is getting dumber at an alarming rate.

Does anyone ever question the competence of the media based on their ability to fall for such obvious bait time and time again?

bArray 7y ago
From their perspective, whether it is bait or not, they only benefit from commenting on it. People buy into their news media if it either asserts what they already believe to be true or outlines something outrageous. This news coverage is just the beginning, but it'll probably fizzle out because it's a lose-lose for news media. It has also been started in public and is easily debunk-able.
s9w 7y ago
They know it's a bait. It's written in most of the articles itself. But they can't help the urge to virtue signal. See "it's okay to be white"
- Steel_Phoenix 7y ago
  The most brilliant counter to this I've seen is replacing the "it's ok to be white" paper that was removed with a blank piece of paper. Hopefully, once seeing blank paper is sending people to the campus police, this can all come to a truly ridiculous end.

bArray 7y ago

I think this really highlights the stupidity of the "okay symbol". As long as we allow people to change the meaning of words and symbols, this will continue to happen.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
foolrush 7y ago
Uh you are aware of the history of the swastika, right?
- bArray 7y ago
  When such a large group of people begin using the symbol it's hard to combat, but a few people on the internet with a small amount of usage should be easier to combat.
happytoexplain 7y ago
How do we prevent meaning from following usage in an era where a small group can create apparently extensive usage?
- bArray 7y ago
  Stop news media from creating articles like this and take back the meaning by using it in its original context. I think that's a good start.
- forgottenpass 7y ago
  >prevent meaning from following usage in an era where a small group can create apparently extensive usage A good first step would be if journos stopped treating Twitter as if it were a meaningful representation of the real world.

bArray 7y ago

Speaking to some people in these circles, this is quite likely in direct response to a news piece: "High School Spends $53,000 To Reprint Yearbooks After Students Flash Racist Symbol" [1]. [1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/high-school-yearbooks-racist-hand-sign_n_5ce6f165e4b0a2f9f28bcf63 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/high-school-yearbooks-racist-...

notnot 7y ago

I don't think this will work. Excuse my nonsense logic but the swastika works well as a symbol of hate (despite having other origins and meanings) in that it has a single center with coherent angular spirals, the center signifying the ego and the spirals signifying logic and order complying with it... or something. The hashtag has an empty center and four equal points that sort of radiate in multiple directions... seems more oligopolistic and ambivalent than totalitarian and opinionated.

sdwisely 7y ago
the idea is for it to be a troll and a signal with plausible deniability more along the lines of the "okay" gesture https://www.adl.org/blog/how-the-ok-symbol-became-a-popular-trolling-gesture https://www.adl.org/blog/how-the-ok-symbol-became-a-popular-...
ddingus 7y ago
It's name is octothorpe. Say it, spread it. The curio will combat the troll.

s9w 7y ago

/pol/s campaigns can work surprising magic. The okay sign worked reasonably well. And still the "it's okay to be white" continues to make people mad on both sides. This one.. it'll be more difficult.

loudtieblahblah 7y ago
/pol/ works magic b/c everyone is so far up their own ass, utterly humorless, and can't look at things in context. Nuance and context have eroded in favor of absurd, rigid tribalism. And /pol/ pulls on that thread constantly. And as a progressive (at a high level - a BLM, OWS, #MeToo supporting) - i find it utterly amazing. The inability for the left and the press to have nuance, take things with a grain of salt, have a chuckle from time to time (even at yourselves), is their greatest weakness right now.

HNLurker2 7y ago

What the fuck did I just read?

fellellor 7y ago

Honestly, this is just too funny. Imagine if these guys chose to use their powers for good instead.

hprotagonist 7y ago

Pedantry ahoy: that’s not a hashtag, it’s just a hash.

mindcrash 7y ago

If they succeed yet again it will only be more evidence Western civilization has gone completely off the rails. (The first time around they managed to convince nearly the entire left wing community that the universal "okay sign" was a symbol of hate. Yes, that was them too.)

Nadya 7y ago

I look forward to the fringe left and mainstream media conceding more and more ideas, symbols, and words to their alt-right enemies. I'm waiting for the Gay Pride Flag / LGBT Flag to be conceded. So that I can finally be called a Nazi for supporting LGBT rights and refusing to let the alt-right co-opt everything and anything they decide to meme. For anyone imaging how they would co-opt the flag: Colors aren't mixed in a rainbow. White supremacists are against "color mixing" (interracial relationships). Supreme (the clothing brand) will be targeted soon and it isn't a huge leap to tie the name with white supremacy. Media coverage knows this is a hoax to make them look like idiots. They'll drum it up anyway for the clicks and ad revenue because people don't seem to care how accurate or intelligent their media coverage is: it's long been about entertainment - not news.