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

[gardengeek@mstdn.social]

@artemis

here he is.

https://youtu.be/8STFRSygtOA

it's hard to believe this was just 8 mos ago. I think he was yelling at National Guard (not ICE/CBP). Today he would probably be choke-holded, zip tied, and dragged into detention. or worse.

[artemis@dice.camp]

I don't know exactly how good or effective it would be to pursue this specific angle, but I do know that we too need to employ propaganda & social engineering to exploit the weaknesses of our enemies. They don't hesitate to do it to literally *everyone*.

Some important battles are won & lost entirely inside people's minds. So we're going to have to get in their heads.

[artemis@dice.camp]

"You can't convince these people to change their minds or make different choices using facts & logic."

Ok, so if we want to influence their behavior, we don't use facts & logic. We use their emotions: fear, disgust, anger, resentment, entitlement, insecurity, whatever.

If we can't win them over we can still make the enemy have to work harder to make use of them. It's not just potential sabotage from within. It's also eroding the things that are used to keep them in line & direct their anger.

[artemis@dice.camp]

It doesn't need to be my concept. That's an idea, a possible avenue. The question is, how DO we use the tactics of the folks at the top against them? We basically have the manipulation playbook by now. We know how we got to this point. We know how they managed to gather up all this anger, hatred, & resentment & use it to fuel horrible violence.

The question is what's the play? How do we derail, confuse, & misinform the lackeys? As we know, they are easily derailed, confused, & misinformed.

[artemis@dice.camp]

We are all agreed that we will need to fight dirty sometimes, right?

[pawsplay@dice.camp]

@artemis I think the occasions when one should fight clean are the exceptions.

[ravensrod@mstdn.social]

@artemis There's another way of fighting?

[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.