State Department Proposes "Trolling" Web-Based Islamic Extremists

[cerebus23]

lets see how much this is all costing us, then decide if its worth a try or too expensive to make sense, 14 trillion in debt folk, when you can tax all your citizens 100% for the next 10 years or so and not pay you debt, then u really need to watch your spending .

there are whole host of reasons why extremeists are wrong, and your average muslim is a wonderful person, it could work, but whats the bill anyway?

 

[Agow95]

I saw the title of the article and, I don't know why, but this image popped into my head of a suicide bomber running into a marketplace shouting in Arabic when suddenly a American turns to him and says "you mad bro?"

 

[McMullen]

The headline made me think it was a stupid move, as did the opening paragraphs, but after reading the whole thing I have to admit there is some possibility for this to work.

And I also have to admit that of the ways the US tries to combat terrorism, this really probably is one of the most effective, since so much of what's being done now accomplishes nothing or worse.

That said, the return on investment when arguing on forums is very low. It's above zero when done correctly, but not by much.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Still a better anti-terrorist measure than Guantanamo...

 

[Clearing the Eye]

Why Islamic extremists specifically and not just extremists in general?

Because Muslim is a dirty word now. While I support treating the beliefs of the religious as nothing short of laughable, the racism and propaganda that's sprung up since the U.S. got bitten by the dog it had been kicking since the 80's is pretty sickening.

While I agree that the treatment of Muslims in the media has been awful for past few decades, I'd argue that the government is going after Islamic terrorism with this specifically for two reasons: The first being that the ideology behind anti-Western Islamic terrorism has the potential to be genuinely dangerous at the moment, and the second being that the world is full of young, tech-savvy Muslims who're keen to help put a stop to it. Helping them to mobilize is cost-effective and relatively straightfoward.

In reality, I see this doing nothing positive at all. Extremist groups, the kind actually serious enough to be dangerous, won't be affected by this. In fact, it's actually kind of hilarious (in a slightly sad way) that this is happening, that someone really thought this would be the way to go. Terrorist groups of any stripe, are terrorists because they cause fear, suffering and death. This isn't something you whip together some fresh faces teens to have a crack at. This isn't a pet project to bring people together and make a difference. We're talking about groups setting out to destroy and murder.

What this whole thing will do is reinforce and remind the public of the propaganda the media and government spew out on a daily basis. "Look, guys. We're stopping them damn Muslims!" Hell, just the word Muslim means terrorist now. It conjurers up images of savages and tribal men beating women and blowing up buildings. Because that's all we see and that's all they want us to see--it's easier to allow and embrace the killing of faceless monsters than real people. Instead of educating the public and giving them the facts--the correct way to inspire change--we've got another group using Islam and extremist in their mission statement as if the two are one word.

Their motives are pure enough and I've little doubt there is anything but good intentions driving the campaign. Could well be a bunch of people wanting to make a difference and help put a stop to people getting hurt. But this method won't stop anything and it will continue to feed the hype machine. The cheesy sheen so thick the logo'd give you diabetes if you stared at it too long.

 

[ReinWeisserRitter]

Since when did employing logic, humor, satire [and] religious arguments undermine and demoralize anyone? What an asshole.

Not undermining and demoralizing the people exposed to it, genius; to do so to the extremists, by showing their potential recruits, and their existing ones, there may be another way.

Not saying it'd work, or that it's the right way to do it, just that you're reading it wrong.

That said, this isn't "trolling" in the slightest. I realize you want people to read your news by using the hip slang of the now to attract the drooling dullards who see any of the aforementioned slang and come running to tout it as if it were a freaking deity, but it's a hell of a stretch to refer to this by it regardless.

 

[webkilla]

I've been drawing pictures of the prophet for over three years now! (one pic a year...)

them US conter-terrorist trolls need to get with the program!

 

[NightHawk21]

Please be real. I want to see a bunch of the first 50 somethings they train (who probably have only a passing understanding of the internet) try to troll online.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

Well, good job advertising your intentions to the world before you even start, guys! Even /b/ is smart enough to repeatedly remind people to not talk about /b/.

 

[Hevva]

Why Islamic extremists specifically and not just extremists in general?

Because Muslim is a dirty word now. While I support treating the beliefs of the religious as nothing short of laughable, the racism and propaganda that's sprung up since the U.S. got bitten by the dog it had been kicking since the 80's is pretty sickening.

While I agree that the treatment of Muslims in the media has been awful for past few decades, I'd argue that the government is going after Islamic terrorism with this specifically for two reasons: The first being that the ideology behind anti-Western Islamic terrorism has the potential to be genuinely dangerous at the moment, and the second being that the world is full of young, tech-savvy Muslims who're keen to help put a stop to it. Helping them to mobilize is cost-effective and relatively straightfoward.

In reality, I see this doing nothing positive at all. Extremist groups, the kind actually serious enough to be dangerous, won't be affected by this. In fact, it's actually kind of hilarious (in a slightly sad way) that this is happening, that someone really thought this would be the way to go. Terrorist groups of any stripe, are terrorists because they cause fear, suffering and death. This isn't something you whip together some fresh faces teens to have a crack at. This isn't a pet project to bring people together and make a difference. We're talking about groups setting out to destroy and murder.

What this whole thing will do is reinforce and remind the public of the propaganda the media and government spew out on a daily basis. "Look, guys. We're stopping them damn Muslims!" Hell, just the word Muslim means terrorist now. It conjurers up images of savages and tribal men beating women and blowing up buildings. Because that's all we see and that's all they want us to see--it's easier to allow and embrace the killing of faceless monsters than real people. Instead of educating the public and giving them the facts--the correct way to inspire change--we've got another group using Islam and extremist in their mission statement as if the two are one word.

Their motives are pure enough and I've little doubt there is anything but good intentions driving the campaign. Could well be a bunch of people wanting to make a difference and help put a stop to people getting hurt. But this method won't stop anything and it will continue to feed the hype machine. The cheesy sheen so thick the logo'd give you diabetes if you stared at it too long.

But who is the terrorist before they're a terrorist? They're someone who's angry, for whatever reason. It takes time and convincing to turn a regular person into someone who thinks blowing other humans up is a good idea. While I agree with most of what you're saying, I think it's important to note that diluting the rhetoric used by Islamic extremist to recruit new cell-members could have a positive impact in the long run. Terrorist groups are setting out to murder and destroy, yes, and they're increasingly recruiting online. It's better to try and nip the process in the bud using information than to do nothing, no?

Additionally, I don't think this group interchanges the words "Islam" and "extremist" like so many others we see, mostly because its members are Muslims. Radical (or extreme) Islam is the path that leads most directly to terrorism; personally, I trust this bunch to know the difference.

But still, it's early days. Hopefully it turns out well.

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

I wouldn't be surprised if extremists started trolling our forums in protest. This is going to get interesting.

 

[Kargathia]

Why Islamic extremists specifically and not just extremists in general?

The Taoist hardliners haven't come out of their mountain hermitage for the last 40 years, the Christian extremists are too busy running for president, and the Buddhists are still sleeping off the effects of peace, love, and understanding.

Lately the Islamic ones have been hogging all the explode-y goodness, which is why they get all the attention.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Will it be more than adding the words "Fail" to every extremist comment? lol

 

[Lancer873]

*before reading article* THIS IS A GREAT IDEA.
*after reading article* Wait... this /is/ a great idea...
Course, chances are the extremists will shortly learn about moderation on their forums and that could throw a wrench in the plans.

 

[Bad Jim]

Why dont they just ask 4chan to troll the Islamic radicals?

"Tits or GTFO" would become "Tits or we bomb you". 4chan are beyond redemption and cannot be used as a force for good.

 

[Clearing the Eye]

But who is the terrorist before they're a terrorist? They're someone who's angry, for whatever reason. It takes time and convincing to turn a regular person into someone who thinks blowing other humans up is a good idea. While I agree with most of what you're saying, I think it's important to note that diluting the rhetoric used by Islamic extremist to recruit new cell-members could have a positive impact in the long run. Terrorist groups are setting out to murder and destroy, yes, and they're increasingly recruiting online. It's better to try and nip the process in the bud using information than to do nothing, no?

I see your point. I was looking at much of this the wrong way. I think my bias (irony) concerning the poor treatment of the issue within society has gotten the best of me here.

While I still consider the plan on a whole futile, the affects of intercepting the messages at the source of delivery should at least be interesting. If expanded upon significantly, I could imagine a situation in which confused or angry people are lead down a different, less destructive path.

I'll leave this with the same mindset as you, friend--hopefully it turns out well.

Captcha: play ball

And so it begins...

 

[Clearing the Eye]

Back then, the best way to nip their violent dreams in the bud was to seize their contraband; but now that terrorists are increasingly communicating and recruiting using the internet, what can we do to turn them away from the not-so-straight path of extremism? According to the State Department, the solution might be to prod them into moderate thinking by politely trolling their internet spaces.

....hang on.

"politely trolling" ?

That's a complete oxymoron. Trolling is done with the express purpose of being a dick about it.

What you're describing in this article is NOT trolling.

Trolling actually refers to generally "hanging out." While the internet has turned it into a thing of malice, the word simply refers to traveling back and forth in an area. You could troll the local stores, for example. In this case, the author uses a combination of the internet term and the actual meaning, to create something akin to the former but without the douchebaggery.

 

[-|-]

What's with all the hate? This is one of the best anti-terrorism ideas that I've heard. Although they probably shouldn't have called it "trolling", since that's not what they're doing... more like infiltration.

You're so wrong. Using reason and logic to undermine an irrational point of view is the dumbest idea I've ever heard. The escapist community is right to call it out as the trolling that it is.