Why Are Internet Hoaxes Always Right-Wing?

[GreenTea]

And Why Do People You Thought Were Bright Forward Them?

Why Does Andy Rooney hate blacks?

Why did Hillary refuse to meet with Gold Star mothers?

How could Al Gore not know who Osama bin Laden was when Oliver North mentioned him during the Iran-Contra hearings?

The answers to all the questions are simple. Because the statements aren't true.
But truth isn't important when you're trying to feed your team's jones for partisan propaganda..

We get them in the mail almost every day, many times sent to us by people who we once thought had some semblance of common sense.

But even more, why are most everyone of these e-mails right wing knocks against the left. And when I say "Left," I don't mean THEE Left, but anything left of far-right.

The answer is found in its similarity to talk radio. It's about spreading lies to get people to hate people and programs the host hate. And just like talk radio, its audience wants to believe whatever they say to be true. So much so that the ability to reason is lost in the anger that the lies and rumors evoke.

I'm not saying that all those on the right lack smarts, but the part of their brain that detects the crap from the distinct smell of the bull alone, suffers near-fatal dysfunction when that crap supporting their side is squeezed out.

It's why when we write back to our misinformed, forwarding friends, providing proof of the lie, they don't care whether it's true or not. They believe in the message and probably that the target of the e-mail would do worse if given the chance.

But why don't we get many of these e-mail hoaxes lambasting the right? Simple. Why send around false accusations that won't pass the smell test, when there is so much actual inanity coming out of this White House.

<More>

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-young/why-are-internet-hoaxes-a_b_40562.html

[Demeter]

1. When Your Life Is Predicated By Playing Fast and Loose With the Truth

and you demonstrate NO ability to handle anything like Reality, then you find no tolerance on the Left.

[myrna minx]

3. Bill O'Reilly read that exact quote in Paris Business Review.

:rofl:

[LaPera]

5. Correct. And I've receive some emails from people I believed were smarter

and above the lies just repeating (via email) the stupid republican lies!

[demosincebirth]

2. Thats what their ilk want to hear.

[AllegroRondo]

4. Liberals tend to be more critical of arguments

especially ones that are mass-mailed.

[Jackpine Radical]

6. I think that a REAL reason for all those things

is that the wingnut "think" tanks actually have paid professionals creating & disseminating that & other kinds of disinformation. It's what they call "viral marketing."

[LaPera]

7. Yep, I think they hit their peak with President Clinton...

Clinton must have the record for bullshit hits from "anonymous" emails.

There was (and still is) so much laughable despicable trash, that was going around, and people were actually believing and repeating it as truth....but I suppose that's the reason for this neocon republican tactic.

[ieoeja]

10. Plus it helps them paint anyone who disagrees with them as being biased.

I get one of those emails and what do I do? I check Snopes then reply-all with the link. Some nutjob then counters with the "fact" that 90+% of the articles on Snopes corrects rightwing lies. They then conclude that Snopes is obviously partisan.

The only (and factual) counter argument is that 90+% of the lies out there are coming from the Right. But that argument sounds like bullshit to people who are only paying half a mind to the exchange.

By so many measurements the news coverage at CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and MSNBC leans heavily to the Right. But almost every time they do an actual investigation, almost every time they bring on a real scientist, almost every time they introduce FACTS into an argument, it supports the Left. And the Right uses to "prove" these networks have a Liberal bias.

They have painted Truth itself as having a Liberal bias. And to be fair you should listen to both sides of an issue before passing judgement. So the Lie is equal to the Truth.

[Jackpine Radical]

15. Indeed, as the Prophet said,

"The facts have a liberal bias."

[InternalDialogue]

8. If anyone mass-mailed the true Republican agenda, they'd have no takers.

That distribution list would quickly dwindle to a few corporate muckety-mucks and ignorant pricks who would print them out, strip naked, and wallow in the swill, dreaming of a world with no little brown people and no obstacles to their greed.

[Tightwad2007]

9. I listen to alot of progressive radio

shows. Should I ever be skeptical of anything said on those shows?

[InternalDialogue]

12. Welcome to DU, Tightwad2007.

Congratulations on listening to a lot of progressive radio. I, myself, do not listen to a lot of progressive radio, so I can't answer your question from experience.

But in my opinion, yes, you should be skeptical of everything, whether it is said on a progressive show or not. That which is false is deserving of skepticism and will crumble before it; that which is true will stand up to it.

[newyawker99]

13. Hi Tightwad2007!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[rinsd]

11. There are plenty on the left for internet hoaxes. EMAIL hoaxes, not so much

[Hissyspit]

14. .