As IF Times

Source: Facebook changes mission statement to ‘bring the world closer together’ | TechCrunch

Not content to be a cyber bulletin board for voyeurs, exhibitionists and lonely cat people, Facebook has reaped a financial bonanza by generating income from advertisers and marketers of all types selling to their addicted  audience.  When people sign on to peek enviously at the lifestyles of their wealthy buddies, they are also treated to a steady dose of ads for financial services and other miscellaneous junk. Increasingly, they also get treated to free political sanctimony and propaganda offered as suggested ‘likes’.  And because people want to be inclusive, they are encouraged to ‘like’ these not so subtle blurbs so as to be with the cool kids.  Here are some recent gems:

To most thinking people, this is annoying spam and could be tolerable if we found similar ‘like’ suggestions for trolling stories on left leaning personalities; you know, the whole fair and balanced thing.  Shockingly, it doesn’t happen.  With the target rich material offered up everyday by left leaning people and their causes, we never get treated to opinion pieces on them to like and pass on.  No pink hat wearing Ashley Judd pieces, no crazy eyed Nancy Pelosi slamming President Bush, no black professors banning whites in the name of inclusivity.

While this flotsam and spam is an affront to sane people who just want to ogle their buddies, it’s nothing less than a recruitment tool for leftist influencers to capture naïve and malleable minds.  This is the methodology that’s been used for eons by advertisers and opinion shapers to create a subtle but persuasive version of ‘normal’.  For example, if we watch enough TV,  we may think that man buns and beards are normal although these are really just affectations of a very small group of fashionistas.  Those inspired by this fad no doubt feel that they are expressing their individuality … in a me too kind of way.  In reality, it mostly comes off like Michael Moore wearing skinny jeans trying to be cool.

We imagine that this is the same technique that ISIS probably employs in their social network recruiting programs wherein ads for matches,  blow up dolls and vests are popular.  While Mohammed is checking up on his pal Mohammed, a suggested article pops up on the latest suicide vest fashion. Of course, they’re encouraged to “like” it.  Next thing ya know, everyone wants a vest.

Those who don’t believe the effectiveness of this type of coercion are rejecting over 100 years of work by the advertising industry.  Facebook’s not so subtle campaign of political coercion has been on-going unabashedly since well before the Trump election.  They’ve been doing their bit to convince  regular people into man buns and skinny jeans.  But now, the new mandate is to “bring people closer together” after long being advocates for partisan segregation and identity politics.  It’s the equivalent of North Korea announcing that their new credo is “college students welcome”.

Source: Police look for victim in body-shaming photo taken by Playboy model at L.A. gym – LA Times

It’s as if an entire bloc of people are living in a protected bubble with nary a link to the outside world.  These are people for whom life is lived virtually, where the things that are truly meaningful are linked to what is portrayed of them on the six inch screen.

The proliferation of smart phones, apps and social media platforms has transmogrified western culture into a self indulgent, narcissistic generation of Peter Pans.  If we could only get the ISIS tribe on board this faux world of false praise and paper thin sensibilities, we wouldn’t have to go after them with bullets.  A few well placed insults or provocative selfies and they’d all come undone just like the snowflakes and sensitive flowers that now populate the west.

It may be welcome respite for the police to chase down the sinister crimes of name calling rather than worry about hate groups threatening their lives on a daily basis, but there are some who think this may be a waste of resources.  It parallels worrying about how to get the caramel in a caramilk bar while engaged in a gun battle with thugs. And yet, a segment of the populace thinks that this is a good use of police resources.

It may be worthwhile for the US military to consider using a new tack when dealing with terrorists of all stripes.  Give them cell phones complete with twitter  and facebook accounts.  Then start calling them names and bodyshaming them and display it all as publicly as possible.   In very short order, they’ll abandon the notion of real violence for the more important world of virtual violence.  Mass killings are so impersonal; far better to inflict biting insults and micro-aggressions on your enemies.