2704

The next day, Facebook reported its quarterly earnings, and the results were stellar. Aided by the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing stay-at-home orders around the world, usage of Facebook’s products grew 14 percent to 3.14 billion people. Ad revenue rose 11 percent over the previous year to $18.69 billion. Despite the gloom on display in the “revenue trends explorer,” the advertiser boycott hadn’t hurt Facebook’s business at all.

This is a fantastic, albeit very long article on how Facebook, led by absolutely amoral* people who are determined to give a platform to the worst rabble-rousers in society, cannot be stopped and will crush us all.

14 percent more users. Jesus wept.

*They think they’re apolitical.

2705

Meanwhile I stopped going to Facebook over the past few months as I just couldn’t handle the hate and insanity from trumpers there anymore.

2706

Best thing you could do. I’m sure that your head is clearer these days.

2707

A cousin of mine in Michigan frequently posts anti-BLM content but also seems tired of Trump’s bullying and the conflict on her fb page. Over the last couple months, I’ve been posting occasional replies to her page about why we march in support of BLM, just trying to open up a line of communication with family in a swing state and push against the division and disinformation.

I was happy a couple days ago when she asked me why she should consider voting for Joe Biden. She didn’t want to hear why Trump was awful, she wanted to hear why Biden was a good choice. She said, “you’re the only person I know from the Democratic party that can intelligently debate without using profanity and yelling.” So I’m feeling good that I have a chance to prevent a vote for Trump, or, better yet, gain a vote for Joe in MI!

2708

Yea! Good luck!

2709

Gay twitter has taken over the #ProudBoys hashtag to post pictures of gay men kissing, hugging, and generally being proud of being gay.

And it’s very funny and kind of awesome.

2710

It was George Takei’s idea.

2711

I’ve been seeing this all over Reddit, too. I wonder how many posts there have to be before googling “Proud Boys” starts returning these pics and posts instead of McInnes et al.

2712

I dunno, but we may be about to find out, and [if it’s what you say it is] I love it.

2713

Especially later in summer.

2714

It’s so obvious when you give it a second’s thought. Gays have been proud a lot longer than fucking nazis.

2715

Yeah, I actually thought that’s what “Proud Boys” always meant until this thread.

… darn it, I might have to drop a couple friends. :(

2716

The “Proud Boys” name is literally lifted from a Disney muscal, so, y’know… #whynotboth.

2717

I have to admit, this was my favorite ‘Proud Boys’ meme.

image

2718

Nope, friendships safe. They’ve been posting similar things for a long time to piss off alt-right family members & co-workers.

2719

The replies are, as expected, full of them absolutely not following this “policy”.

2720

‘Bout fuckin’ time.

But also: good.

2721

Was there an actual event or did they just finally realize… something?

“We have to think about the QAnon networks as the rails upon which misinformation is driven,” said Joan Donovan, research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. “Every account, event and page are tracks where disinformation can be spread. so it is imperative that Facebook dismantle their infrastructure. Without Facebook, they are not rendered inert, but it will make it more difficult to quickly spread disinformation.”

2722

I’m feeling it more as, too little too late. The damage is done. The demon is out of the bottle. People are morons.

2723

They see which way the winds are blowing and are making a half-assed, way too late “look at us, doing stuff!” attempt to keep from being regulated into oblivion?