“The absurdity of it all boggles the mind,” said one senior administration official.

National security officials are used to shaking off absurd conspiracy theories, but the latest rumor that’s gripped MAGA world just hits different.

The claims by Fox News and far-right influencers that pop star Taylor Swift is part of a Pentagon “psychological operation” to get President Joe Biden reelected, and somehow rig the Super Bowl to benefit Kansas City Chiefs tight end (and Swift’s boyfriend) Travis Kelce, has been met with forehead slaps in the national security world.

“The absurdity of it all boggles the mind,” said one senior administration official, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter. “It feels like one of those ‘tell me you are a MAGA conspiracy theorist, without telling me you are a MAGA conspiracy theorist’ memes.”

  • DogWater@lemmy.world
    23·
    9 months ago

    The entire alt right movement was exactly that. It was a joke on b that did this.

    Like I used to think that enders game was stupid when it came to the weird internet forum starting a movement and influencing politics but that has literally happened in real life lol

    • Olhonestjim@lemmy.world
      11·
      9 months ago

      Except that in Ender’s Game they used weird internet forums to actually improve public discourse and awareness.

      • DogWater@lemmy.world
        1·
        9 months ago

        Sure but what’s your point? I’m saying it was weird to me that the author thought that was realistic or possible. And it happened in real life, proving that it was possible lol

        • Olhonestjim@lemmy.world
          1·
          9 months ago

          Oh, I read Enders Game in high school and took the opposite view from you. I believed that the Internet would raise public discourse by elevating intelligence and empathy over our baser instincts. Then we all, including me, proved that wrong.

          Optimist, I guess. Not sure what to do with that side of me now.

    • bAZtARd@feddit.de
      2·
      9 months ago

      Right? I remember when the_Donald started on reddit, I thought it was hilarious and just people making fun of Trump and behaving like over the top cultists. And in the beginning it obviously was only just a joke. And then it got real and people really thought what was written there was the truth. People for banned and an echo chamber formed.

      Was it the same on /b/? Did anyone experience the same as me back then? I really wanna know if all of this came from dumb internet humour…

      • DogWater@lemmy.world
        1·
        9 months ago

        I know people used to post the updates for Q on there. That’s why its called Qanon. Because the were from 4chan and the posts were anonymous.