Read on Twitter
Heads up 4chan is planning a homophobic propaganda campaign targeting small businesses who post support for Pride, starting June 1.
If you've got the stomach for it, here's a 10-step plan to help. Spread it around to lighten the load for all of us.
If you've got the stomach for it, here's a 10-step plan to help. Spread it around to lighten the load for all of us.
1. Save this image to have on hand. Read it to familiarize yourself with their strategy. Also screencap this thread for reference.
2. Starting June 1 be on the lookout for corporate accounts posting about pride, especially ones with small numbers of followers & likes
2. Starting June 1 be on the lookout for corporate accounts posting about pride, especially ones with small numbers of followers & likes
Following hashtags like Pride, Pride2020, and PrideMonth will help. Remember to sort by "latest" so you see more than just the highest engagement posts, which they're avoiding.
3. As you find supportive posts by businesses, open them in new tabs to keep an eye on them.
3. As you find supportive posts by businesses, open them in new tabs to keep an eye on them.
ALT 3, for lower effort: just check them as you see them.
4. Occasionally go through your open tabs and refresh them to see whether any homophobic propaganda has been posted in response.
4. Occasionally go through your open tabs and refresh them to see whether any homophobic propaganda has been posted in response.
5. When you find a response, go to the user's page and find every other page they've posted propaganda to so far. Open the tweets they responded to in new tabs.
6. Report and block the user before engaging with the posts.
6. Report and block the user before engaging with the posts.
7. Respond to the targeted posts—
a.) Attach the image you saved in № 1,
b.) Paste the message in the following tweet
a.) Attach the image you saved in № 1,
b.) Paste the message in the following tweet
You've been targeted by a small but dedicated hate group to spread homophobic materials and discourage you from supporting the LGBT+ community. The attached image is a screenshot of their plan. You can hide their responses to your tweet, so your audience won't see their hate.
8. Repeat steps for as long as you can stomach it.
9. Stop before you burn out. This kind of strategy relies on decentralized crowds of attackers overwhelming individuals who take a stand. Opposition needs to also be decentralized, making it useless to target specific people.
9. Stop before you burn out. This kind of strategy relies on decentralized crowds of attackers overwhelming individuals who take a stand. Opposition needs to also be decentralized, making it useless to target specific people.
That means if you can't stomach doing it more than once, that helps. That's better than leaving that one to be done by somebody who's done 20 already.
10. Keep reporting and blocking these people if they try to engage with you. Don't give them a chance, don't try to dunk on them. Just report and block.
Some responses to anticipated questions:
Q. What about people who can't handle exposing themselves to that content?
A. They don't have to do this.
Q. What about people who can't handle exposing themselves to that content?
A. They don't have to do this.
Q. Aren't I putting myself at risk of being targeted for harassment?
A. Yes. The more people who do this, and the fewer you in particular do, the less likely you'll be seen as an important target. But these people do that kind of thing.
A. Yes. The more people who do this, and the fewer you in particular do, the less likely you'll be seen as an important target. But these people do that kind of thing.
Your account might be falsely reported and you might lose access due to mass reporting. Twitter should be able to work out that the reports are unjustified but if you're going to do a lot of these you should prepare for that risk.
Q. Is this really going to be all that bad?
A. Maybe not. Maybe it's got no momentum over there. And if there's a lot of immediate and organized pushback, a lot of people who planned to participate may get frustrated or discouraged and stop.
A. Maybe not. Maybe it's got no momentum over there. And if there's a lot of immediate and organized pushback, a lot of people who planned to participate may get frustrated or discouraged and stop.
As we've all learned from current global events, it's easy to mistake the consequences of an effective early response for evidence of overreaction; if they give up right away (or even if they don't bother because they know people prepared for them) that's a win.
Q. Isn't corporations doing Pride stuff bad actually?
A. Yes. AND hate groups hijacking corporate Pride messages to spread homophobia is Worse. This isn't allying with one enemy to fight another. This is keeping one enemy from forcing the other into allegiance.
A. Yes. AND hate groups hijacking corporate Pride messages to spread homophobia is Worse. This isn't allying with one enemy to fight another. This is keeping one enemy from forcing the other into allegiance.
Q. I think № X should be slightly different in a specific way
A. Change the plan however you want, I'm not your boss. I tried to write something that'll work out of the can, for people who might be nervous to guess about how they should fill in the gaps,
A. Change the plan however you want, I'm not your boss. I tried to write something that'll work out of the can, for people who might be nervous to guess about how they should fill in the gaps,
but if you feel strongly that some part or parts should be different, say so when you share it or write and share your own version. @ me and I'll RT it; I don't want to control strategy here or spend energy arguing about it.
