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I have noticed the same thing. On certain threads they always seem to appear...especially climate change threads. Who has money to pay these people... big oil.
"Birther" threads go on page after page with the same people on them and with the anti-birther people doing the most posting. Same with the Glenn Beck threads of the past. It got to be very predictable as to who was going to show up in them.
I have also noticed that several very prolific pro-Obama posters have come and gone over the past few years. They may have reappeared under different usernames after people got wise to them.
I would like to point out to you guys that people employing paid shills, aren't stupid.
I know people that work for public polling services whose main customers are.....both political parties.
So, they are more likely to try to aim threads at undecideds rather than start birther flame wars or claim george Bush is behind 9-11.
So, I think most of the paid shill stuff is more toned down and aimed at the middle while the crackpot type threads are well.....generated by the crackpots.
It happens here. If there s a big story you suddenly see multiple threads on racism, gay marriage, interracial marriage, anything to try to get some arguments going and to divert attention from the real issue. Just look for a poster with a faily low reputation.
They can't be paid much or at least don't have much to do so they're told to monitor all boards and forums like this. They seem to come and go.
The paid posters, and I know they exist, are a problem for democracy regardless of your party. Too many people parrot what they hear and read, and it becomes fact, which is then used as the basis of their decision making process.
Prime example: the average American pays a higher tax rate than Romney. This has been repeated so many times that your average $50k working Joe thinks he pays more than your average millionaire. Anyone can download the tax stats from the IRS. Romney's return is online. The notion that the average American pays 33% in federal tax is so far from reality it's scary. Your average reporter or blogger couldn't differentiate between an effective tax rate and a marginal rate if his or her life depended on it. They do know 33 is bigger than 15, and on that basis they spew misinformation. The dumbchit masses, equally uninformed and incapable of anything more complex than a 1040EZ tow the party line.
Another example: GE pays no taxes. GE pays billions in taxes. There are a few years they have not had a federal tax liability, but in total, they have paid billions. Ironically, the same people who scream "payroll taxes are taxes also" are the same people screaming GE pays no taxes. Every dollar you pay in payroll tax is matched by your employer. State taxes. Excise taxes. A simple visit to the SEC website and one can download their financials and even their tax return. That doesn't serve an agenda as well as saying "GE pays no taxes".
Propaganda works in absolutes. Organizations make blanket statements taken out of context and hope it achieves their goal. Joe Average is often so stupid and misinformed as to believe it.
When I see things that don't make sense I like to validate it. I used to keep track - almost 80% of the information I attempted to validate was blatantly false or skewed. I made a good living. Very good. Skepticism and a cynical outlook are important traits for any aspiring CEO.
The latest trend is "post a video" and split. No opinion or statement. I won't even look at those posts.
So, they are more likely to try to aim threads at undecideds rather than start birther flame wars or claim george Bush is behind 9-11.
as noted by both karl rove and the national revue ( among others ) birtherism is a detriment to the GOP in the upcoming election. if i truly was an agent for obama or some global domination entity, as i've been accused of multiple times, then i'd be knocking myself silly to promote birtherism.
if it's affective then we can be guaranteed that there are people being paid from both sides of the political spectrum to post. a 21st century update on going door to door. but as mathguy noted, it's unlikely these people would be posting in the fringe threads.
Paid contributors aren't much of a concern of mine. I'm more troubled by the outright misinformation put forth by the Average Everyday Joe on this forum. The Trayvon Martin case and the subsequent rush to judgement by his defenders really eroded my faith in the people of this nation to be objective and cognizant of the difference between fact, fiction, and lies.
It makes me wonder how many other bouts of gullibility these folks deal with in everyday life? We already know they fell hook, line, and sinker for Hope N' Change.....it's scary to think of the danger they pose to America through an abject lack of due diligence and rational thinking.
I recall one extreme RW poster who let slip that she was being paid. She stopped posting. Now I would think that getting paid to post is not against the TOS, as there is nothing in the TOS opposing it. So I'd guess her employer made her quit (posting anyway) for outing herself.
I agree with your second sentence. In immunization debates, there are several of us who have been accused of being shills of Big Pharma, b/c we post factual information. That is just one example.
I have one poster on ignore for accusing me of being paid to post, after I denied it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brentwoodgirl
I wouldn't have believed it for the most part, but one day someone here posted the real name of a poster who always shows up when a few certain topics are being discussed. I googled the name, and there were a bunch of articles with that person's name, posting ID, and sites where he posts on the same topic. And info about how this poster may have affected some trials that have happened.
After that, I starting noticing that he is one of 2 posters who take over any thread about certain topics. I'm pretty good about remembering names and what people post, so I know who the usual righties/lefties are that tend to jump on most subjects. These two don't fall into that catergory. I would say 80+% of their posts are on the same topics, and they tend not to be here in between those threads. And they pretty much tag team to shut down all opposition on those threads.
And their web history shows they focus on these topics on forums all over the web. It seems like they have a notification set up to find any discussions on certain topics so they can go and disrupt them.
I wouldn't have noticed it if someone hadn't posted the person's real name, but once I did, it certainly an interesting pattern to watch, and I'm pretty sure they are getting paid to do this.
I thought it was shameful of a certain poster to "out" a poster on a birther thread, by posting his first and last name. He didn't even get suspended for doing so, even after I (and probably others) reported him.
Yes, some people show up on threads of a certain topic. Why is that a surprise? If you check CD even onc a day, you can see what new threads have been started.
I do not believe there are any "tag teams" going on, at least not on the "liberal" side, or at least none that include me. Nor have I ever been "invited" to join such a team.
I have noticed the same thing. On certain threads they always seem to appear...especially climate change threads. Who has money to pay these people... big oil.
No, she's tallking about the after-birthers that don't want us talking about the usurper in chief. There probably are some on climate change. They tend to be the supporters of bigGov't, bigPharma, bigAg, Imperialists, lefties this year, they'll be righties next year.
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