Lesson of the Week

[akirlu]

Aggregated outrage addicts are a powerful tool in the hands of a person who doesn't care what kind of wreckage she leaves behind so long as she gets her own way.

Comments

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

Oh my. I hope it wasn't a painful lesson, but I suspect my hopes are to be dashed. Ugh.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Not painful to me personally, no, but its been an impressive display as viewed mostly from the sidelines. It's kind of a pity it can't be made into a case study.

[replyhazy.livejournal.com]

There's been so much outrage on the internet over the last 3 days I can't even tell which incident you mean!

[u-must-b-joking.livejournal.com]

Isn't the point that the outrage all starts to run together into one big smear of inauthenticity? Or do I sadly misread?

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Oh, outrage fatigue is certainly one of the potential bits of fall-out, no doubt, but if your goals are limited, and you can gin up a massive, targeted spike of outrage by preying on the ignorant and the credulous, it's really impressive how effective a bit of manufactured screeching can be.

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

Well, but it's also possible to get several pressings of outrage from the same incident.

1. Take a phrase out of context. Distribute.
2. When the target apologizes, criticize the apology.
3. If possible, repeat #2.
4. When someone who knows the target defends him, attack the someone (for knowing the target).
4a. Extra points for failing to distinguish 'He didn't say X' from 'I agree with X'.

(Wondering what incident you're referencing; all I know is what happens to relative celebrities on Twitter etc.)

[apostle-of-eris.livejournal.com]

(*laugh* I'm being chattered at in some other thread for even believing in the existence of outrage addicts. Meanwhile, I'm sort of trying to get into Latin.)

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Well, I've been pretty well convinced of the existence of outrage addicts since the Vast Surge Rightward, post-9/11. Recent events have just reminded me that the right does not have a monopoly on them, it's just that whipping up its outrage addicts is much more of a mainstream activity on the right. At least here. At least for now. Maybe.