this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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Republicans were, though, more likely to believe Russian disinformation claims than their Democratic counterparts, with 57.6% falling for at least one Russian disinformation claim, compared with just 17.9% of Democrats and 29.5% of people who didn't identify with one particular party.

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[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 151 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (6 children)

The headline should read "Republicans believe misinformation to an alarming degree"?

Sure the numbers aren't great for independents and Democrats... but it isn't >50% bad, which clearly points to Republican ideology as brain worms.

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 86 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Exactly. That's why I highlighted that portion.

~60% vs ~20% is a staggering difference. This really shows the much bigger problem of how conservatives gain power. They use the large masses of unintelligent, manipulative gullible people to get votes, and enrich themselves.

This is not freedom. This is not democracy. It's psychopaths, controlling and keeping people stupid, so they can stay in power and wealth.

Our system is so fucked.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 30 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Anyone who has ever talked to a Republican knows this. Whenever you point out half the bullshit coming out of their mouth has been debunked, they just spout some bullshit about the MSM and source being "biased". Friend, reality is biased against your 🤡 ass.

[–] Tortl@lemm.ee 17 points 2 months ago

Literally every time. I'm so sick of giving people (conservatives) the benefit of the doubt when they talk about something I haven't heard of and realize that yes, in fact, this current issue they're crying about is also made up or wildly misinterpreted just like every other issue they've ever pretended to care about.

[–] entwine413@lemm.ee 11 points 2 months ago (3 children)

The funny thing is the electoral college was created to protect us from this, but it's kinda the whole reason we're where we are.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Uh, no. The electoral college was created because the slavers wanted representation for their slaves without giving them the vote.

Edit: Source

[–] entwine413@lemm.ee 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

No. The electoral college was created because the founders didn't trust the uneducated general population to not elect a tyrant, so the EC was supposed to be made up of educated people who wouldn't be stupid enough to vote against the best interests of the people.

It also had a bit to do with how long it took to count votes at the time.

Are you sure you're not thinking about the 3/5 compromise?

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

See the source I posted in the edit.

[–] too_high_for_this@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

That article says it was created to prevent a populist president, and that it should've been scrapped after the 12th amendment but the 3/5 compromise incentivized the South to keep it.

The Federalist Papers talk about this a bit and slavery was not a concern.

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[–] Uli@sopuli.xyz 7 points 2 months ago

Yes, this level of control over how the populace thinks is a step along the path toward turning human beings into livestock. I'm not fond of it.

[–] Stovetop@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (12 children)

I do think that is giving liberals and the left too much credit.

A lot of the infighting from among the left during the past election felt pretty artificial, to be perfectly honest, and most of the "Genocide Joe/Holocaust Harris" types seemed to just evaporate after the election ended. Maybe just because there was nothing really left to say after all was said and done, but I just find it hard to believe much of that discourse was in good faith. I'm surprised to read a number as low as 18%, but almost 1 in 5 still isn't nothing.

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[–] uienia@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

*disinformation.

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[–] Gandhi70@lemmy.world 70 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Not only Americans. This is a global problem...

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

But it's amplified in countries with undemocratic election systems, like first past the post. You just need a plurality of morons to fuck it up for everybody else.

[–] Gandhi70@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

True. But even in a state with a good election system the right wing nuts are on the rise.

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[–] shittydwarf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 46 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Enough to elect a Russian agent, twice

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 29 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

Americans Also Believe American Disinformation ‘To Alarming Degree'

Actually Americans tend to easily believe a lot of nonsense .... and have a harder time grasping reality.

[–] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 22 points 2 months ago (1 children)

While true, American stupidity is not unique. Every nation has shown that they have tons of idiots willing to believe whatever the Internet tells them

[–] billiam0202@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

Yep. Poilievre, Brexit, Meloni, AFD, just off the top of my head.

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[–] knobbysideup@sh.itjust.works 28 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It was alarming the first time around. It isn't now. This country is filled with blissfully stupid people.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago (3 children)

KGB handbook describes this in great detail. Amplify and boost the loudest, worst voices on both sides of every political and social issue, so that people hate each other and everyone thinks the worst of each other, thus embracing the worst image the other side has of each other.

Further, by making literally every issue, no matter how small, into a contentious debate where you can't tell what's real or not, the average voter or citizen just starts to tune it all out.

Why do you think the general public is abandoning science and basic liberal democracy? Why do you think people suddenly seem to not care about basic empathy or rights for fellow citizens?

They've all tuned out, they don't care anymore because everything is too stupid, too nonsensical, too contentious, so the alternative is to buy whatever the leadership says, keep your head down, and get back to work. Welcome to the end of the cold war. Victory to Russia.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 4 points 2 months ago

anti-vaxxers was also pushed by russia too, it made sense since russias own people refused to take the machine, because it worked too well.

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 26 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Well, an alarming number of Americans believe that Trump should be president. And that America is the best country in the world, and that compassion is communism.

This tells more about how gullible Americans are, and not much about the skills of unchecked Russian propaganda.

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[–] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 26 points 2 months ago (2 children)

An alarming amount of Americans still believe civil war disinformation and propaganda. They ain't got the critical thinking skills to deal with 250 year old shit, they sure as hell can't think past new shit

[–] nightofmichelinstars@sopuli.xyz 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

What civil war propaganda? Where can I read more about this?

Edit: States rights, ofc. I was thinking there might be something more obscure and specific because I hadn't heard of most of the falsehoods in the article before.

[–] MrPoopbutt@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

"The civil war wasn't about slavery, it was about states rights"

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

For example, the confederate supporters say the war wasn't about slavery, but rather about states rights. Now, you ask, states rights to what? And then they don't have an answer somehow.

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[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 months ago

It probably sounds so familiar to fox viewers

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

So much of what is being flagged as "Russian disinformation" is being parroted (if not straight up propagated) by western news media, western social media, and western talking heads.

At what point does a Mercer-funded, MAGA-coded, Texas based, English language broadcast constitute American Media? Is this a "just one drop" rule, where any positive (or insufficiently negative) news item or talking point or image marks the entire operation as "Russian"? Are guys like Tim Pool and Alex Jones still Americans? Or are they Russian? Is Tucker Carlson, the son of a CIA director and a midwestern cattle-country heiress, a Presidential speechwriter and US cable news pundit and avowed Cold Warrior, a Russian? Is CNN Russian? Is Exxon Russian?

[–] LarryLurkman@lemm.ee 15 points 2 months ago

Fucking pathetic.

[–] 60d@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 months ago

If any population needs help with media literacy, it's Murcans and Canucks.

So many people are repeating Putin's narratives that even anti-cons are believing them.

[–] TrojanRoomCoffeePot@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

*read and analyze content critically

[–] DicJacobus@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

uneducated country that wants to be even more uneducated. runs its platform based on robbing the country blind whilst using the dumbest of the population as a shield by rage baiting them into protecting them against the opposition.

the world is going to be unrecognizable in 20 years. I'm convinced its going to end up with multiple state collapses and nuclear wars.

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[–] TheLunatic@lemm.ee 9 points 2 months ago

No. Shit. It's infuriating.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Many of the supposed "leaders" are spouting Russian disinfo - Hegseth the other day was crying about the media talking about the "Russian hoax", meaning, reporting on donvict's sus ties to Putin and Russia in his first term.

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 6 points 2 months ago

The "Russian Hoax" is a hoax.

HitlerPig's ties to Putin and Russia are well-documented, all the way back to his first visit to Soviet Moscow in 1987, BEFORE the fall of the Iron Curtain, when the Soviets were shocked at how easily he could be manipulated with the most insincere flattery, and he was given the code-name designation Krasnov.

Within six months of his first visit, he was taking out his first full page ads spouting Soviet talking points.

By any objective measure, HitlerPig is the most prolific Traitor in American history, worse than all other American traitors COMBINED.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

on reddit i pointed out in political subs so many times that alot of the posters were russian trolls positng russian back news to bait people. cant you people see its obvious. around the time of the gaza invasion, i reported a couple people in the pics sub for israeli propaganda, because they were posting the " attacks against palestine" as a way to frame bidenw as the sole cause of the conflict and hes doing nothing, i reminded them that both parties have always supported in great numbers, and its only currently being inflammed because BIBI was worried a new D was going to condemn or stop the financial support to israel.

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[–] misteloct@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 2 months ago

Speaking of disinformation, here's the underlying article: https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/one-third-of-americans-believe-russian-disinformation-yougov-survey-finds. In case you want to skip Forbes.

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