July 12, 2022

Beware the Trolls

You’ve heard the warnings before, “Be careful when consuming social media, that meme or article might have been posted by foreign actors trying to shift US opinions and political outcomes with misinformation for their own benefit.” It is sometimes difficult to identify smaller accounts that may be fake and organized by a larger entity to push propaganda. But some accounts are actually labeled as suspected of being state-controlled media. For example, check out “T-House,” which has a presence on Facebook and Twitter in the US:

Now there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with checking out content from a state-controlled source. It will not turn you into a goblin, so to speak. In fact, it is good to gain the perspective they wish to promote. Even if it is “false” or dangerous it is still useful to know. Sometimes such entities can provide valuable perspectives on important topics too. Russia Today, for example, is also branded with the state-controlled media label on Facebook. But what about the lesser-known sources? What about Chinese influence? Browse through T-House content on their pages and you will find a lot of what you would expect from a rising US competitor vying for power in a multi-polar world. Defense of China’s Taiwan policy, celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s reunification with China, stories that promote China’s economic improvements over the decades, and defense against criticism of China’s alleged human rights abuses (including its treatment of Uyghurs) are all there. Of course, criticism of US foreign policy and criticism of US positions regarding its relations with China are a major topic of interest too. All of this is to be expected.

The Democrats’ Partners-in-Crime

But what is interesting is their inclusion of content specifically addressing “hot button” cultural issues in America’s domestic political arena; especially given that this content very closely mirrors Democrat talking points on these issues. It is a big part of what they do.

How very telling that one of the world’s fastest growing, autocratic, oppressive, communist, technocratic police states shares ideological and political positions with Democrats and American Progressives.

From their pro-choice abortion position, to their opposition to gun ownership, from their misunderstanding of medical freedom, to their seeming preference for restrictions on freedom of speech, China’s state-controlled media seems to be walking hand in hand with the modern American Left.

And why wouldn’t they? Traditional American principles founded in freedom, liberty, and individual responsibility completely contradict the ideological worldview necessary to justify China’s top-down bureaucratic system. The same goes for the thinking behind the Democrat agenda in America as they seek to “fundamentally transform” the country to accomplish their preferred ends. So by promoting such ideology and fanning the flames in America’s domestic “culture war,” China gets a “two-for-one” win; they get to foment division within the society of the nation-state that is their primary challenge to achieving global hegemony, while also planting the seeds necessary for cultivating compatible beliefs in people to shift their mindsets towards accepting the preferred ideology of China’s ruling Party.

That Pesky American Constitutional Republic Securing Those Troublesome Fundamental Rights From Infringement

The Left in America loves to define “rights” based on their preferred ends. The Chinese State-run trolls also focus on promoting “rights” that increase the power of the State when it is in their controlling interest and decreasing the power of the State to protect actual fundamental human rights from infringement by others. The equivocation of the term “rights” to mean what one wants it to mean is a useful tactic for the aspiring propagandist.

In the post above, the manipulation of language is evident. There is no double standard in support of a fundamental right to life with an anti-abortion stance while also supporting the fundamental right to bodily integrity/autonomy opposing mandatory vaccination. When the actual arguments are understood, both stances oppose the permission of a willful act against another human being contrary to their fundamental human rights. The double-standard is actually found in the support of State-mandated violations of such rights with mandatory vaccination while claiming to support “My body, my choice” for mothers seeking abortion. The double-standard works out well however for those seeking to control the health decisions of the population, as well as their numbers. This is a great way to keep people in line and dependent upon the State.

Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Speaking of double-standards, there seems to be one with these trolls as they constantly accuse Americans and Westerners of presenting them in an unfair manner while also relying on tired tropes and stereotypes about Westerners to make their points. There is certainly a lot of China fearmongering to go around but American media is also filled with sympathetic Chinese portrayals such as this RealClearMarkets article that fairly depicts some of their economic progress and the attitudes of every day Chinese towards Americans (but mostly misses the mark on identifying the primary criticism of China).

Americans don’t “Blame China” for everything, but there is cause to often be suspicious. There is no “Trust, but verify” with China because they do not always play by the rules and they are far from transparent. Their censorship and control over messaging has got to be the envy of the “Big Government” Progressives in America. Both have embraced a culture of cancelling or deterring speech they don’t like; the former obviously farther along in their successful implementation of a censorship and control system than the latter. But don’t count a good American Progressive out when in comes to creating a regulatory bureaucracy off the back of a social pressure campaign, they have a lot of experience with that since the early 20th Century.

All Constitutionally-minded Americans can do is try to reinforce the founding principles, stay politically vigilant, and hold government official accountable. To do this, it is necessary to ask tough questions. What do the Chinese trolls think about asking tough questions?…