Is there a coordinated effort on Reddit to discredit Ron Paul, by manipulating the appearance of public opinion?

30  2012-01-13 by [deleted]

I know this topic has probably been beaten to death here, but I've never seen a thread about it. Does anyone have any decent evidence? I only bring this up because I've noticed recently that if you post something about RP, even in a weird subreddit, in a not "preachy" kind of way, it seems like people come out of the woodwork to bash him. Now I only made the leap to conspiracy mode because I notice it's often the same couple people who do this, and usually immediately after they make a reply/downvote, 5 or 6 more people show up to back them up and provide follow up downvotes....almost as if it's one person with 5 or 6 accounts, or, it could just be a group of people working together.....or it could just be coincidence. I'm not drawing any serious conclusions, but it is pretty weird, especially the context it just happened to me in.

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ofbmi/younger_people_on_reddit_what_are_the_biggest/

About 3/4 down the page. This guy BetYouCanNotTellMe. Notice how quickly he responds. I was downvoted several times within about 5 minutes. It's not the first time I've seen him...TheGhostOfNoLibs is another I see popping up to bash RP.

So I don't know, I'm likely being paranoid, but I'd like to hear your supporting stories, because it seems to me like something creepy is going on. Often times these people use a lot of copy pasta, followed by massive downvotes on whoever opposes, very quickly. It just seems coordinated..

EDIT: So with a bit of an update from mattman59, it appears that there is indeed a coordinated effort, though it is not on the part of the anti-paul people, at least not that I know of. Apparently a website called friendfeed.com provides the technology to basically stalk every comment a user makes, and is being used by Ron Paul supporters to keep track of a list of people! Definitely clears things up for me. Thanks for the good info.

38 comments

6  gorilla_the_ape 2012-01-13

Maybe Ron Paul isn't as popular as you think he is.

Maybe people who don't like his platform are fed up with him getting raised as the second coming of the great prophet Zarniwoop and the solution to every problem from athletes foot to zebras.

2  kylefall 2012-01-13

perhaps that they think way because of how messed up america is now. he is the closest thing that resembles a normal person in american politics.

-2  [deleted] 2012-01-13

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

4  gorilla_the_ape 2012-01-13

verb word order random sense no make.

0  [deleted] 2012-01-13

You've got to be kidding me. I've been further even more decided to use even go need to do look more as anyone can. Can you really be far even as decided half as much to use go wish for that? My guess is that when one really been far even as decided once to use even go want, it is then that he has really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like. It's just common sense.

2  mattman59 2012-01-13

Just because you can put words together doesn't mean you are making sentences. What the fuck are you trying to say? Try reading it out loud before you post, that helps me.

1  [deleted] 2012-01-13

It's a meme dude. It's from an old post on 4chan. I thought more people would understand the reference. Guess not. Google "Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?" for the story.

2  [deleted] 2012-01-13

Memes tend not to do very well in /r/con, which is the very heart of "the internet is serious business".

4  e1ioan 2012-01-13

ThePieOfSauron is another one. Everywhere there is a thread about RP, he's in with the bashing. Now that you posted the nicknames of the other two, the way the names are made... they kind of look the same :-) Are those all 3 the fake persons we read so much about?

BetYouCanNotTellMe

TheGhostOfNoLibs

ThePieOfSauron

Hehe, there is a conspiracy for you.

3  [deleted] 2012-01-13

I've seen the pie of sauron around too. Kind of curious how they all capitalize the first letter of each word eh?

2  oxidezx 2012-01-13

PieOfSauron will comment on Ron Paul in a completely unrelated post, such as this one about fracking.

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/oca1h/in_pushing_for_state_approval_of_hydrofracking/c3gei5x?context=3

4  [deleted] 2012-01-13

It's always neat how those people just disappear when they are proven wrong (or to be outright idiots).

2  [deleted] 2012-01-13

Wow...that's just not normal.

3  holla_at_me 2012-01-13

Aside from those that genuinely don't like him for whatever reason. Combine the software the air force requested a while back seen from the HBGary email leak to create fake persona management. Couple this with social proof: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_proof And you have a melting pot for opinions.

Remember there are people who really do have differing opinions though and might not necessarily be actively/knowingly involved in any conspiracy.

5  [deleted] 2012-01-13

Interesting. Yeah I'm totally aware that many do simply have differing opinions. My suggestion isn't that anything other than constant circle jerk is obviously conspiracy. I just find it odd when I see a lot of accounts that are only a week or two old and all they've done for 12 hours a day is spam anti-paul....it just doesn't seem right, and there's kind of a lot of those accounts. It was just weird to me that I was posting in a thread completely unrelated to the topic, and I offered my input that was neither pro or against Paul, and several minutes later someone I recognize from other threads as being one of the anti-paul spammers, replied, immediately receiving several upvotes.....could've just been coincidence, but I found it kind of out of the ordinary.

2  mattman59 2012-01-13

Just like some people seek out Paul threads to share how wonderful he is there are people who seek them out just to shit on him.

1  [deleted] 2012-01-13

Holy shit dude...I'm watching them watch you via this feed http://friendfeed.com/anti-ron-paul-trolls

So clearly they have the capability of stalking pro paul posters, and ARE doing it. I'm literally watching your posts in real time show up on this website....is this against some rule on Reddit? This is fucking creepy.

0  mattman59 2012-01-13

If you will notice that list is of anti-paul folks. I have no real love for Ron Paul's policies but I don't run to every post I see about him and shit on him.

1  [deleted] 2012-01-13

Ah ok. I misunderstood the point of the feed. Still pretty weird. I wasn't aware you could track users in real time like that.

1  mattman59 2012-01-13

Well that is the whole point, Ron Paul worshipers claim conspiracy when in reality they are the only ones organizing to fight and imaginary force. Go over to /r/enoughpaulspam, it isn't plots on how to ruin Paul, it is examples how insane he and his followers are.

3  [deleted] 2012-01-13

There is a coordinated effort to flood this sub with "Look, Ron Paul made a speech!" BULLSHIT.

3  mattman59 2012-01-13

http://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughPaulSpam/comments/ofrev/to_those_i_just_messaged_populate/

1  [deleted] 2012-01-13

[deleted]

2  mattman59 2012-01-13

Come on now, that would be censorship and we all know r/cons is required by law to be at least 75% batshit.

1  falseflagged 2012-01-13

jcm?

3  mattman59 2012-01-13

http://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughPaulSpam/comments/ofrev/to_those_i_just_messaged_populate/

I can tell you without a doubt that there is a conspiracy against people who don't love Ron Paul. I volunteered for the man's campaign when I was in high school but now I am somehow labeled a super secret covert operative paid to come here and let you guys know Ron Paul is not really Jesus.

2  openist 2012-01-13

lol reddit has got to be the group on the inet that supports ron paul the most...

1  kylefall 2012-01-13

no, Ron Paul is awesome. fuck the haters.

1  [deleted] 2012-01-13

[deleted]

3  mattman59 2012-01-13

http://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughPaulSpam/comments/ofrev/to_those_i_just_messaged_populate/

There is a conspiracy all right....

1  Mr_Zero 2012-01-13

No. There are just bunch of people here that understand that while he has some really great ideas, he also holds some that make him unelectable.

1  [deleted] 2012-01-13

No, it's not that we don't like him. It's that for some reason, nobody that supports him is willing to admit that he will not be a king, he's not the fucking messiah, and the powers that be WILL stop him from achieving what he promises. Why is that so hard to see? they shot kennedy, clinton got a blowjob, obama promised 1,000 things and now stays under the radar because he isn't allowed to do anything, but OH! Mr. Paul has superpowers and is immune to government control!

0  dasstrooper 2012-01-13

If anything it's the opposite

1  mattman59 2012-01-13

http://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughPaulSpam/comments/ofrev/to_those_i_just_messaged_populate/

0  TinHao 2012-01-13

Ron Paul doesn't really need Reddit's help to be discredited.

2  mattman59 2012-01-13

What kind of Jew agent are you?

1  TinHao 2012-01-13

Not really sure how to answer that? I don't go to synagogue if it helps settle your jangled nerves.

1  mattman59 2012-01-13

Anyone who disagrees with our lord an savior Ron Paul must be an agent of zee joos.

1  TinHao 2012-01-13

Fair enough. Okay, you caught me. I'm a sekret agent of international zionism. Now I'm off to a clandestine meeting in a graveyard in Prague but don't tell anyone!

-3  littlegoddess 2012-01-13

You're not alone. I've noticed this as well. There seems to be a very strong effort to downplay/downvote Dr. Paul in all mainstream media outlets. I think what makes it so weak is the fact that more people are waking up and becoming aware that Ron Paul is the only sane person running for president.

EDIT: Downvote all you want, but it's true

2  mattman59 2012-01-13

What kind of Jew agent are you?

3  mattman59 2012-01-13

http://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughPaulSpam/comments/ofrev/to_those_i_just_messaged_populate/

1  mattman59 2012-01-13

Anyone who disagrees with our lord an savior Ron Paul must be an agent of zee joos.

0  mattman59 2012-01-13

If you will notice that list is of anti-paul folks. I have no real love for Ron Paul's policies but I don't run to every post I see about him and shit on him.