Disinformation is the deliberate use of lies to manipulate people, whether to extract profit or to advance a political agenda. Its unwitting accomplice, misinformation, is spread by unknowing dupes who repeat lies they believe to be true. In America today, both forms of falsehood are distorting our perception of reality.

In a democracy, the people need a shared set of facts as a basis to debate and make decisions that advance and secure their collective interests. Differences of opinion, and even propaganda, have always existed in the United States, but now, enemies of democracy are using disinformation to attack our sovereign right to truthful information, intellectual integrity, and the exercise of the will of the people. Online disinformation is particularly insidious because of its immediacy, its capacity to deceive, and its ability to reach its target.

  • @SexWithDogs
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    53 months ago

    If you can’t turn someone red, just make them a single issue voter.

    Voting blue can hurt sometimes as a gun-owning Texan, but I do what I must. I didn’t always have that mentality.

    • gradyp
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      3 months ago

      serious question, why does it hurt? I’m not a gun owner but I don’t see much that the left is doing that is actually endangering your rights. I do see a lot of fearmongering from the right but as far as I can tell it’s entirely bloviating. I mean, the bluest of blue areas still have extremely liberal gun laws and what I see being proposed from the left is more or less common sense reforms. Obviously there are outliers but I don’t see that agenda having much success. In fact, I have some very strong gun rights friends who are entirely and proudly progressive.

      • @SexWithDogs
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        3 months ago

        I hang out in enough blue spaces to see the cries for renewed bans on particular styles of guns. A lot of the stuff I own in Texas would already be a felony to own in NY and Cali.

        There also appears to be a variety of definitions for “common sense” gun laws, and it seems to depend largely on an individual’s locality. Universal background checks is a no-brainer, but I’d like to keep my semi-auto rifle and standard capacity mags.

        Besides, everyone knows it’s actually handguns that are responsible for a vast majority of violent crimes involving firearms, which potentially makes them next up on the chopping block once the precedent is set by the first ban of a style of firearm that’s rarely used in violent gun crimes rarely in comparison.

        • gradyp
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          3 months ago

          Thanks for the reply. I kinda get some of the concern with the proposed bans, I do think there has been some misguided attempts. From a non-gun owner’s perspective though, I’ve never really thought they seemed fatal to the hobby, just an annoyance more or less and the sort of thing that with sane legislation would work itself out over time. I mean, I’m a car guy but I’ve made peace with the fact that we won’t see popup headlights ever again…

          Same with the handgun thing, but like regulations on other things, over time effectivity will win out and sensibility may be found. Maybe I’m too hopeful though.

          Appreciate the response…