Riikka SuominenFeb 12, 2025
Dave Rahardja

I wish more people understand that repeating a conservative #meme to debunk it *only serves to spread the meme*.

Don’t repeat memetic #propaganda, even to criticize it. Certain phrases and memes are popular among bigots because they are effective at turning bigotry into seemingly fun wordplay. By repeating it (even with a big red slash across it) YOU ARE SPREADING THE HATEFUL MEME.

Treat viral bigoted memes like the radioactive waste that they are. Don’t repost them at all if you can. If you must, address them obliquely or abstractly, or hide them behind protective material to shield the casual reader from exposure.

Remember, MOST people browse their timelines without reading anything closely. If you repost a bigoted meme, they’ll view the meme but not your post, and you would have inadvertently spread the meme that much further along.

Feb 12, 2025 at 7:18amWeb
Show threadtaxetFeb 12, 2025

@drahardja another good way to think about them is to consider them to be like viruses.

You can talk about the virus or warn people of the virus, but you might not want to go around spreading it to everyone.

Show threadAdrian CockcroftFeb 12, 2025
@drahardja Don’t feed the trolls. Don’t let them rile you up. Calling them wierd or ignoring them is best.
Show threadSpace HoboFeb 12, 2025
@drahardja I don't much like the HOA phenomenon on mastodon, but I will stop and scold anyone who uses the neo-nazi M**A pattern for anything.
Show threadDavid Chisnall (*Now with 50% more sarcasm!*)Feb 12, 2025
@drahardja There was a paper on combatting misinformation that was published a few months ago (I don’t have the link handy) that supported this. In particular, directly raising and contradicting a point didn’t make people change their minds, but posting well-sourced things (you know, not like the ‘a paper I read and don’t have the citation now’ thing I’m doing right now) that contradicted things did make people (slowly) change their minds. Don’t post their stupid thing and rebut it, post something that directly contradicts it. For example, ignore Musk’s claims about US Aid and just post about how it improves national security for a very low cost and helps stabilise domestic food prices at the same time. Completely ignore their misinformation and post facts and evidence that happen to directly contradict their narrative.
Show threadeconadsFeb 12, 2025

@david_chisnall
I love this.

@drahardja

Show threadPuddleOfKittensFeb 13, 2025
@david_chisnall @drahardja IMO the problem with unsourced rebuttals is that even if you trust the poster, if you repeat it to someone else you'd have to convince *them* to trust the poster, but that's too hard so people don't bother reposting. No reposting means no virality means no impact.
Show threadSimon DassowFeb 12, 2025
@drahardja So. Much. This.
Show threadThe Sleight Doctor 🃏🍉Feb 12, 2025

@drahardja Agreed. There's also the not inconsequential fact that those most susceptible to the meme's message won't be those able to follow the arguments in your critique. They'll just see the message as legitimized by your engagement with it - and perhaps even enjoy the fact that it irritated you enough to share it. "Owning the libs"!

So it really is pointless masochism to bother with trying to refute such messaging.

Show threadjohnny anhedonicFeb 17, 2025
@drahardja right? remember when people were going around with maga-style hats with messages of resistance on them? and how you couldn't really read them without getting up close so it just looked like a person in a maga hat? it's like that.
Show threadTofu GolemAug 21, 2025
@drahardja
I could not agree more!