“These are the authentic spaces that people are really engaging in right now. … This is a huge vector for the spread of disinformation.”
If you grew up in or have lived in Mass for more than 20 minutes, chances are you currently belong to or have been banned from a Facebook group centered around your hometown, current residence, or place you still like to nose around. Bedford’s Inner Circle. Pembroke Connect. Threw Up In Fall River. (Not only is that last one for real, but there are actually competing vomit-inducing groups, one of which appears to have spun off a webcast.)
What do all or at least most of these groups have in common? Is it that they’re fascinating portals into the municipalities for which they’re named? Awesome resources for small businesses? And virtual commons where residents past, present, and future share stories and recipes?
Of course not, snowflake!
They’re utter cesspools, the bottom of the bigot barrel, an after-hours sports pub full of maskless goons fueled on hatred and Hannity. Sometimes, the trolls and racists are in the minority; other times, they overwhelm and run the show; in all cases, they cross boundaries and shitpost and threaten and lurk.
But you know all of this, because you are cursed by a psychotic symphony of alerts and push notifications from your hometown’s despicable meme show.
These forums are extremely dangerous. As disinformation researcher Nina Jankowicz told CNN media guru Brian Stelter last week: “Bad actors can use Facebook groups. … Where people are gathered around a certain interest, where there is a higher level of trust, and as long as you’ve got somebody who has infiltrated those groups … it’s a very scary thing because these groups are closed and secret, meaning there has not been much monitoring going on, and they’re relying on researchers like me to sound the alarm bells.”
Which may explain why your cousin or old roommate is suddenly so goddamn unbearable on social media.
Jankowicz, who recently published the must-read article “Facebook Groups are Destroying America” in Wired, added, “I’m probably a lot more worried about [groups] than any sort of ‘fake news’ or troll accounts or ads purchased. These are the authentic spaces that people are really engaging in right now. … This is a huge vector for the spread of disinformation.”
The week before, Stelter noted in an interview with Facebook public relations guy Nick Clegg that while groups are growing in popularity, and the company is pushing them on users like trap cats in back-alley smack deals, journalists and outsiders can’t see inside of them to poke around. To which Clegg responded that we should all relax, because Facebook itself can watch every move, algorithmically of course.
Parallel to that debate, we decided to look around ourselves, and asked friends and readers to send screenshots to us of the most horrific posts on their town feeds. Below are some of the worst of the worst.
We’re not showing the affiliated names, as the point of this is not to shame individual imbeciles. These people are shameless anyway, and certainly they shame themselves and their families and places of employment with every putrid remark. Neither are we writing about this for pure shock value; though we respect the opinions of those who may say that such trash should be burned and not seen, our point is that this filth’s already being shared in semipublic spaces, and that more people need to understand how awful and ubiquitous it sadly is.
Finally, it’s not our place to criticize the lefties who spar with morons all day and night on Facebook. It doesn’t seem to be a shortcut on the path to justice, but maybe there is something we are missing. In any case, if you are that kind of masochistic progressive crusader, please take regular stock of your mental and physical health; after copying all of these rants from the screenshots that people submitted, we needed more than just a rest, shower, and nap to recover.
“Sheeps, snowflakes, cupcakes all upset because a sign said ‘all lives matter.’ Boo Hoo.” -The Reading Rant
“If you think that BLM is NOT a racist/terrorist group then you are the problem. They have been trained by Marxist and also in self defense , if you can call eye gouging self defense.” -The Reading Rant
“I am not ashamed to say ‘I believe in Law and Order, i respect and support the police. Floyd and Brooks were NO hero’s , they were a Menace to society. … I associate BLM as hateful as the KKK, it’s my right not to support groups like this.” -Unidentified
“We don’t even know if the organizers are being paid or not to market and set up these events.” -Unidentified
“Did you read about how over the July 4th weekend the BLM was responsible for the death of 4 children in different incidents. But I guess their lives don’t matter. Have a happy life. My Life Matters.” -The Reading Rant
“nobody in this country thinks black lives don’t matter. It’s bullshit propaganda pushed by the left to divide us. They know this is making things worse and they’re loving every minute of it. They are not in danger of being attacked or in any more danger from police than white criminals are. And no one is in more danger of being killed for who they are eighth now than police officers now.” -UNCENSORED Melrose
“Well if these Black Lives Matter people don’t like the way things are here and keep bitching about it then why not just packed a bag and friggin leave?” -Everything Holbrook
“Wake Up America!!! Remember this. Socialism leads to Communism How do you create a Socialist State? There are eight levels of control …” -The Reading Rant
“B.L.M. HAS DONE MORE TO PROMOTE RACISM IN THE PAST 3 WEEKS THAN ALL THE CONFEDERATE MEMORIALS IN THE PAST 100 YEARS.” -Davis Square
“All my kids have black friends as there besties. So no prejudice here. But give me a break BLM protest in front of my house is bullshit. … Best wishes to the local store that have already closed for the day and not making any money!!! Why cant we have a WLM protest?? We matter also.” -Everything Rockland
“God will punish us severely if we elect the Democratic Party in November, many of their evil leaders turn their back on God and will get their karma when they pass away someday and God renders his final judgement.” -Weymouth is Everything
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.
