In the past few days, I feel like I’ve seen a significant uptick in CEO sympathy comments, comments expressing righteous indignation about how anyone could possibly be celebrating the murder of an innocent widdle guy, etc.

Especially so in the comment sections of official news media posts.

My conspiracy brain take is some billionaire got upset that there was a little too much class solidarity and anti-CEO sentiment going around, and started writing checks to paid troll farm to try and get some control back over the narrative.

  • Doubledee [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    7 days ago

    If I were them I’d be terrified and hell bent on reframing this.

    There is a regular phenomenon in this country of disaffected people committing random violence. It’s usually directed at children, the last thing I would want is for everyone to realize that you could do the same thing, and also be universally regarded as a heroic figure, if you switch targets.

  • viva_la_juche [they/them, any]@hexbear.net
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    7 days ago

    One of the guys on western kabuki talks about his time at a company that basically astroturfed for politicians and celebrities a few years ago and I think that shit is probably/definitely as widespread as you’d imagine it to be

  • Lemister [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    7 days ago

    Modern propaganda is distributed with bots and “relatable content” - so yes thats exactly what happening although I think its the state acting and not because a CEO complained solely.

    One must also remember that most politicians are shareholders in some form or another.

  • Hohsia [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    7 days ago

    I mean maybe, but it’s more likely we’re in a bit of an echo chamber and most people heavily bought into whatever the MSM presented

    • ferristriangle [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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      7 days ago

      No doubt, but I’m specifically referring to comment sections of news agency posts. I feel (very anecdotally) that it seemed like the reception was near universally positive in the immediate aftermath of the event and the day after, but checking the comments on newer posts from those same news media accounts today feels like a switch has flipped and the sentiments expressed are now much closer to a 50:50 positive to bootlicker ratio.

      I don’t know how accurate my observations are, and I partly posted this to see if others have noticed the same shift or if I am just extrapolating from too small of a sample size.

      • Hohsia [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        7 days ago

        I’m very skeptical about “online is real life” rhetoric because as you alluded to, it’s just not a great sample size (you can’t assume the internet is American)

      • Hohsia [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        7 days ago

        Yeah it’s so tough to tell because there are so many variables at play (emotion being a big one)

        And a ton of people have been royally fucked over by private health insurance so I guess it comes down to whether their rage over that outweighs the rage brought about by their reactionary, political views

  • Daemon Silverstein
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    7 days ago

    I guess that this behavior could also be attributed to sort of a Stockholm syndrome, when the kidnapped develops affection towards their kidnapper. Billionaires have been keeping the people as hostages under a heavy and bureaucratic system which promises to “award” those who bootlick them.

    • ferristriangle [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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      7 days ago

      Oh, I’m sure there is organic versions of these sentiments going around.

      It’s more that, anecdotally for me at least, in the immediate aftermath of this event and the day after, the reaction seemed to be near universally positive even on the news agency posts, with only a few bootlicker posts sprinkled in.

      Whereas today, the ratio to positive reaction to bootlicker seemed a lot closer to 50:50. I know it’s not exactly a rigorous measure, but if it was entirely organic sentiment I don’t think there would be such a rapid shift (that I may or may not just be imagining)