The Gentleman's Guide to Forum Spies: Annotated w/ Examples

Project Introduction and Invitation to Participate

What is the Gentleman's Guide to Forum Spies?

The Gentleman's Guide to Forum Spies is one of the most informative and useful works available for internet users and media consumers of all stripes. The information it contains can help the methodical media consumer recognize propagandists, trolls, astroturfers, disinformation peddlers, logical fallacy lobbers and their tactics of sowing discord and division in internet forums, comment sections, social media sites and, less we forget the main culprit, in the mainstream media.

The Gentleman's Guide to Forum Spies is actually an anthology of five short texts compiled here:

COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum. original source 01.02.2001
Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation by H. Michael Sweeney, with introduction. original source 15.04.2000.
Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist by H. Michael Sweeney original source 1997 revised 2000.
How to Spot a Spy [original source unknown] 01.02.2001?
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression by David Martin original source 28.12.1999.

Despite the title of 'The Gentleman's Guide to Forum Spies', the tactics presented are not restricted to use in internet forums or on social media sites. Indeed, most of the tactics are rhetorical in nature, to be used in debates, conversations, interviews and any other form of communication that could be recorded to reach a broader audience (though they are useful in 1on1 conversations as well, of course!). The texts delineate various tactics for spreading disinformation, undermining logical discourse, stymieing the search for facts or truth, disrupting organizations and even destroying people's lives in order to maintain control of the public narrative and thus the reins of power.

The tactics as presented are the logical result of millennia of intense and increasingly manipulative management of public opinion in the realms of governance and marketing. Indeed, marketing and governance have become almost indistinguishable since the beginning of the 20th century. For an explanation of why this is desirable on the part of the invisible government or, as it popularly referred to today, the "deep state", consult Edward Bernay's seminal text "Propaganda" (1928).

The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic [any - CZ] society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our [any - CZ] country. - Edward Bernays (1928) 9.

Bernay's text is a short and essential read for anyone engaging in what has become known as the information war.

The tactics in the Gentleman's Guide to Forum Spies have become widely adopted by individuals, groups, organizations, corporations and governments with sufficient wherewithal and motivation to enact them. As such, an increasing number of actors are competing for narrative dominance in traditional media channels (newspapers, television, radio) and especially in the new realm of internet communications, especially multimedia social media and news sites.

Why Updating the Gentleman's Guide to Forum Spies is Needed

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcom X

Recently, with the rise of the self-described "red-pilled", "truth" or "alternative media" movement, a steadily increasing number of individuals are forming an informal coalition that seeks to resist and reveal this intentional manipulation of the public by governments, large corporations, special interest groups and their plutocratic "sponsors". As can be (and was) anticipated, the entrenched powers and their controlled media sources have sought and are seeking to limit the reach of non-establishment narratives.

The current accelerating purge of dissenting voices from the corporate owned media sites (Spring 2018) is just one consequence and is absolutely necessary for the plutocrats and their cronies to maintain power because any real transparency frequently makes it clear that government policy (steered by megacorps and plutocrats) and narratives championed by the media are rarely beneficial to the majority - if any - of the public at large.

Regarding the Gentleman's Guide to Forum Spies and the tactics discussed therein, it is unlikely the general public will ever know what if any official directives for the tactical execution of these techniques were or are, but it should not be doubted that the techniques presented have been and - in updated forms - are still in active use. Indeed, it is possible to observe many of these tactics being used on a daily basis just by watching the mainstream corporate news.

Nevertheless, for an audience unfamiliar with these techniques, it is almost impossible to notice when disinformation tactics are being used because they are, for the most part, intended to "fly under the radar" as it were. For that reason, it is exceedingly helpful if not necessary to provide specific and concrete examples, both in written and audiovisual form, so that people can train their awareness and not continue to fall prey to special interests, bad actors and other intentional disinformation artists.

Proposed Participation Guidelines

"Personal participation is the universal principle of knowing." - Michael Polanyi

I invite anyone interested in this topic to submit, via the comment section, specific examples of the various disinformation tactics, behaviors and techniques, focusing particularly on the Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation, Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist and the Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression.

To do so please read the originals and, in the course of your normal media consumption, pay attention to determine if any the tactics are employed or behaviors exhibited. Post your findings in the comments, below. Often multiple tactics are employed simultaneously or sequentially in a very short period of time, it can be tricky to catch them all. Sometimes active disinformation is only provable after the fact, but many times behaviors can be identified in real time.

Frequently, some of the best examples can be found in the comment sections of news sites attacking articles or contributions the poster does not agree with. I personally experienced and responded to such an instance in the comment section of my contribution Meritocracy is Dead, which may be worth viewing.

If possible, the inclusion of the relevant logical fallacies would also be helpful, though perhaps a separate series of posts on that topic would be more beneficial. For a complete list see Logical Fallacies, the following graphic presents some of the most common.

Examples of How To Participate in the Comments

For written texts:

Provide the disinformation tactic/technique/behavior(s) used.
Provide the specific quote in the comments with a brief contextualization if necessary.
Provide a link to the entire text so it can be viewed in context.
Provide documentation to demonstrate the factual fallacy of disinformation presented if possible/necessary.
Provide logical fallacies (optional)

Example:

25 Rules: 2 indignant, 5 name calling, 7 question motives, 18 antagonize
(In a text discussing what the given phrase really means) "Guns don’t kill people, people kill" people: (means) “I’m an idiot who just really likes guns no matter how many people have to die each year so that I can pretend to be a super Constitutional modern day G.I. Joe.”
source: Decoding Republicans: 10 Common Phrases Conservatives Use and What They Really Mean
Logical fallacies: (among others embedded in the argument) strawman, ad hominem, appeal to emotion, tu quoque, genetic

For audio or video sources:

Provide the disinformation tactic/technique/behavior (s) used.
Provide a link to the audio or video file, make sure a timestamp link is used or to specifically reference the time at which it takes place if the video is longer than ca. 1 minute.
Provide documentation to demonstrate the factual fallacy of disinformation presented if possible/necessary.
Provide logical fallacies (optional)

Example:

25 Rules 9: Play Dumb / Truth Suppression 1: Dummy Up
source:
refutation:
Logical fallacies: ambiguity, personal incredulity, appeal to emotion

Conclusion

When a sufficient number of examples for each tactic/technique or behavior have been submitted (5-10 would be a good number), I will compile them in a new post and present them to the community along with the examples I have compiled in the interim. This will serve as a means of training the mind to better identify disinformation and being better able to counter it. These will be completed as sufficient material becomes available. When the series is completed, an ordered and sequenced index will be provided.

Thank you for your attention and for any suggestions or contributions you may provide,

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Shot with a golden arrow,

Cupid Zero
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