Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2017 11:03:17 GMT -6
This is insane:
www.ctvnews.ca/canada/vegas-shooting-victims-accused-of-being-actors-by-online-trolls-1.3653466
Many of the shooting victims and their families have been harassed and even threatened by people who believe they are playing the role of crisis actors in a big Government conspiracy. This is truly sad, and God help us all if a significant percentage of Americans actually believe this rubbish. Like other things conspiracy theorists believe (9/11 was an inside job by Government, JFK was assassinated by the FBI/Mafia/etc) or even worse. I recently checked a 5 minute video on the Holocaust, and 75% of the comments were along the line of "The Jews made up this lie so they can control the banks, and the US will continue to give aid to Israel,etc). The Anti-Semitism is scary and is really something to be concerned.
Ever since Trump labelled CNN "fake news" his followers have been turning to sites like Infowars.com and other fringe media outlets (in Canada we had Ezra Levant's therebel.ca). The results speak for themselves:
“It literally felt like being hit with a sledgehammer or baseball bat in the head,” he said, adding that he’s still in a lot of pain and can’t really move his head.
Despite the physical evidence of his injuries, online trolls have accused the B.C. mechanic of lying and being a paid actor.
“You’re a lying piece of s*** and I hope someone truly shoots you in the head,” wrote a poster on one of Matejka’s social media pages.
“Your soul is disgusting and dark,” wrote another.
The online abuse was so overwhelming that Matejka deleted all of his social media accounts.
Sheldon Mack, a 21-year-old man who was shot twice during the massacre, has also received negative remarks on his social media accounts.
“Sheldon has been also targeted online by someone who claims the shooting did not occur, and that he and others affected are actors participating in a hoax,” Mack’s father told CTV Vancouver. “We think it’s unfortunate that anyone without actual knowledge of the incident and its aftermath would choose to perpetrate such information.”
Mainland Medical Clinic psychologist Jodi Samra says online trolls who continue to spread these falsehoods are further harming the victims.
“What it really does is re-traumatize victims,” she said. "It's so horrific on so many levels. Here's people who are dealing with a whole host of emotional reactions – post traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, fear – their whole lives have been turned upside down. And then to have people on the outside that are making these ridiculous, outlandish, mean, hurtful statements, it's terrible."
Labelling victims of tragedies, particularly those injured in gun violence in the U.S., as so-called "crisis actors" isn’t a new phenomenon. Conspiracy theorists infamously attacked the grieving parents of children who were slaughtered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.
Some argue that the shootings are faked as a way to sway public opinion in favour of gun control regulations.
Samra added that as unbelievable as their claims may seem to outsiders, there are plenty of people who truly believe them thanks to online groups that reaffirm their belief without offering contrary evidence.
“When we have groups, like conspiracy theorists groups, it’s amazing the power they have over having people start to believe something that’s completely false and may seem outlandish to us from the outside,” she said. "There is this belief now if something's on the internet that there's truth behind it."
www.ctvnews.ca/canada/vegas-shooting-victims-accused-of-being-actors-by-online-trolls-1.3653466
Many of the shooting victims and their families have been harassed and even threatened by people who believe they are playing the role of crisis actors in a big Government conspiracy. This is truly sad, and God help us all if a significant percentage of Americans actually believe this rubbish. Like other things conspiracy theorists believe (9/11 was an inside job by Government, JFK was assassinated by the FBI/Mafia/etc) or even worse. I recently checked a 5 minute video on the Holocaust, and 75% of the comments were along the line of "The Jews made up this lie so they can control the banks, and the US will continue to give aid to Israel,etc). The Anti-Semitism is scary and is really something to be concerned.
Ever since Trump labelled CNN "fake news" his followers have been turning to sites like Infowars.com and other fringe media outlets (in Canada we had Ezra Levant's therebel.ca). The results speak for themselves:
“It literally felt like being hit with a sledgehammer or baseball bat in the head,” he said, adding that he’s still in a lot of pain and can’t really move his head.
Despite the physical evidence of his injuries, online trolls have accused the B.C. mechanic of lying and being a paid actor.
“You’re a lying piece of s*** and I hope someone truly shoots you in the head,” wrote a poster on one of Matejka’s social media pages.
“Your soul is disgusting and dark,” wrote another.
The online abuse was so overwhelming that Matejka deleted all of his social media accounts.
Sheldon Mack, a 21-year-old man who was shot twice during the massacre, has also received negative remarks on his social media accounts.
“Sheldon has been also targeted online by someone who claims the shooting did not occur, and that he and others affected are actors participating in a hoax,” Mack’s father told CTV Vancouver. “We think it’s unfortunate that anyone without actual knowledge of the incident and its aftermath would choose to perpetrate such information.”
Mainland Medical Clinic psychologist Jodi Samra says online trolls who continue to spread these falsehoods are further harming the victims.
“What it really does is re-traumatize victims,” she said. "It's so horrific on so many levels. Here's people who are dealing with a whole host of emotional reactions – post traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, fear – their whole lives have been turned upside down. And then to have people on the outside that are making these ridiculous, outlandish, mean, hurtful statements, it's terrible."
Labelling victims of tragedies, particularly those injured in gun violence in the U.S., as so-called "crisis actors" isn’t a new phenomenon. Conspiracy theorists infamously attacked the grieving parents of children who were slaughtered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.
Some argue that the shootings are faked as a way to sway public opinion in favour of gun control regulations.
Samra added that as unbelievable as their claims may seem to outsiders, there are plenty of people who truly believe them thanks to online groups that reaffirm their belief without offering contrary evidence.
“When we have groups, like conspiracy theorists groups, it’s amazing the power they have over having people start to believe something that’s completely false and may seem outlandish to us from the outside,” she said. "There is this belief now if something's on the internet that there's truth behind it."