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1. THE CAT
I love a good conspiracy theory. As a thriller writer, a compelling conspiracy is pure gold. I started keeping an eye on conspiracy websites more than a decade ago, but in 2014 I noticed a shift.
A sinister shift (DRAMATIC MUSIC CUE)...
I love a good conspiracy theory. As a thriller writer, a compelling conspiracy is pure gold. I started keeping an eye on conspiracy websites more than a decade ago, but in 2014 I noticed a shift.
A sinister shift (DRAMATIC MUSIC CUE)...
2. Conspiracy theories, once the sort of thing people might be ashamed of, started to be shared more publicly. This was no accident. Cyber warefare hit its stride.
What's been referred to as the Gerasimov Doctrine is actually something more nebulous. https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/05/im-sorry-for-creating-the-gerasimov-doctrine/
What's been referred to as the Gerasimov Doctrine is actually something more nebulous. https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/05/im-sorry-for-creating-the-gerasimov-doctrine/
3. Whatever one calls it, the approach was highly effective. Conspiracy theorists were given support. Wittingly or unwittingly they became part of a plan to sow division. The approach is strategic genius, and it's worked. https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/09/04/american-writer-russian-disinformation-campaign.cnnbusiness
4. Trust in the media and politicians is at an all-time low. People openly share bizarre conspiracies about Bill Gates, George Soros and, of course, Hillary Clinton https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/anatomy-of-a-fake-news-scandal-125877/
5. The Gerasimov Doctrine isn't that difficult to implement. When confronted with complex problems, humans tend to search for the simplest solution. Along comes someone with hidden knowledge who can reveal the 'truth' of the complex problem.
6. The 'truth' is usually that those in power are evil and that if enough people saw the 'truth' the evildoers could be crushed. The Gerasimov Doctrine works for the same reason cults never run out of recruits. https://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/is-your-organisation-a-cult-10371
7. There's always a steady supply of problems and individuals looking for answers. Most people don't think like geostrategists, so they can't believe they're being manipulated. They think they're part of a movement that's unlocked a hidden truth, so they evangelise...
8. ...doing the geostrategists' work, recruiting new followers. Those who haven't been 'red-pilled' are 'sheep'. They're dehumanised & given aggressive treatment. It's a classic cult technique & serves to bully people who aren't strong enough to stand up. https://www.insider.com/i-grew-up-in-a-cult-and-i-can-tell-you-why-normal-people-join-them-2018-3
9. It also shows members of the group what happens to those who don't stick to the approved message.
There is a growing cult of anti-vaxxers and self-styled freedom fighters who are intent on denying the reality of the #COVID19 pandemic. https://twitter.com/adamhamdy/status/1302529994510471168?s=20
There is a growing cult of anti-vaxxers and self-styled freedom fighters who are intent on denying the reality of the #COVID19 pandemic. https://twitter.com/adamhamdy/status/1302529994510471168?s=20
10. They're sharing pseudoscience, and selective snippets of information from established scientists who aren't sufficiently aware of how carefully they need to communicate in this politically charged environment.
11. If one tracks the sources of this pseudoscience and disinformation, much of it is coming from the alternative news sites and conspiracy theorists that are part of the (for want of a better term) Gerasimov network. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/28/russia-covid-19-disinformation-websites-us-intelligence
12. When dealing with a potentially lethal virus which causes a disease that may have lasting effects, it's important we realise not all opinions are equal. Widely accepted scientific evidence from credible sources must trump pseudoscience or feels.
13. Here I am on my bike. I'm required by law to wear a helmet. I'm not going to whine like a baby about the affront to my liberty.
14. I accept it's a trade off. Part of living in a complex, modern society. A mask that might save someone's life isn't a 'muzzle' or a sign you've lost your freedom. It's a piece of fabric.
15. If you find yourself being wound up by alternative news, and rely on an osteopath, your mate's father-in-law, or a conspiracy theorist for your science, if you start to believe Bill Gates is cooking you with 5G to implant a microchip in your buttcheek,...
16. ...if you think this government is in any way sufficiently competent to have planned this pandemic, you might want to look at the photo in the first tweet of this thread.
The cat knows a crackpot when it sees one.
And it's looking at you.
The cat knows a crackpot when it sees one.
And it's looking at you.
