Russian Bots Hate Our Black Asses
Welcome to the twenty-second installment of This Black-Ass Life! This week, we’re diving into the anti-Blackness of the Russian bot game. We’re also thrilled for Black culture and are still mad about the Priyanka-Nick Jonas mash up.
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l. The Facts
Russian bots created countless ads and fake accounts on social media to rile up anti-Black sentiments in support of the Orange Ogre.
Russian bots have been at this for a while. In October, Sheryl Sandberg admitted Facebook ads run by an organization linked to the Russian government were intended to heighten racial tensions during the 2016 Election.
In a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus, Sandberg promised to look into the matter and said that Facebook will add an African American board member (girl, what?).
Russian bots use organic and paid social media to encourage pro Pineapple Penishead voters. They knew conspiracy theories and anti-Hillary language would work, but that generating anti-Black feelings would also be a key strategy.
Washington Post studied 3,500 Russian bot Facebook ads and found language like “honor your ancestors” and calls to action like “Texas should secede” resonated well.
The New York Times also found that with Twitter, which doesn’t require a full - albeit fake - name like Facebook, became a separate breeding ground for White supremacy speech like “Heritage not hate” and “the South will rise again.”
Why is this important?
It’s alarming that anti-Blackness is so global and can be stoked so easily, even by outside actors like Russian interlopers.
We live in a universe where our social media networks, which touch most of the globe, aren’t policing racist and ultimately dangerous sentiments.
Russian bots are already at it again with the #WalkAway campaign, which is a hashtag they want people to believe started from alleged former Democrats encouraging, among other voters, Black people to walk away from the Democratic “plantation.”
I (Mitu) hate that I know who Candace Owens is, but she is one of the dummies who fell for and supported this #WalkAway hashtag.
Reporting racism on social media can feel like an arbitrary process where sites cherry pick what they feel is “actually hate speech.” Here are some troubling results from one reporter who spent a weekend reporting anti-Black hate speech among soccer fans in the UK. Remember: Anti-blackness is GLOBAL.
What can my Black Ass do?
Stay Woke. The Russians are using every trick in the book, they even tried to use ads to rally against Beyoncé, capitalizing on pro-police sentiments and calling her racist after her *iconic* Super Bowl performance. When they tried to do this with pro-Beyonce ads to rile up Black folks, the ads didn’t quite land since we saw through the foolishness, i.e: “Pro-Beyoncé. Stop White Privilege. Support Queen B.”
Use this Facebook tool to see if you follow Russian propaganda on Facebook and Instagram.
And Report Report Report any and all hate speech or seemingly fake accounts you come across. You know, like the ones that infiltrate Black Twitter using “Fleek” as an adverb.
ll. Other Things
So our girl Pripri has decided to marry the Jonas Brother.
Nick Jonas proposed to Priyanka Chopra and she said yes. He even had the audacity to propose with a Tiffany ring, the Jared Jeweler of the upper middle class. I'm nobody's upper middle class and even I (Jumoke) can afford (some) Tiffany shit and I rinse and reuse ziploc bags. Priyanka is better than this.
Stars, they’re just like us! Rihanna doesn’t want to lose her butt or thighs but does want to develop healthier habits than reaching for her usual midnight mac n cheese .
Michael Arceneaux’s I Can’t Date Jesus is now a NYT Bestseller. Y’all need to buy it and read it ASAP. Here’s his interview on Desus & Mero.
We are really grateful that LeBron made his innovative school a public school.
Must read: Pose star Billy Porter on 80’s New York and the AIDS crisis.
From Kid Fury to Octavia Spencer to queen Marsai Martin, our Black asses are thriving in entertainment.
I (Mitu) want to call up this amazing thread from 2017 on why Michael Jackson is an “asshole” in the “Remember the Time” music video. Michael Jackson walked into a pyramid, and went down memory lane with Pharaoh's wife!
Our Black-Ass song of the week (Mitu):
New H.E.R. is here. Listen.
Things we are looking forward to / things we are not looking forward to:
I (Jumoke) am looking forward to seeing our Asian cousins do THAT in Crazy Rich Asians. Believe that I will see this movie multiple times. And heeeeey, Henry Golding. I (Mitu) also want to say heeeeey.
I (Mitu) look forward to what Beyoncé will do with this Vogue cover, especially since she’s already brought in the first Black cover photographer in apparently its ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIX-YEAR history.
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Mama
Jumoke’s mama is definitely Not! Mad! at her.
Stay Black, thrive, don’t anger your person and we’ll hit your inbox next on August 20.