5 ms·

Anti-mask sentiment is amplified by state actors? You have to tell me more about that theory.

ceejayoz 2y ago
It's not a particularly insane claim; at one point China was claiming the virus originated in a US bioweapons facility. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/20/china-revives-conspiracy-theory-of-us-army-link-to-covid https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/20/china-revives-... Here's someone specifically espousing the theory: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-coronavirus-russia-china-1.5583961 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-coronavirus-russia-ch... > China is trying to rewrite the narrative, he said, by suggesting that U.S. army officers brought the virus to Wuhan during military games in December — but Kremlin-controlled media outlets appear to be trying to prolong the pandemic outside of Russia. > "We saw articles ... claiming that handwashing has no impact on stemming the spread of the virus, that smokers do not get coronavirus, that ginger can be used to prevent contracting the disease," said Nehring. "Tons of false information that's never been corrected, never been retracted and is still online today, being put out by the Russians." Kneecapping a geopolitical enemy by spreading disinformation would hardly be a first.
legitster 2y ago
I think it is pretty widely accepted at this point that foreign actors regularly jump into online topics to fan flames and domestic distractions. Russia pays for massive botfarms doing... something. China funds massive social media investments into western markets for... something. The topics don't even have to be relevant to anything geopolitical. As an example, the East Palestine train derailment was a weeks old news story that the Chinese media pushed into social media as a response to their balloon being shot down: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64633990 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64633990
TheCleric 2y ago
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/ron-desantis-florida-student-masks/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/ron-desantis-florida...
runako 2y ago
Consider that "state actors" also includes US government officials and this becomes obviously true.

It's not a particularly insane claim; at one point China was claiming the virus originated in a US bioweapons facility. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/20/china-revives-conspiracy-theory-of-us-army-link-to-covid https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/20/china-revives-... Here's someone specifically espousing the theory: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-coronavirus-russia-china-1.5583961 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-coronavirus-russia-ch... > China is trying to rewrite the narrative, he said, by suggesting that U.S. army officers brought the virus to Wuhan during military games in December — but Kremlin-controlled media outlets appear to be trying to prolong the pandemic outside of Russia. > "We saw articles ... claiming that handwashing has no impact on stemming the spread of the virus, that smokers do not get coronavirus, that ginger can be used to prevent contracting the disease," said Nehring. "Tons of false information that's never been corrected, never been retracted and is still online today, being put out by the Russians." Kneecapping a geopolitical enemy by spreading disinformation would hardly be a first.

legitster 2y ago

I think it is pretty widely accepted at this point that foreign actors regularly jump into online topics to fan flames and domestic distractions. Russia pays for massive botfarms doing... something. China funds massive social media investments into western markets for... something. The topics don't even have to be relevant to anything geopolitical. As an example, the East Palestine train derailment was a weeks old news story that the Chinese media pushed into social media as a response to their balloon being shot down: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64633990 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64633990

TheCleric 2y ago

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/ron-desantis-florida-student-masks/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/ron-desantis-florida...

runako 2y ago

Consider that "state actors" also includes US government officials and this becomes obviously true.