Are we in the midst of civil war being fought with cyber tools instead of guns?

[LuckyCharms]

I do not think that Americans have the stomach for a shooting civil war.

However, just as the Russians delivered further division to this country with their propaganda on social media, isn't Trump doing the same thing?

He is purposely dividing us with his tweets.

What about all of the misspelled memes created by who knows?

This country will be destroyed by propaganda, no matter the source.

I've said this many times, and will continue to say it... if social media is to be allowed to function as a news source, it needs to be regulated. Either that, or it should function as a social platform only...with only local news being allowed. I know I will get flamed for this belief, but this complete horseshit being posted on social media with no checks is not just stirring the pot, it is shitting in the pot. Weak minds that believe anything will never go away, but damaging propaganda can be made to disappear if those in power have the will to make it go away.

[sharedvalues]

1. Yes. Well, foreign war too. Yes, we need regulation. Fast.

[RKP5637]

2. Yes, and perhaps cyber tools are even more devastating than wars with weapons in some ways.

The US is being destroyed from within and from without. We have a failed presidency and a manipulative congress that is not overly bright with respect to the future of the US. Cyber wars can often be a silent cancer and the use of psyops is devastating.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. It is actually an extremely UNcivil war!

[Initech]

4. We're in a civil cold war for sure.

And much of it is being driven by Fox News misinformation and the GOPs propaganda arm.

[Bradshaw3]

5. It's not just a civil war

It is worldwide with a very dangerous aggressor in Putin and oligarchs going after democracy. Except for the recent elections in France the resistance to it has been late and short, and almost non-existent in America because our POtuS and many of our oligarchs share Putin's goals.

[sharedvalues]

9. Yes

Our oligarchs that run the GOP, like Putin, care only about their personal wealth. But while Putin wants to weaken Western democracy to help Russia's world standing, our oligarchs want to weaken democracy so they can keep more wealth for themselves.

Huh. Maybe it is the same thing.

[Bradshaw3]

10. It is the same thing

I think drumpf, Putin, et al probably see themselves as a meritocracy of accumulated wealth and power (even if its done by cheating and manipulation, or maybe that's more the better to them), much like the earliest monarchs in Europe, whose descendants later began to use divine right of kings as the justification for the ruling elite. Also like the monarchs I think drumpf and the oligarchs want to pass that power and of course their wealth to their descendants as part of their grandiose view of themselves as some kind of "dynasty."

[sharedvalues]

14. Transnational power of oligarchs is what we're fighting, yes. Wealth and inheritance taxes needed

Best argument for a big wealth and inheritance tax:

[BigmanPigman]

6. I don't use Facebook or Twitter (never did)so when I heard last fall

that social media was spreading fake news I has no idea what they were talking about. I still don't unless I see someone show it on the TV news. I thought social media was for socializing. I read last week that more people get their news from Facebook, etc than TV and they aren't even regulated?! No wonder Fuckerberg is dragging his heels, it is too difficult to wade through knee deep $$$$$$$$ with the govt breathing down your back.

[LuckyCharms]

7. They are both unbelievable cesspools now.

I stopped using facebook, and I've never used twitter.

[delisen]

8. We are in a 21st century war with Russia.

We have been in this war since 2000. Russia is winning.

1. for many years we did not believe we were in a war-we associate war primarily with guns, bombs, and military might or the threat of military might-but that is not primarily the nature of 21st century warfare.

2. many of us still do not acknowledge that we are in a war or that some of us have been used as tools in the war

3. until recently Russia has been able to wage its war in secret, giving Russia the advantage.

4. that advantage has proven to be so significant that even now, as knowledge of the war is seeping out across the U.S, Russia is continuing its attacks

[Bradshaw3]

11. All good points

I remember Maddow did a show focusing on a conference in Russia from I think about 2008 where a high-ranking Russian official (maybe even a general) was bragging about this new form of warfare and how it evened the playing field since Russia couldn't keep up with the U.S. in terms of traditional war spending.

Your last point is an important one since even making the news of these attacks public hasn't led to the kind of measures to stop them in the future; of course some don't want them stopped since it benefits them.

[ananda]

12. No. That war is over ..

.. and we lost.

[AtheistCrusader]

13. If selective leaking of internal info, and targeted facebook ads consitutes 'war'

and we're worried about it... Then I guess we're screwed, and don't deserve to be the dominant species on this rock ball anyway.