Edit: better not to suggest anything specific & give free education on tactics, but I think there's a germ of something here.

[yakyunightowl@mastodon.world]

@artemis A single kick in the testicles will give most people a head start running to safety.

[artemis@dice.camp]

We also shouldn't do specific strategizing out in the open (for obvious reasons), so don't put out actual details for anything you are doing or would like to do in the future.

I just want to put the general idea out there & let it percolate in people's heads, because I know we've got a lot of clever folks out there, including folks who are experts on this very type of thing.

[whatsyouracagain@mstdn.social]

@artemis if you’re trying to survive, there’s no dirty fighting.

[foolishowl@social.coop]

@artemis Fascists are prone to vicious infighting, and Trump & company have been reckless about antagonizing their own supposed base, so that's what I'd think should be exploited.

[lexyeen@plush.city]

@artemis Fighting clean is for tournaments. Fighting for survival is - by its very nature - a dirty, nasty, brutish act.

And the fuckers want us *gone.*

Not simply dead, but memory-holed into non-existence.

Let's go for the eyes, knees, groin, and throat. Metaphorically.

[saltywizard@beige.party]

@artemis

please share the poster design should you succeed in producing it.

[artemis@dice.camp]

I make no bones about it: I am a propagandist. I literally put it in my bio in the interest of personal honesty.

I love having real, two-way conversations with real people about all kinds of things, but I'm also interested in hacking people's brains. I'm interested in planting ideas, changing minds, & yes, playing on emotion.

Maybe that sounds supervillain-ish to say, but ‍️

A resistance movement needs propaganda too. We need to influence how people think & behave.

[angiebaby@mas.to]

@artemis

"Want to redeem yourself as an American? Scan this QR code to learn more."

[raphaelmorgan@disabled.social]

@artemis I have a feeling it's gonna have to revolve around the CSA ring... Everyone who's had any genuine notion of protecting children is horrified any time we think of it. That's why they're trying so hard to make sure not many of us do. Seems vital to get in the way of that

[perigee@rage.love]

@artemis there is lore about sabotage guides from Nazi Germany for German citizens published quietly by the resistance. In guides and chapbooks. Even simple stuff that might be encouraged mechanical failures. Water in gas tanks, that might come from cracked seals. Stuff of that nature.

I think many of us agree that the time for reasonable, measured debate and conversation is over.

[artemis@dice.camp]

I'm a very honest & sincere person. I am about as open & genuine on here as I am capable of being. I don't like to play mental games. I appreciate directness & honesty.

But also we're going to need to hack a few minds. 🫤

I don't love it, but people are moved by all kinds of things that aren't logical presentations of fact or appeals to morals.

[artemis@dice.camp]

As I see it, there are at least two kinds of propaganda (probably more):

There is one side of this where I only say things that I 100% believe in. Yes, I try to find the most impactful way to make my point & influence other people, but it comes from genuine feeling & contains no deliberate lies or mistruths. I may be attempting to change someone's thinking, but in this context I am *never* trying to convince anyone of anything I don't believe myself.

[artemis@dice.camp]

There is a seedier side to this, though. It makes me pretty uncomfortable, actually because honesty is one of the things I value most, but sometimes we may need to influence people in less honest & open ways. We need to be clever. We need to use social engineering to exploit mental & emotional vulnerabilities.

It's not nice & it's not pretty. I really personally dislike it & feel uncomfortable with it. I despise manipulation. But...we gotta fuck up the enemy.

[rightsprung@c.im]

@artemis

Yes!

[artemis@dice.camp]

To be clear, on here, I will not fucking lie to you.

I will not try to convince you of anything I don't believe. In fact, I will only try to convince someone of things that I think they would want to know.

I don't play games with the truth, not with my friends, my comrades, or anyone who is looking for truth, justice, & compassion. Not doing it.

But other scenarios might call for something less "authentic".

[artemis@dice.camp]

Some people are never going to be our friends. Some people will never respond to all our appeals to hear & understand the truth.

Ok...so...what do we do with those people then? They're here. They're dangerous. They're violent.

So if we can't simply get rid of them & we can't get them to meaningfully change, we're going to have to do something else.

[artemis@dice.camp]

They aren't critical thinkers. They didn't get to where they are by noticing when they're being manipulated. So manipulate the hell out of them. Manipulate them both on an individual level & at scale. Fuck with their heads. Confuse them. Encourage their rage in *certain directions*. You can't deprogram anyone or remove their bigotry through manipulation, but you can find ways to get in their heads & influence them using the self-beliefs & fears they have. These people are easy marks.

[artemis@dice.camp]

If the grunts in ICE don't *yet* feel resentment towards their own organization, we can certainly work towards that goal. There is plenty to work with.

How did bad actors in 2015 manipulate folks online leading up to Trump's election? How did they operate even before then, testing out their ability to influence people using their resentment, insecurities, & persecution complexes?

And then once we've figured that out...what can we use that for?

[artemis@dice.camp]

Petty, angry people with no self-control & somehow even less self-awareness do not have a lot of mental defenses when it comes to anything which exploits & plays on their basest feelings of anger & fear.

Maybe it's uncomfortable for some of us to consider using their mental & emotional vulnerabilities against them, but they are RIGHT THERE. MAGA can be played. ICE can be played. Anyone who submits to the brainwashing is an easy target. If you can't save them, fuck with them.

[shivaekul@infosec.exchange]

@artemis We can take away their power and capacity for violence. Long term that's better than encouraging and directing the violence elsewhere. We do have avenues to make them change, they do feel social pressures, demoralizing them does actually work well. Encouraging violence is counterproductive if we want a world without violence.