World of Warcraft Vanilla team lead Mark Kern issued a warning that society at-large is currently in an “information civil war.”
Over a week ago I made the statement that we are in an information civil war between ideologies where one side was already shooting and the other didn’t even realize the war had started.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
He goes on to describe how one side uses names like “Nazi, Alt Righter, and Bigot” to label people. In fact, we’ve reported on numerous cases where comic book professionals have used those names to malign fellow creators, customers, and fans. We’ve seen people like Ethan Van Sciver and Diversity & Comics labeled as white supremacists without any shred of evidence. Yet, those labels stick are used to rally other people to malign them and spread this false information.
I pointed out the the “Left” is very good at nicknames and branding, which is the equivalent of carpet bombing in an information war. Indiscriminate and brutal, snatching up broad swaths of innocent civilians. “Nazi”, “Alt Righter” and “Bigot” etc. are applied with a broad brush.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
While Kern points out one side is effective at labeling their opponents, the other side is relatively dormant.
Meanwhile the other side, aside from the POTOS’s very effective nickname branding, seems to be largely dormant. Not realizing the conflict has already arrived, they mistakenly believe that no real harm will be done until the “shooting starts.” So they lag behind.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
I suggested that branding and nicknaming needed to improve in order to match the side that is already bombing everyone. I suggested “SJW” was an abstract, even positive term, that served no useful purpose in this information battle. I called for suggestions for alternative names.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
He would then try and crowd source a good name to label his opponents. And it appears he settled on “social terrorist.”
Many suggestions missed the point. They were abstract, or required the reader to already have knowledge of the situation to appreciate, were too mired in humor, or simply not punitive enough. Then one suggested “Social Terrorist.”
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
To me, this was the perfect term. Easily digestible to the masses and derogatory enough while accurately painting their tactics. “Social” identifies the group clearly as linked to “SJWS” while Terrorist highlights and blasts their hateful tactics in a social setting.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
However, the term might not have caught on quick enough as Kern notes that Wired ran an article describing people who support President Trump and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as “information terrorists.”
The people who were not aware they were in a war yet, complained the term was too hyperbolic, too violent to be used.
Well, use it or lose it… your enemy has no problem calling you that and far worse. Yesterday I was proved right.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
The Left, via a Wired article, called everyone posting online in support of the POTUS or Judge K, “Information Terrrorists.”
Called it.
They just outbranded you again. Everyone else will continue to lose the information war until you are ready to use words to push back.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
Kern then issues a call for people to wake up and begin fighting the war over information and economics. He makes it clear the war isn’t being fought with guns and conventional means. It’s being fought via communication tools, social media, payment processing tools, and even your own job.
So wake up. The war is now, fought over information and economics. It won’t be a shooting war. Even if it becomes one, you will have lost far before then as your communication are cut off, your payment processors and jobs revoked, and you are erased from the Internet.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
He encourages people to fight back with information and “use ALL your words and your freedom of speech.” He also wants to see people create alternative structures for communication, payment, and search.
Fight with information, use ALL your words and your freedom of speech (while you have it) as weapons. Conservative techs, *wake up*, create alternative structures for communication, payment and search. Don’t wait for physical warfare in an information age. You are already behind.
— Mark Kern (@Grummz) October 4, 2018
Kern’s warning comes after a number of moves in recent months that have targeted a number of websites and personalities for their opinions. Firebrand commentator Alex Jones was erased from nearly all of social media including Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and YouTube. Then payment processing company PayPal banned Alex Jones and InfoWars. They claimed Jones and Infowars “promoted hate and discriminatory intolerance against certain communities and religions.”
Jones wouldn’t be the only target. Just this month Roosh Valizadeh posted on Return of Kings that the site is going on a hiatus because their revenues are too low and they’ve been banned from “PayPal and countless ad partners.”
Controversial comic book creator Mags Visaggio would cheer the site taking a hiatus.
Deplatforming hate works. https://t.co/aSo2r2Tt8j
— Magdaloween Visaggio (@MagsVisaggs) October 2, 2018
Right Wing News founder John Hawkins reported earlier this year that his publication that had been around since 2001 would be shutting down. Hawkins believes Facebook decided to “slowly strangle [his site] to death” following the 2016 campaign season and election of Donald Trump where conservative pages became highly engaged and active. Hawkins believe sites like his helped Trump win the election and that’s why Facebook decided to “slowly strangle” them.
A PJ Media article by Paula Bolyard also claims that Google search results are blatantly prioritize “left-leaning and anti-Trump media outlets.”
There just might be some truth to what Mark Kern is saying.
But what do you think? Do you agree with Mark Kern? Do you think we are in an information civil war? Do you think his advice is prudent?