I’m reposting this diary from last summer because we have been inundated with agent provocateurs. This was in response to the BLM kerfuffle that was going on at the time but applies across the board. I just went through the hidden list and the number of 6 month old through new users on it is extremely high. Hover your cursor over the names of the shit stirrers before responding to any of them. If they’re new just flag and move on. Don’t give them the satisfaction of acknowledgement.
I wrote this as a comment in a diary earlier today. I've been in and out of dKos through out today and some of the diaries and comments have just furthered my belief that I am right and some of us are falling into a trap. This is not in any way an indictment of everyone that has strong feelings on either side of this complex issue. It is simply a reminder that there are people who are using it in an attempt to divide the democratic coalitions by further enflaming the honest frustrations of candidate supporters on both sides as well as the supporters of the extremely important Black Lives Matter movement.
I'm seeing diaries and comments that are no doubt designed to be sent to members of this coalition as a way to divide them. So here is the comment I wrote and remember that I am in no way saying that everyone who is angered by what is happening is a part of this, although in some cases I wish they were, I'm just reminding you that some don't have any interest in supporting any part of our coalition. They want to crush it.
Having been at dKos for four (34+ / 0-) Presidential election cycles there's one thing that concerns me and I want others to keep in mind. There is an element that comes here each time with the intent to sow dissention between our coalitions. They've gotten better at hiding their real goal each time. They are good at whipping up anger within a faction toward a different faction or multiple factions. They appear out of nowhere and become prolific commenters with the vast majority of their comments being attacks against opponents and opponents supporters. Some are easy to spot and some not so much. Sometimes it's as easy as looking at the date they joined or seeing how frequently they commented over a number of years. Nothing would please them more than succeeding at destroying part of the democratic coalition.
I'm not saying that every Bernie supporter who is expressing rage against BLM is one of these people or that the people who claim to be supporting Hillary and gleefully attacking Bernie are part of this but it is something each side should keep in mind as this dispute continues. The people who support candidates should be watching their own side for these people and investigate the ones that are most strident. Frequently these people have signed up recently and commented frequently, far more than is typical of a new user. They know how to take someone's frustration and turn it into a white hot anger. What's going on right now is a perfect climate for them. Please don't let them succeed.
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